Piano club, one of the clubs in Fu Jen Catholic University that has a history of more than 25 years, holds the feature of providing an environment that enables members to play different types of music ranging from classical to pop music.
Located on the 4th floor of Archbishop Lokuang Student Activity Center Building, the piano club provides a different learning environment and is where piano enthusiasts gather.
“I think the main purpose of establishing this club is to provide a shelter for those who love piano. This place enables them to practice playing the piano and make friends with those who share the same interests,” said Zhe-An Lai, the current president of the piano club.
A piano tuner teaching members about the structure of a piano. Photo by a member of the club.
One of the stereotypes of the club is that only people who know how to play the piano are allowed to join. Yet, Lai has a different perspective. “Almost half of the members do not know how to play the piano. In addition to some of the members like me who have already known how to play and are here to seek a place for practicing, there are also people who come here to learn how to play the piano or basic musical theories,” replied the president.
To assist members who want to learn, there is a formal system in the club that enables members to teach each other. It enables members who know how to play to teach those who do not.
“The education of our club is responsible for this formal system. For members who registered as teachers, they can teach those who registered as students. The teachers are paid, and there will be a small test at the end of the semester to make sure students learn what they were taught,” said the president.
Piano Club members assigned as teachers to teach others. Photo provided by FJU Piano Club.
President Lai also mentions that there are multiple music genres being played in the club.
“Other than classical music, pop music or songs from Japanese anime are also included. Take myself as an example, even though I used to play classical music when learning how to play the piano, I prefer playing anime songs nowadays,” said the president. This gives students the opportunity to show different interests and talents.
The education of the club later answers the question of whether such an environment is beneficial to club members, and the reply seems to be positive.
“There are always people who are willing to teach, so if members in the club have questions, others are there to help. In the piano club, you can somehow break the limitation of your own musical field because you will hear songs you are not interested in before. Yet, maybe after you listen to them repeatedly, you may love them afterward and start asking for the name of the songs. It’s like, for example, I used to get stuck in the musical type I was playing, but when I suddenly heard other kinds of music, I would try to learn how to play it,” said the education.
Other members also agree that having different types of music played is special for learning. For example, a member of the club who is also a piano beginner said, “it’s like a method of learning. I can get access to different types of music beforehand and decide what kinds of pieces I want to learn in the future. When different songs are played, we can also discuss about them.”
“Some of the members prefer playing pieces that are transferred from pop music, and perhaps the feeling of isolation vanishes as they find out all kinds of pieces are being played. They may abandon the thought of being unable to fit in the club,” replied another member who prefers pop music.