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Show - Woods Cross students learn songs in Thai lfl J in;:: J The voices of Davis County students will be carried to Thailand this summer in the memories of a University of Utah music major who observed and taught area choral groups. Sathit Sukchongchaipruk, 27, graduates June 12 with a bachelor's degree in music. Of Chinese ancestry but a citizen of Thailand, yie'll return home to assist his busi-tr busi-tr essman-musician father in directing direc-ting the Bangkok Children's Choir and will accompany the group on a tour of China in July. During four months of student teaching with Neil Hendriksen's choral program at Woods Cross High School, Sukchongchaipruk taught songs in Thai, Korean and Mandarin Chinese. "The kids were really thrilled to learn Asian music," Hendriksen says. "It's unlike anything they'll probably ever get again. They liked and respected Sathit. ' ' For his part, Sukchongchaipruk learned to take seriously jazz, spirituals, spiri-tuals, folk and rock n roll. Hendriksen Hen-driksen adds that the Woods Cross experience probably taught Sukchongchaipruk how to keep control of large numbers of students. The barbershop group of 75 boys at Woods Cross, for example, was a challenge. "But when they work hard and really sing out in concert, it touches me,' Sukchongchaipruk said. Not content to just observe Celia R. Baker's choral program at Centerville Junior High School, Sukchongchaipruk taught a Cantonese Can-tonese folk song, "Moonlight Lullaby," which the ladies choir will perform at its spring concert "Even during his first warmup, Sathit 's facial expressions drew the students in right away," said Baker. "When they found out he spoke four or five languages, they were impressed. Cantonese is a tonal language. I noticed how carefully the students watched him and tried to repeat the sounds. ' Inspired by Utah music teachers, Sukchongchaipruk plans to allow his students to have more fun with music, "to pull out their own ideas and intelligence." Permitting singers to move a little bit along with the music makes mem less tense," he said. "There's a lot of pressure on Thai students because they must prepare for difficult university uni-versity entrance exams. Music can help students balance and enjoy their lives. It can decrease pressure." A generation of older Thai choral conductors, members of the royal family and nobility who were trained train-ed by Western musicians, is reaching retirement. New conductors conduc-tors are needed. "I predict that Sathit will have a long-lasting impact im-pact on education in his country," said Dr. John M. Cooksey, professor pro-fessor of music. "I think he's going to be a leader over there and will be a resource for us in the future. ' SATHIT SUKCHONGCHAIPRUK |