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Doris Ho

Over the past 40 years, Music Office has nurtured generations of musicians and music lovers. To commemorate this moment, Music Office has invited some outstanding alumni and former Music Administrators to share their precious moments at Music Office.

Doris Ho, JP (Former Music Administrator of the Music Office)

Doris Ho assumed the position of Music Administrator of the Music Office in 1984. “I thought that the Government did a very good job in providing so many students with the opportunities to learn musical instruments. Other than sports activities and school lessons, there were not many activities and interests for students at that time. For this reason, music was a good option for them.” Mrs Ho recalled that a ceiling of 5 000 trainees was set for the Instrumental Music Training Scheme. At its early stage of implementation, learning musical instruments was not commonplace. “We had to devote substantial efforts in promotion. It was not until some years later that the number of trainees getting close to the target of 5 000.” One of the important supporting strategies adopted at that time was the Musical Instruments Hire Scheme. “Musical instruments were rather expensive. From parents’ point of view, buying a musical instrument was something more than affordability. As they could not tell if their children would stay interested in learning a musical instrument, it was hard to decide whether to buy the instrument or not. In this regard, we implemented the Musical Instruments Hire Scheme, under which students were only required to pay a modest monthly rent for using the musical instruments. Upon completion of the course, the instruments would belong to the trainees. However, a trainee had to return the instrument at the moment he dropped out from the course.”

Social resources in the 1980s were not as abundant as they are now. As such, the activities organised by the Music Office were particularly valuable. “Each year the music camp attracted a lot of new participants. It was indeed exciting for those who went camping without their family members for the first time. I was also there to join their rehearsals and activities.” In addition to music training, there were a range of recreational activities in the music camp appealing to young children. She said, “They could play ball games and roller-skate in the camp as they liked. However, if they got carried away and forgot to attend a rehearsal on time, they would have kept other trainees waiting. Therefore, we emphasised the importance of discipline in the camp, and we hoped that campers would learn the skills of self-control in games. The two-week training was a good learning opportunity for them.” What made it unforgettable to Mrs Ho was the strong atmosphere of music everywhere. “After dinner, every trainee seized the time to practise, making tuneful music in every corner of the camp site. To them, this was not possible at home. I was so delighted to see their dedication to practice.”

External music exchanges were a brand new experience for many young musicians. “Apart from travelling by plane for the first time with the ensemble’s delegation, they were also ambassadors to showcase their music talents on stage in other places for exchanges. This gave them a greater sense of fulfilment.” Mrs Ho recalled that shortly after the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration (the Declaration) in 1984, she led a delegation from the Music Office to Beijing and Shanghai for performances. It was particularly meaningful for them because they were the first batch of Hong Kong students taking part in music exchanges in the Mainland after the signing of the Declaration.

Mrs Ho commented that at that time students faced great pressure and experienced different hurdles in life. “They faced great pressure from class promotion in their schools and a heavy load of homework. Students came to our centres after school to learn music and did their homework right after class. Very often, I saw them discuss how to do the homework together and help one another with their homework. Sometimes even the instructors offered them help. Everyone worked together to solve problems like a big family.” She considered music a good medicine for relaxation. “Music is very important to everyone’s life. It has a soothing effect on our emotion nowadays when people are so often overwhelmed by helplessness.”

Mrs Ho considered that the strength of the Music Office lies in its team spirit. “We do not teach the piano. We do not want to produce individual musicians. We are training a group of musicians to make music together. When learning a musical instrument in the Music Office, you will soon realise that you can play music with your friends once you play your instrument well. The joy of working together is our greatest strength.”
Doris Ho, JP

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