Plucky summer students make harps sing

"Every year, we have students with no knowledge of the harp. It is less well-known in China, compared to other Western musical instruments, like the piano and the violin. It has been a challenging process but very rewarding," says Wang, the program's artistic director, who teaches at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

Having established itself as one of Beijing's biggest annual arts festivals for children during the summer vacation since it was first launched in 1995, the Gateway to Arts Summer Festival takes place in the capital each year from July 2 to Aug 31.

The harp summer camp is one of the 12 programs, alongside classes in percussion, vocal performance and pop music composition.