Famous film director Stephen Spielberg once said, ‘history is so fleeting and we are so busy consuming media and the contemporary culture…and our young people have a tough time looking back.’  In order to provide students with a great opportunity to experience the timeless journey of contemporary and classical culture, teachers from the Departments of English Language and Literature in English co-organized a Whole-Person Development programme entitled In Love with Popular Culture on 17 May 2022, with an aim to capturing some memorable snippets in the ever-changing world of contemporary culture.

 

Students from different forms travelled back in time to the stunning audio-visual journeys of popular culture: Songs, and film musicals (S1-S2) – Through a series of fun-filled activities such as bingo and charades, students revisited some most talked about songs and titles of films ranging from the fantasy musical production of Mary Poppins to the Oscar-winning epic romance of Titanic.

 

Staged Shakespearean performance (S3) – Interactive activities were arranged to immerse students in the worldwide impact of Shakespeare in contemporary culture and theatrical performance. S3 and S5 students, particularly those who study Literature in English, put on costumed performance of The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew, showcasing their artistic talents and the importance of student-directed learning.

 

Voice-acting in animated films (S4-S5) – Through vocal training using tongue-twisters, students demonstrated acting and voice projection on stage through manipulating intonation and emotions in diversified styles in some most popular animated films among teenagers such as Inside Out and Coco.

 

The programme was well received and successfully promoted the importance of popular culture to our students. This wider exposure to the English-rich environment did not only provide an educational platform for student leaders, it also enhanced their confidence in speaking English and enriched their literary interpretation in a variety of cultural contexts.