Comprehension: Clash of the Mini-Titans at China School of Rock

A China rock school sees children battling it out on stage for the top prize as they add another brick in the wall of the country's musical history. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The band ‘Cool’ is taking part in a national competition.
a. True
b. False

2. Chinese parents encourage their children to become international rock stars.
a. True
b. False

3. The judges come from different countries.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Meet the band members of Cool. It's competition day in the Chinese city of Tianjin and they're gearing up for this year's nationwide children’s rock contest. 

"Other bands perform the way they were taught. Their moves appear studied whereas we have our own unique style of performing." 

They’re only aged eight but have been jamming together for almost two years. Their dream is to fill stadiums around the world. But rock only came to China thirty years ago and few 
home-grown stars have made a name for themselves abroad. As a result, most Chinese parents see music as a hobby rather than a potential career path. 

"Children are under a lot of pressure at school. I think it's good that rock and roll allows them to blow off steam." 

Chinese tastes lean towards Hong Kong and Taiwanese pop tunes. Only a few major international acts visit China each year. And the Communist party restricts songs with lyrics considered too risqué for Chinese ears. 

"Rock n' Roll is still comparatively years behind in China. So over the last 10 years, we've put in a lot of effort training a lot of kids rock and roll music." 

And this event proves the efforts are paying off. Several class acts impress a line-up of foreign judges. The competition is tight and Cool narrowly miss out on first place. 

"We're thinking about changing our style. Next year we might try country music so that the judges and the audience can appreciate another side of our band." 

Rock musicians were once seen as rebellious youths hoping to alienate their parents. But these wannabe stars not only excel at music and achieve top grades at school, most also have the full backing of their families. 

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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