Yunchan Lim is a 19-year-old boy who is very good at playing the piano. He is from South Korea and people call him “classical music’s answer to K-pop.” Last year, he won a big piano contest in Texas and became very famous. Many people watched his piano video on YouTube. Now, he has signed a deal with a big music company in the UK called Decca Records.

Yunchan chose Decca Records because they make very good music and work with famous musicians. People say his piano playing is very special and it made a famous conductor cry. His first music with Decca will come out in spring 2024. The boss of Decca said Yunchan is the most exciting new piano player in the world. Yunchan started playing the piano when he was seven because he loved his mom’s piano music.

Original news source: Classical music’s answer to K-pop’ signs exclusive record deal (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write key vocabulary words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. One student from each team will take turns picking a word and acting it out without speaking. The team members have to guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the words “piano” and “music” on the board. Ask students to brainstorm other words or phrases that they associate with these two words. Encourage them to think of as many words as possible, and write them on the board. Afterward, discuss as a class why they made these associations and how they relate to the article.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article. One student from each pair will pick a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. The pairs will take turns until all the words have been guessed. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and encourages creativity.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article or display it on a screen. Set a timer for 1-2 minutes and ask the students to read the article quickly. After the timer goes off, students should write a brief summary of the article. They can work individually or in pairs. Afterward, have a class discussion to compare and discuss their summaries.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about a talent or hobby they have or would like to have. Then, have them pair up and share their thoughts with each other. Encourage them to ask questions and show interest in their partner’s talent or hobby. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their partner’s talent or hobby with the whole class. This activity helps students practice speaking and listening skills while also making connections to the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Yunchan Lim?
2. Where is Yunchan from?
3. What did Yunchan win last year?
4. Why did Yunchan choose Decca Records?
5. When will Yunchan’s first music with Decca come out?
6. Why did Yunchan start playing the piano?
7. What do people say about Yunchan’s piano playing?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Yunchan Lim is a 19-year-old boy who is very good at playing the (1)______. He is from South Korea and people call him “classical music’s (2)______ to K-pop.” Last year, he won a big piano contest in Texas and became very famous. (3)______ people watched his piano video on YouTube. Now, he has signed a deal with a big music (4)______ in the UK called Decca Records.

Yunchan chose Decca Records because they make very (5)______ music and work with famous musicians. People say his piano playing is very special and it made a famous conductor cry. His (6)______ music with Decca will come out in spring 2024. The boss of Decca (7)______ Yunchan is the most exciting new piano (8)______ in the world. Yunchan started playing the piano when he was seven because he loved his mom’s piano music.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is Yunchan good at?
2. How old is Yunchan?
3. Where is Yunchan from?
4. What do people call Yunchan?
5. How did Yunchan become famous?
6. Do you like playing the piano?
7. How would you feel if you won a big contest?
8. What do you think about Yunchan’s piano playing?
9. Why do you think Yunchan chose Decca Records?
10. How old was Yunchan when he started playing the piano?
11. Do you like listening to piano music?
12. Why do you think Yunchan’s piano playing made a famous conductor cry?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. piano
2. South Korea
3. famous
4. video
5. music
6. spring
7. mom
8. cry

Meanings:
(a) When tears come out of your eyes because you are sad
(b) The country where Yunchan is from
(c) A big musical instrument with black and white keys
(d) The season after winter and before summer
(e) A moving picture that you can watch on the computer
(f) Well-known by many people
(g) Yunchan’s mother
(h) Sounds that you listen to and enjoy
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How old is Yunchan Lim?
(a) 25
(b) 19
(c) 12
(d) 30

2. Where is Yunchan Lim from?
(a) South Korea
(b) Japan
(c) China
(d) Australia

3. What is Yunchan Lim good at playing?
(a) Piano
(b) Guitar
(c) Drums
(d) Violin

4. What did Yunchan win last year?
(a) A singing contest
(b) A dance contest
(c) A piano contest
(d) A cooking contest

5. How did Yunchan become famous?
(a) He won a big soccer game
(b) Many people watched his piano video on YouTube
(c) He acted in a famous movie
(d) He wrote a popular book

6. Which music company did Yunchan sign a deal with?
(a) Sony Music
(b) Warner Music
(c) Decca Records
(d) Universal Music

7. When will Yunchan’s first music with Decca come out?
(a) Summer 2023
(b) Winter 2022
(c) Fall 2025
(d) Spring 2024

8. Why did Yunchan start playing the piano?
(a) Because his friends told him to
(b) Because he wanted to be famous
(c) Because he had nothing else to do
(d) Because he loved his mom’s piano music

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Not many people watched his piano video on YouTube.
2. Yunchan did not sign a deal with a big music company in the UK called Decca Records.
3. His first music with Decca will come out in spring 2024.
4. Yunchan Lim is a 19-year-old boy who is really good at playing the piano.
5. Yunchan did not win a big piano contest in Texas last year and did not become very famous.
6. He is from South Korea and people call him “classical music’s answer to K-pop.”
7. Yunchan’s piano playing is not special and it did not make a famous conductor cry.
8. He chose Decca Records because they make really good music and work with famous musicians.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Who is Yunchan Lim?
2. What did Yunchan win last year?
3. Where is Yunchan from?
4. Why did Yunchan choose Decca Records?
5. When will Yunchan’s first music with Decca come out?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is Yunchan Lim?
Yunchan Lim is a 19-year-old boy who is very good at playing the piano.

2. Where is Yunchan from?
Yunchan is from South Korea.

3. What did Yunchan win last year?
Yunchan won a big piano contest in Texas last year.

4. Why did Yunchan choose Decca Records?
Yunchan chose Decca Records because they make very good music and work with famous musicians.

5. When will Yunchan’s first music with Decca come out?
Yunchan’s first music with Decca will come out in spring 2024.

6. Why did Yunchan start playing the piano?
Yunchan started playing the piano because he loved his mom’s piano music.

7. What do people say about Yunchan’s piano playing?
People say Yunchan’s piano playing is very special and it made a famous conductor cry.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) piano
(2) answer
(3) Many
(4) company
(5) good
(6) first
(7) said
(8) player
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. piano
Answer: (c) A big musical instrument with black and white keys

2. South Korea
Answer: (b) The country where Yunchan is from

3. famous
Answer: (f) Well-known by many people

4. video
Answer: (e) A moving picture that you can watch on the computer

5. music
Answer: (h) Sounds that you listen to and enjoy

6. spring
Answer: (d) The season after winter and before summer

7. mom
Answer: (g) Yunchan’s mother

8. cry
Answer: (a) When tears come out of your eyes because you are sad
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How old is Yunchan Lim?
Answer: (b) 19

2. Where is Yunchan Lim from?
Answer: (a) South Korea

3. What is Yunchan Lim good at playing?
Answer: (a) Piano

4. What did Yunchan win last year?
Answer: (c) A piano contest

5. How did Yunchan become famous?
Answer: (b) Many people watched his piano video on YouTube

6. Which music company did Yunchan sign a deal with?
Answer: (c) Decca Records

7. When will Yunchan’s first music with Decca come out?
Answer: (d) Spring 2024

8. Why did Yunchan start playing the piano?
Answer: (d) Because he loved his mom’s piano music
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Not many people watched his piano video on YouTube. (Answer: False)
2. Yunchan did not sign a deal with a big music company in the UK called Decca Records. (Answer: False)
3. His first music with Decca will come out in spring 2024. (Answer: True)
4. Yunchan Lim is a 19-year-old boy who is really good at playing the piano. (Answer: True)
5. Yunchan did not win a big piano contest in Texas last year and did not become very famous. (Answer: False)
6. He is from South Korea and people call him “classical music’s answer to K-pop.” (Answer: True)
7. Yunchan’s piano playing is not special and it did not make a famous conductor cry. (Answer: False)
8. He chose Decca Records because they make really good music and work with famous musicians. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧