1. With the Dragon Dance

2.  Chinese New Year: January 23, 2012  Chinese Year 4709  Year of the Dragon  Next year: February 10  Year of the Snake

3.  Year of the Dragon: 2000, 2012  Year of the Rabbit: 1999,, 2011  Year of the Tiger: 1998, 2010  Year of the Ox: 1997, 2009  Year of the Rat: 1996, 2008  Year of the Pig: 1995, 2007  Year of the Dog: 1994, 2006  Year of the Rooster: 1993, 2005  Year of the Monkey: 1992, 2004  Year of the Sheep: 1991, 2003  Year of the Horse: 1990, 2002  Year of the Snake: 1989, 2001

4.  Rat: Charisma, Manipulative  Ox: Dependable, Stubborn  Tiger: Powerful, Reckless  Rabbit: Kind, Superficial  Dragon: Noble, Arrogant  Snake: Wise, Loner  Horse: Cheerful, Fickle  Sheep: Sympathetic, Worrier  Monkey: Smart, Selfish  Rooster: Meticulous, Proud  Dog: Honest, Lazy  Pig: Patient, Naïve

5.  Chinese music dates back nearly 7000 years  Ling Lun is the mythical creator of music  Made pipes to sound like birds  In 221-207 BC, the Imperial Music Bureau was founded to dictate what music would be officially recognized  Oldest know music is the Youlan, or Solitary Orchid  Music was seen as important to the Chinese state and most emperors took music very seriously

7.  Pentatonic Scale- 5 notes  Heterophonic- Musicisans play variations of the same musical line  Melodic rather than harmonic  Poetic and expresses feelings and emotions  Silences are important and change the meaning  Solos or small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums

8.  Lutes ◦ Pipa ◦ Ruan (Chinese Guitar) ◦ Yueqin (Opera)  Zithers ◦ Guqin ◦ Zheng  Harps ◦ Konghou

10.  Erhu (Chinese Violin)  Sihu (Opera)  Zhong-Hu (Chinese Viola)  Yangquin (Chinese Dulcimer)

12.  Dizi (Bamboo Flute)  Guan (Oboe)  Bawu  Mabu

14.  Muyu (Wood)  Bianqing (Stone tablets)  Bianzhong (Bells)  Bo (Cymbals)  Luo (Gong)  Dagu (Hide Drum)  Bolang Gu (Small Drum)

16.  Thin voiced  Resonant  Almost Falsetto-like  Usually solo, not choral  Mo Li Hua is a popular song for voice

18.  Other Asian Countries  Most recently Western Countries ◦ 1601: Matteo Ricci is the first European with a musical instrument to reach China ◦ It was a harpsichord  Western-style brass bands

19.  Many Chinese refer to themselves as “Descendants of the Dragon”  Used in celebrations such as New Years  Brings good luck as a symbol of power and dignity  Similar to the “Lion Dances”  Dancers carry a Dragon on poles and mimic the motions of the dragon  The longer the Dragon, the more power and good fortune