Education
Is Classical Music Alive For Long?
It has been said that playing an instrument as a child is the greatest predictor of concert attendance as an adult. I can relate because I started taking piano lessons when I was eight and I continued learning for 10 years. I took piano exams through the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music almost every year and I was one exam away from obtaining my Diploma in Instrumental Teaching. I also performed in [...] Continue »
U.S. Education Department Investigating Harvard and Princeton for Discrimination against APAs
An Indian American student has triggered an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights into discrimination by Harvard and Princeton University against Asian Americans. Studies from Princeton itself conclude that Asian Americans need higher test scores in order to gain admission. Harvard “does not discriminate against Asian-American applicants” says Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal. Princeton spokesman Martin Mbugua states: “We make admissions decisions on a case-by-case basis in our efforts to build [...] Continue »
8Questions With Kevin Bobo, Associate Professor of Music (Percussion) of Indiana University Bloomington
In the seeming cultural wasteland of the Midwest there are pockets around the University centers that have some surprisingly compelling and active communities. In Bloomington, IN, which is where we live right now, we’ve discovered a huge community of musicians (because of the incredible music school), and recently met associate professor of music, Kevin Bobo, a Korean American (he writes, “half Korean with a cup of Buckeye and a dash of Bordeaux”). Okay, it helps that [...] Continue »
Trend Reveals Asian Americans Leaving Chinatowns For The Suburbs
Nineteen years ago, my parents decided to move our entire family to the suburbs. As it turns out, we weren’t the only ones. A recent Washington Post article highlights the national trend of APAs moving away from urban Chinatowns and into suburban communities. Back then, I didn’t really understand why we were moving so far away. We were living in Elmhurst, Queens, and had a fairly comfortable life. We attended a local Chinese church and we [...] Continue »
How Standardized Tests Stunt the Intellectual Growth of Asian American Students
Standardized testing was pretty much invented by the Chinese. As an American of Taiwanese and Chinese heritage, this means that standardized testing is part of my ethnic and ancestral heritage. The fact that Asian Americans tend to score better than everyone else on standardized tests is not news to anyone. I mean, after 5,000 years of test prep culture (there’s even a god of testing), it’s not really a surprise right? But what are the [...] Continue »
University of Pennsylvania Asian American Studies Research Forum: Call for Submissions
Have you done your own original research in any field relating to Asian American Studies? Would you like the chance to win $300 for it? Are you able to travel to Philadelphia? If so, then consider submitting your work to Faces of Asian America: The First Undergraduate Research Forum on Asian American Studies. The Forum will be on March 17, 2012, on-campus at the University of Pennsylvania. The keynote speaker will be Elaine Kim.
Does Being Born In The Year Of The Dragon Give You An Advantage?
People born in the year of the dragon are said to be destined for wealth and success. Notable dragons include Bruce Lee, Deng Xiaoping, and Maggie Cheung. Some places in Asia are expecting and even wanting a baby boom during the year of the dragon. But does being born in the year of the dragon really give you an advantage? A study done at George Mason University attempted to find out. I was born in [...] Continue »
Bonnie Tsui & “The Changing Face of America’s Chinatowns”
Bonnie Tsui’s book The Changing Face of America’s Chinatowns is an analysis of the dynamics of Chinatown’s shifting population of immigrants of various Asian heritage origins, including the ones who are economically enticed to go back to their heritage countries. This book was covered on NPR. In the audio of Chinatown recorded in the NPR covereage, I even heard some Taiwanese/Fujianese spoken, and the book’s topic of study made me reflect on the role of [...] Continue »
APCF – Verizon Scholarship Applications Open to High School Seniors
The Asian Pacific Community Fund has partnered with Verizon to financially assist students in their pursuit of higher education as they face the challenge of significantly rising costs of obtaining a college degree. These awards will support those who excel academically, are leaders amongst their peers and are making a positive impact in their communities. Their applications for high school seniors (now in or attending college) in California, Oregon or Washington are now available. More information after the [...] Continue »
Live Stream: White House AAPI Youth Leadership Briefing Jan. 12
If I was not going to be on a plane for the next several hours, I would definitely tune into this – the White House is live streaming what looks to be a cool conversation with college and high school AAPI students about access to higher education, community service and civil rights. Happening today from 9am-12:30pm and 3:30-5pm EST, it’s aimed at encouraging AAPI youth to think about how they can address various issues that [...] Continue »
How To Be A Bad Asian: Flunk Your (Native) Language Course
Life is hard enough as an Asian. Not all of us can get perfect SAT scores, graduate from medical school or trick out a Honda Civic. The pressure to embrace our culture remains but sometimes, we just don’t want to. How To Be A Bad Asian is an ongoing series of personal essays by the 8Asians writers about what sets us apart from the API community, how we deal with the stereotypes that we put upon ourselves [...] Continue »
The College Admissions Game, Part 6: Admissions Test Preparation
Test preparation courses for college admissions tests are fairly common in Silicon Valley. Test preparation courses for high school admissions tests, amazingly enough, are also common. The Daughter and Number One Son each took them in preparing for their respective college and high school admissions tests. Their experiences with test preparation courses raises, at least in my mind, a lot of questions about the purpose and fairness of much of today’s standardized testing.
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