US students display their chops

He also tried playing the pipa for the first time.

Although Gaskill had already graduated, he was still offered the chance by Han to be part of the Chinese tour.

Han is the founding director of the MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture. Supported by China's Center for Language Education and Cooperation, the MTSU and China's Hangzhou Normal University partnered to establish the center in 2016.

Located in Murfreesboro, part of metropolitan Nashville which is also known as Music City USA, the center aims to engage regional and national communities with China's diverse musical and cultural traditions.

It regularly holds events such as concerts, music festivals, lectures and exhibitions to promote Chinese music and culture. Han received her doctoral and master's degrees in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia. Her academic research includes the music of China, East Asia, and cross-cultural music communication. She has been teaching Chinese music in North America for 28 years.

"This was the first time for me to take my US students to China," she says, expressing her hope that during the trip, the students would be able to explore Chinese music and culture while demonstrating their achievements.

She also says she hoped that Chinese teachers and students would see the passion of American university students for music and their uninhibited expression onstage.

"Our band members each play several instruments and all enjoy themselves during performances. This is also worth considering for Chinese music educators: Should we shape children from a young age into performers through music education or should we focus on cultivating their love of music?" she asks.

Han has been studying the similarities between the music cultures of China and the US for quite some time.

"We recommend students choose Chinese instruments based on their proficiency with their original instruments, which are mostly Western. For example, if a student is skilled in woodwind instruments, they may enjoy playing the sheng (an ancient Chinese wind instrument) or the suona."