81. The Crux of the Meeting: The Headache of Song Selection

Considering that the children have finished their grading exams and completed a round of study, and with only half a month left in the holiday, most parents, wishing to let their children relax, typically suspend their art courses for two weeks after the summer grading exams, or hold off until the official start of autumn classes to resume. This approach, rooted in the idea that the children have finished a cycle of learning and deserve a break, is why most art training institutions fall into a lull of lesson consumption in the latter half of summer. Once the children finish their exams, the parents lose motivation as well.

Yet, no matter how the grading exam is magnified, at its core, it remains an exam. Performance, on the other hand, is a process without a final outcome. This means children do not need to worry about results, and for timid or shy children, performing in front of an audience becomes even more significant. Through this process, children can share what they have learned under the spotlight, receive applause, and gain confidence. Participation in performances is itself a method of artistic exercise; through collective program rehearsals and performances, children develop teamwork and cooperation, gradually influencing their bodies and minds.

With just three lessons, Yudong helps realize your child's stage dreams. Especially after witnessing the recent teacher stage assessments, parents now have a reference for this concert in their minds. Qin Yong played his cards well, not only capturing the parents’ hearts but also solving the issue of sluggish business during the low consumption period at the branch.

From the teachers’ perspective, Qin Yong has done a good deed. Qin Yong only said that the branch would provide rehearsal space free of charge, but since the children are to perform on stage, parents naturally hope their children will shine, so the main course teachers can seize this opportunity to suggest extra lessons to parents. Thus, as long as students register to perform, teachers earn lesson fees on both ends, and next month's individual lesson consumption performance will be secured.

Although everyone has been busy for over a month and longs for rest, for workers, who would choose rest when there’s money to be made? Li An certainly wouldn’t; he was already pondering how to fit his three little ensembles into one program. It seemed somewhat challenging. He decided to first confirm the participants.

After the meeting, Li An contacted Liu Fengrui’s parents. Liu Fengrui’s father was quite interested and told Li An they would discuss it once the child returned. After hanging up, Li An called Xiao Bei’s mother. Now that communication with her had become easier, it was much more comfortable than before. Li An hoped Xiao Bei would participate, as it was a rare opportunity for the child to gain valuable experience.

Xiao Bei’s mother agreed, but the family already had plans. After the piano grading exam, Xiao Bei was to attend an astronomy summer camp, which would last until the 28th, and the registration fee had already been paid. Seeing this, Li An could only regretfully hang up. He then called Wang Xiaohu’s grandmother. Once again, she didn’t answer; Li An felt exhausted, as nine out of ten calls to the elderly lady went unanswered. He sent her a text message outlining the details and finally asked for the child’s mother’s phone number.

“Do you think the branch will recoup the costs after holding three consecutive concerts?” Ma Tao, busy contacting parents like the others, suddenly asked. “I doubt it,” Wang Panpan replied. “They’re not selling tickets, nor charging students, and I heard Qin Yong say last time the stage rental isn’t cheap.” “That’s obvious,” Xu Hongxin added. “Besides some parents, who else would buy tickets? Ninety-nine percent of this event is losing money for publicity.” “In recent years, Yudong has lost many partner schools. I suppose this is publicity for autumn enrollment.”

“What do you think, An?” Li An smiled calmly, “With a theater of Huayang’s scale, even the first-floor LED scrolling subtitles are probably charged by the hour, so let’s not worry about these things. Our job is to ensure the students are ready and the programs are prepared.”

The difficulty of organizing a teacher-student concert far exceeds that of teachers holding their own recitals; from stage design to program arrangement, a whole series of challenges truly test the planner’s abilities. As expected, the event planner this time was still Qin Yong.

The premium teacher assessment isn’t over, and now there’s this concert—does the conductor always have such boundless energy? Li An was curious how far these three concerts could go, how much loss they would incur, and how much publicity they would gain.

Before long, each received notifications from their respective teaching groups. Before tomorrow’s teaching group meeting, each teacher was to propose two stage programs based on their participating students.

“Do you have any ideas, Teacher Chen?” Li An wanted to draw inspiration from the conservatory candidates.

Chen Xuan shook her head. “It’s not easy to design a standout collective stage with such uneven levels. What about you?” Li An forced a smile. “You guys seem to be in a better position. If nothing else, lining up and playing some pop music is an option.”

“If you go by headcount, if all ten of your students perform, that’s thirty lesson hours—two thousand yuan earned in one go.” Chen Xuan could only reward Li An’s words with a beautiful eye roll. While it’s true that each participant means three lesson hours, Qin Yong had specifically emphasized that when selecting performers, quality mattered more than quantity, and each teacher was responsible for their own students.

“If the main focus is on collective programs—” Wang Panpan had an idea. “Why not create a small chamber ensemble, mixing different instruments together? Even some simple pieces can be presented richly that way.” Xu Hongxin sighed, “Easier said than done; rehearsing and implementing it is too troublesome.”

The entire morning passed in a chorus of phone calls and discussions in the various offices. The teachers contacted parents, while also debating program ideas.

Meanwhile, Qin Yong, after finishing calls with sponsors, summoned Director Dong. He had been busy with two things these days: securing sponsorships, which had gone well, and investigating Tian Yu’s issue, which had nearly reached a conclusion.

“Director Dong, do you know Hu Mingzhi?” Director Dong wasn’t sure what Qin Yong meant by the question, but in Rongcheng’s art training circle, everyone knew the name of Blue Sky’s Hu Mingzhi. Years ago, when Rongcheng proposed a westward and southward development strategy, Blue Sky followed policy and opened campuses in the Southwest. At the time, Hu Mingzhi, then head of the marketing department, almost single-handedly conquered one city after another, securing nearly half of the Southwest’s primary and secondary school partnership projects for Blue Sky within two years, leading to today’s Lin Yin campus.

But success and failure both trace back to the same source. The once flourishing Lin Yin campus is now a shadow of its former self.