Send happiness with singing

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Circle Name: Fenghua Art Troupe

Circle age: 13 years

Number of people: 65 people

Average age: 65

Time: Every Thursday morning

On a rare and cool morning, there were bursts of wonderful singing and cheerful laughter from the Xuzhou Fenghuayuan Community Activity Room. The breeze blows, bringing the slightest coolness and comfort. Chang Zheng, the head and instructor of Fenghua Art Troupe, is giving a lecture with a smile.

Invited by the community to take over the art troupe

Back in time 13 years ago. At that time, Fenghuayuan Community wanted to hire a leader for the community art troupe, and someone recommended Chang Zheng, who had just retired from a university. People familiar with her said that Chang Zheng is not only professional, but also a multi-talented eldest sister. So, the community staff found Chang Zheng and asked her to take over the community art troupe. Because there is still some work in the school, Chang Zheng first refused, but the community staff did not give up, repeatedly came to the door, and Chang Zheng was not able to push back, so he accepted the invitation.

After taking over the community art troupe, Chang Zheng earnestly planned for the future of the art troupe. The starting point of the art troupe was to set up a women's choir; Chang Zheng's first job was to recruit troops. After passing the exam, the first group of members was formed, and 13 art lovers who could sing and read music entered the big family. Chang Zheng also brought a rigorous and responsible academic attitude and the pursuit of perfection to the team.

Multi-voice mixed chorus, which may be rare in elderly art troupes, has also attracted more and more attention. Some people came to consult, or even applied to join directly; some people asked familiar members and wanted to introduce themselves...

Although I am embarrassed to refuse other people's applications to join the group, Chang Zheng has strict requirements for group members, especially for himself. Every time a new song is taught, Chang Zheng has to take a certain amount of time to prepare for the lesson; in class, the members first recite the lyrics, and after singing three times, they put down the song sheet and sing. Through repeated strengthening, the ability of the members to memorize lyrics has been improved, and they do not need to hold the songbook when they perform on stage. In addition, Chang Zheng is particularly "picky" about pronunciation. If a member of the group is inaccurate, she will take the trouble to teach it repeatedly until it is completely mastered.

Nearly half a year after its establishment, the art troupe has begun to take shape. Not only female singers, but also many men have joined. The equipment has also been enriched. In addition to the small speakers and MP3 brought by Chang Zheng, computers, players and amplifiers have been gradually added.

"Give singing and happiness to others"

Chang Zheng took her team and walked faster on the road of mixed chorus. In the beginning, it took two months to rehearse a song. From the head of the group to every member of the group, every day is involuntarily inseparable. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and now it only takes two lessons to learn a song.

Chang Zheng is very happy to see that everyone is obsessed with music and progressing "quickly". She often said, "We not only want to be happy for ourselves, but also to give our singing and happiness to others." Fenghua Art Troupe was invited to perform in Yimeng Mountain only half a year after its establishment. At that time, programs such as "Story of Spring" and "Heaven's Road" they brought were very popular.

The success of the art troupe is inseparable from the members who love art and the collective. The collective is a stop for everyone's life in old age. As one of them, they cherish this opportunity very much. Qin Shunxin, the person in charge of the male voice department, took the trouble to make calls one by one every time a notification was sent. After everyone arrives at the event, he will enthusiastically hand over the song paper that exudes the fragrance of ink. At the end of each activity, Deputy Squad Leader Wang Li always quietly packed up speakers, computers and other used items. Deputy monitor Yao Huanli, during the performance, it is necessary to ensure the stage effect and reduce expenses as much as possible. In order to save costs, Chang Zheng tried every means to borrow clothes. Ma Li, who is in charge of clothing, registers carefully every time. She knew exactly who was wearing what. At the end of each performance, she sorts and collects the clothes; if there are stains, she will quietly take them home to wash them...

"When are you coming back"

In the 13 years since its establishment, Fenghua Art Troupe has not only formed a chorus and a recitation team, but also launched programs such as sitcoms, allegro and dance. countless. One of the most memorable performances was when they went to an elderly care home for condolences.

Before going, the members also did their "homework" and specially prepared classic songs they were familiar with for the elderly here. We also raised funds to prepare gifts for the elderly. The elderly in the nursing home were overjoyed when they heard that they could watch the show, and concentrated in the activity room early to wait for the arrival of the art troupe.

At the beginning of the performance, the elderly watched the performance on stage happily. Watching and watching, they sang along involuntarily, and asked the actors for lyrics after singing. The members of the group gave the old man song paper, and at the same time, they gave carefully prepared gifts.

When leaving, the old people took the hands of the members and asked reluctantly, "When are you coming back?"

In fact, every time the members go out to perform, they have to overcome their own difficulties. Most of the people in the regiment are the "main force" of the family with the old and the young. They love art, singing, public welfare, and their home. Every time they perform public welfare performances, they will try their best to return to the team on time.

In 2019, the art troupe participated in a month-long tour. At that time, Li Ying, the eldest sister in the group, had no one to take care of her grandson, who was still in kindergarten, so she kept the child with her during the performance.

Last year, they carefully prepared a colorful program for the Fenghuayuan community. Not long after the curtain was drawn, it began to tickly rain. The members were unmoved, still insisted on the stage, and continued to perform as if nothing had happened. When the chorus of more than 50 people was about to play, it turned into a downpour, and the community staff hurried up and whispered to Chang Zheng: "It's raining too hard. Otherwise, we'll resume the performance later when the rain stops. Chang Zheng smiled and said lightly, "It's okay." Then, the music started, and she and her group members held up small umbrellas and walked towards the stage. With Chang Zheng's gesture, the passionate singing and the sound of rain came out far, far away. "Under the Bright Sun" and so on one after another, the heavy rain passed quickly, and they gently put away their umbrellas and put them beside them. At the end of the last song, the audience erupted into warm applause.

Text/Photo Dai Yue