Rick Wakeman plays for rescued moon bears
Rick Wakeman performs piano concert to 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam
Friday, 25 September 2026
Warm-up
- What kinds of music do you enjoy, and why?
- Have you ever visited a wildlife park or sanctuary?
- How can music make people or animals feel calmer?
Vocabulary
- sanctuary
- A safe place where animals are protected and cared for
- rescue
- To save a person or animal from danger or harm
- awareness
- Understanding and attention to a problem or issue
- bile
- A body liquid taken from bears for traditional medicine
- ban
- To make something not allowed by law or rules
- composition
- A piece of music that someone writes
- adopt
- To take responsibility for an animal and support its care
- melodic
- Having a clear, pleasant tune
Reading
Rick Wakeman, the former Yes musician, played a live piano show for 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam. The concert was at Animals Asia's sanctuary in Tam Dao national park. He sat at a Yamaha grand piano. He wrote new compositions for the bears. He wants to raise awareness about animals still kept for bile. Vietnam has banned bear bile. But 125 bears remain in cages from old farms. Four are dying each month.
Wakeman has supported rescue work since 2016 and recently adopted a young bear. He joked about the heat. He also said gentle, melodic music can calm animals. He hopes the bears will come to the edge and listen. He wants the government to free the remaining bears so they can live safely at the sanctuary.
Comprehension
- Where did the concert take place?
- How many bears were in the audience?
- Why did Wakeman organise the show?
- What change has Vietnam made about bear bile?
- How many bears are still kept in cages?
Grammar focus
How questions
Put a question word (How) at the start, then a helping word (did) before the person. Use: How + did + subject + verb? (Examples constructed.)
- How did the bears react?
- How did Wakeman sit at the piano?
Grammar exercise
Choose the correct option.
- (How did Wakeman adopt the young bear? / How Wakeman adopted the young bear?)
- (How the sanctuary calmed the bears? / How did the sanctuary calm the bears?)
- (How did the bears come to the edge? / How the bears came to the edge?)
- (How the government will free them? / How will the government free them?)
- (How did he raise awareness? / How he raised awareness?)
Discussion
- Do you think music can help animals relax? Why or why not?
- How can concerts or art help a good cause?
- Should governments act faster to help rescued animals? Why?
- What local places protect wildlife in your country?
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