Songwriting camp blends emotion and tech

In a world increasingly influenced by AI, songwriter Chen Chao led a group of children to explore the creativity of songwriting, as well as reflecting on how technology was affecting music composition.

Children gathered at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing for two weeks and received intensive learning and practice under the guidance of Chen. On Monday, they gave a performance together, bringing the event to an end.

Topics ranged from the basics of musical theory, rhythm changes, and major-minor scales, to more advanced concepts like chord formation, style analysis, and modulation within a key.

During the closing ceremony, Chen invited each student to stand at the center of the stage and share the story behind their compositions.

"Music is a form of emotional expression that cannot be replaced by AI. While AI-generated music may be technically flawless, it lacks the genuine emotional projection and life experience that human creativity brings to the table," says Chen.

The children shared where they drew inspiration from. For example, Wu Yunxi, who had tried playing several instruments including piano, yangqin, and guitar, preferred improvisation; Yang Yinuo, on the other hand, loved finding inspiration in daily life and turning what she saw and felt into music.

This year marks the fourth edition of the summer camp of original songwriting launched by the annual Gateway to Arts summer festival, which is one of Beijing's biggest arts festivals for children during the summer vacation, since 1995.