Before this, Western instruments, ballet and vocal training dominated the camp programs.

In the first year, about 30 students joined the camp, with the number doubling the following year. Zhang conducts lessons along with 20 of her students from the Central Conservatory of Music, who volunteer to teach the children based on their musical attainment.

One of the pipa teachers at the summer camp, Ning Yan, 38, who studied with Zhang and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music with a master's in pipa performance in 2007, said: "The pipa is an ancient Chinese musical instrument, which involves all the fingers in the playing. We don't set age limits for the summer camp, so every year, we see students from 5 up to 60 years old playing the instrument together in the classroom."

Ning now teaches the pipa at the Ocean University of China's Department of Art in Qingdao, Shandong province.

With 16 summer camps teaching Western classical music, traditional Chinese opera, traditional Chinese folk dance and calligraphy to children, as well as more than 100 live performances and public lectures, the Gateway to Music festival started on July 2 and runs until Aug 31.

Xu Jian, general manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall, said that as more and more parents are encouraging their children to learn to play traditional Chinese musical instruments, the festival invites many artists to join in by giving public lectures and lessons. The summer camp programs also feature music psychologists interacting with parents. They discuss issues such as music education and ways to help children get t

he most out of their lessons.