Keynote 2
School Culture, Music and Leadership
Mr. Ronnie Cheng Kay Yen
Headmaster
Diocesan Boys School, Hong Kong
Throughout its 145-year history, The Diocesan Boys’ School of Hong Kong has continued to evolve into a secondary institution that aspires to all-round excellence. In recent decades, the school has emerged as one of the leaders – firstly on a local, and subsequently on an international, level – in the musical performing arts. Within the school, a diverse curriculum for musical development is made available to the students. From Music teacher to Headmaster, this presentation is a first person account of the development of DBS’s Music programme, along with the School and Management cultures.
While environments might differ from school to school, the roles of a modern music educator are quite similar. As responsibilities grow in fulfilling the tasks of organizing, running, planning, performing and mentoring, the impact of his role extends far and wide into the school community and beyond.
During the decades of ascension, a number of questions and challenges have to be answered: how to move from one level of performance up to the next; how to motivate the embracement of a genre among an initially disinterested population; how to encourage buy-in from the school management. The reciprocal impact of growth continues to affect the school in an upward spiral on at least three levels: growth in the students’ personal development, the enrichment of organizational culture, and the evolution of the school’s management culture.
In this presentation, Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng will focus on how long-term and short-term goals impact upon each other and how niche art forms have an impact on the overall culture of an organization. The presentation will also highlight how the qualities acquired by musicians can translate smoothly into the role of leadership and management, whether the group is aesthetically inclined or otherwise.
音樂教育、學校文化與領導
鄭基恩先生
香港拔萃男書院校長
經過一百四十五年的試煉，拔萃男書院已發展為一所重視通才教育、在各個領域都追求卓越的中學學府。在近數十年的歲月裏，男拔萃積極參與本地音樂活動，繼而逐步走向國際舞台，成為其中一個音樂表演藝術的重鎮。校內多元化的課程為音樂教育提供了廣闊的空間，講者將透過自身的經驗和體會，與聽眾分享男拔萃由九十年代至今的音樂發展。
雖然每間中學都有不同的校情和背景，但作為當中的音樂教育工作者，彼此的角色和功能卻是頗為相似的。音樂老師在組織、執行、計劃、表演、培育等範疇都具有重要的使命和責任，所以他們對整個學校社群的影響非常巨大、深遠。
在過往數十年的奮鬥中，講者面對各種挑戰和考驗：如何將表演藝術昇華至更高境界？怎樣鼓勵及推動一群本來興趣不大的學生參與音樂？如何獲得校方的認同和支持？音樂活動與學校的整體發展互為影響，它對最少三方面產生正面提升：學生的個人成長、學校的文化內涵、校方的管理文化。
在以下的分享裏，講者將探討發展音樂教育的過程中，長期和短期目標的相互影響，以及合適的藝術活動如何優化整個機構的文化涵養。講者亦會討論這些青年音樂家的優良素質，怎樣轉化為一種領導才能。
