The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) will launch a string of cultural activities for Macau residents of all ages starting in July, covering history, reading, and music.
Reading packs for babies
From Saturday, the bureau will launch its “Infant and Toddler Reading Programme” and distribute reading packs to infants and toddlers in Macau in a number of public libraries.
According to the statement, eligible infants and toddlers must be under two years old to receive the reading pack, and they must hold a Macau resident ID card and their parents must have applied for a public library reader’s card from the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
The statement noted that each reading pack contains five books suitable for children of different ages to read independently or with their parents.
Residents can register to receive them through the bureau’s official website https://cr.library.gov.mo/RPA/ from today, according to a statement yesterday.
History education for teenagers
The bureau’s new programme, namely its Macau Arts and Culture Youth Programme, will provide a series of courses on Macau’s history and culture for residents aged between 12 and 14 who are currently enrolled in a local secondary school, according to a separate IC statement yesterday.
Those interested in the programme can apply until July 12.
The programme will run from July to December, covering a wide range of topics such as Macau’s history and cultural heritage, museum and archaeological knowledge, docent* theory and techniques, exploration of theatre and cultural and creative spaces, as well as book publishing and binding, according to the statement.
The programme is free of charge and will provide 30 places, and the bureau will conduct the selection through group interviews, the statement noted.
For more information and application form, those interested can visit the programme’s official website at www.icm.gov.mo/cultureforyouth.
Music creation workshop for adults
The bureau’s music creation workshop, namely “Echo programme”, will receive applications from today until July 14, with the aim of nurturing local talented and potential music composers and further improving the quality of local original music creation, according to a separate statement on Monday.
The workshop will be presented by veteran Hong Kong music producer Edward Chan Ho-yin and lyricist Chow Yiu-fai, with singer-songwriter Shum Ning-yi as the guest instructor, sharing production and songwriting skills and years of experience in the industry.
Applicants for this programme must be Macau residents and be at least 18 years old, and selected students will receive four days of professional instruction from August 31 to September 3, according to the statement.
The instructors will provide guidance and advice on music production techniques, structure and melody, lyricism, concept and integrity, and students of the group with the highest overall score will be awarded a certificate of merit and a cash prize sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group, the statement noted.
Interested individuals can visit the bureau’s official website at https://www.icm.gov.mo/welcome.
* A tour guide at a museum, art gallery, historical site, etc.
This handout photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday shows the reading packs that are to be sent to the infants and toddlers.
