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A major need of teenagers is to find a group where they fit in, and this need is perhaps more challenging to fulfill for a teen who has moved from half-way around the world.
As an immigrant moving from Taiwan to Canada at age 14, Yi-Ping Chen found “her people” in choir. The choir that Chen joined in Toronto provided a connection to her peers and reinforced the joy of making music together, which is the expressed theme of the Rockbridge Symphony: “Music Is Better Together!”
Chen discovered a love for group music at age 6 when she was enrolled in group piano lessons.
“The teacher made learning music so much fun with lots of different games,” but when she later switched to a different teacher, she lost motivation.
“In Asia, music was seen as something to show off and perform,” which was emphasized in her private lessons, but upon moving to her new Canadian city, “I remember why I loved music – to connect with others.”
According to Chen, the Rockbridge Symphony embodies this connectedness.
“My favorite orchestra culture is a community or youth symphony,” she said. “They all want to be there, no one is forcing them.”
She continued, “Sometimes a professional musician can start to feel that performing is simply their job and they cease to actively choose to be there. But community and youth orchestras have a culture of learning from others and little competition. Community orchestra musicians have a life outside of music – performing is a hat they wear but it is not their only hat, and not their only identity. You’re not just there to make music but also to make friends and have fun. The Rockbridge Symphony has this culture.”
A notable addition to the Rockbridge Symphony’s programming is the addition of sensory- friendly concerts. Chen has always been curious about music’s effect on mental health and at one time considered pursuing a career in music therapy. Chen was inspired by stories of musicians such as composer Robert Schumann.
“You can feel the effect of his bipolarity in his music and people accept his individuality there, but in his personal life, he struggled with acceptance,” she said. “Music can be a great connector for people with mental health challenges.”
The first sensory-friendly concert was last fall - a collaboration with Rockbridge Area Community Services. Don Sherman of RACS suggested the idea of a concert that RACS clients could enjoy, and the idea took off.
Explaining the elements of a sensoryfriendly concert, Chen explained, “Everyone is welcome to react to the music however they want – singing out loud, clapping, leaving the room if it becomes too overwhelming; it is a safe space for everyone, and it’s not just limited to people who can sit quietly with their hands folded in their laps.”
She added, “Some of the musicians were a bit nervous about it being mayhem, but it really wasn’t, and they want to do it again.”
Inclusion and collaboration drive Chen’s volunteer life and other professional roles as well. As a professor at James Madison University, she asked her fully enrolled conducting class how they felt they should shape the class to accommodate the large numbers and meet their educational needs.
“The students felt much more engaged in being asked to express their thoughts and problem-solve,” she said.
In her volunteer time, Chen is a founder of Caravanserai Music, a Staunton-based classical music chamber ensemble that provides access to classical music for the whole family through interactive concerts.
“We performed our first concert and then the pandemic hit,” she said.
Undeterred, the group pivoted and instead began making music education videos for parents and educators, which are available on their website.
“We work with middle and high school students and approach symphonic music from multiple angles,” she said. “For example, we encourage them to experiment with electronically incorporating parts of symphonic music into hip hop music.”
The spirit of meeting the audience’s interests shapes the Rockbridge Symphony concerts. “We think of the audience and want to build a program that is attractive to them instead of pushing music that they ‘should like.’ We want our concerts to be a dialogue and not a onesided lecture,” she said.
