Sophomore Brandon Xu said when it comes to cello, his greatest strength is finding his weaknesses. Xu plays cello in this school’s top chamber ensemble Camerata, which is a part of this school’s Symphony Orchestra. This is his fifth year to formally study cello.

This summer, Xu said he plans to attend the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing. There he will stay in a resort and receive private lessons, private chamber music coaching and master classes from top conservatory professors from around the world.

Dr. William Grubb, associate professor of cello at Butler University and Xu’s private teacher, said, “It’s really about training some of the kids that will become the stars of tomorrow in either Asia or the United States. They will just flourish, especially since they can learn from each other.”

According to Grubb, the Great Wall International Music Academy is highly selective. Grubb has taught there for about five years now, and he recommended to Xu that he should audition. Since Xu’s audition was late, he had to travel to the University of Cincinnati to play for the school’s executive director, Stanny Shiu.

However, now that Xu has been accepted, he has the opportunity to work with three to four cello teachers and play in one of the 20 string quartets. After three weeks of intensive work, Xu will perform in a concert. There will also be a National Public Radio program called “From the Top,” that will do two broadcasts for the school.

“I think the advantage is that (Xu) will be immersed in a different kind of culture. He will get to be around lots of kids from China and see how that’s like and how they study and prepare for things. It’s quite different than America. Chinese are more disciplined than American students but sometimes not as creative as American students, so it’s a nice mix for Americans to go to China to study, and it’s nice for the Chinese students to work with American students,” Grubb said. “It’s a really wonderful mix of cultures from East and West to make classical music. For us, it’s the language of music that brings us together.”

According to Xu, practice in China is focused on drilling and intensive work. The methods are based on technicality, which focuses more on intonation and rhythm. In the United States and Europe, teachers encourage their students to develop their musicality, or their musical personality.

The majority of the students at the Great Wall International Music Academy are ethnically Chinese, but they come from all over the world, like from Germany, Singapore, the United States and Taiwan. Students who live in China come from top schools like the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Xu said that although competition is healthy, at the same time it can detract from the learning process.

Although Xu said he is undecided for college, music will still be a part of his future. Grubb said Xu has the ability to double major in music and a science.

Xu said, “You don’t have to formally study music to enjoy it. I think that is what really makes it great. You can enjoy it just as much as I do without taking five years of lessons and traveling overseas.