Lyrics of Born This Way, a song about self-love and acceptance by American pop idol Lady Gaga filled the air, crooned beautifully by a group of Thai teenagers as they sat in front of the rehearsal room, practicing during lunch break. In a few days these talented singers will put on a public performance that would be a fitting climax to the "Yes Academy Thailand" music workshop.
Learning dance steps from the pros.
"Youth Excellene On Stage" is the theme of this workshop launched in 2009 jointly by the US Embassy in Thailand and a non-profit organisation, American Voices, with the aim to form a bridge between American and Thai cultures through the power of art and music, by providing budding Thai talents a chance to learn and master their skills from seasoned professionals.
"I love singing but not much of dancing. When I learned about Yes Academy that offers classes with Broadway singers, I thought this was a good chance for me to learn how to sing and perform," said 20-year-old Erika Cummings, a participant from Rangsit University, who returned to the workshop this year.
String orchestra workshop.
Director John Ferguson said Yes Academy is a project that has its root in American Voices, established in 1993 to provide capacity-building performing art programmes that create opportunities for youths in nations emerging from conflict or isolation, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon by bringing professional American artists as part of cultural exchange programmes with local youths in those countries.
"[More recently] Yes Academy first sprouted in Iraq and then expanded to Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Afganistan. However, the case of Thailand is an exception to the rule," he said.
"What we are doing in Thailand is to bring in professional training in American genres such as Broadway, hip-hop, string orchestra to give students here an extra boost and motivation during summer vacation".
A professional pianist himself, Ferguson is no stranger to Thailand where he has organised numerous cultural projects, including performances with the Bangkok Opera in 2003 and George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
According to Ferguson, the programme allows students nationwide to join in, not just those in Bangkok, as well as participants from neighbouring countries. In order to join the academy, students must apply and submit their performance videos for audition.
Nattawat Luantampol, a 16-year-old violin player who joined the programme for the first time this year, said learning from a foreign teacher was different from he had experienced before.
"The teacher at the workshop has a high expectation of us. He really expects that we could do what he wanted us to do right away," he said with conviction. "But I think that's a good thing. I found it challenging".
Applications to Yes Academy open in January and close in April and, according to Ferguson, the classes available this year include hip-hop, street dance, Broadway musical theatre, piano and chamber music, string orchestra, and jazz music. There is also a special programme for teachers as they get an opportunity to learn from pros.
For the academy to operate, it receives cooperation from Chulalongkorn and Rangsit universities who provide the venue and equipment. This year the workshop has been running since May 4, with the performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
''This year we have a teachers coming from different parts of Thailand including the restive deep south _ Yala, Songkhla and Pattani _ and a large number from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai,''said Ferguson. Scholarships and accommodation are offered to students from upcountry or abroad who passed the audition.
The workshop boasts the services of professionals who have earned acclaim in the respective fields. In charge of the jazz class is Dr Gene Aitken, voted the 2007 Jazz Educator of the Year by DownBeat magazine and the seventh inductee into its hall of fame. Michael Parks Masterson, an actor, director and choreographer who performed on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, is in charge of musical training, while street dancer James Cricket Colter, famed for his role in Hollywood blockbuster Step Up 2 the Streets and appearance in music videos for artists such as Boys II Men, Will Smith and Avil Lavigne, leads the street dancing classes, to name just a few.
''I enjoyed teaching Thai students. They're very good. They learn quickly and seem keen to learn new things,'' said Marc Thayer, a professional violinist and a director at Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra who has returned to the academy as a trainer for the third time this year.
''The only difficulty is the language. Some of them don't speak English very well, I don't speak Thai but I wish I did. But, music is a universal language and we could get past most translation problems with the music''.
Yes Academy Thailand 2012 will hold a gala concert for the public on Friday and Saturday at Chulalongkorn University. Call 02-682-980 or visit www.yesth.com/.
