Visitors to the Alumni Memorial Union last week had the opportunity to enjoy some traditional Chinese music played by one of Marquette's very own.

Yisha Chen, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, was an international exchange student from China before applying to Marquette. As a part of International Education Week, Chen played for about an hour Thursday on the second floor of the AMU.

Chen played the guzheng, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. Chen's version has 21 strings, although the number of strings can vary between models.

Chen plays the instrument by plucking the right side of the instrument, using small picks attached to her fingers. She alters the pitch by pressing on the strings that touch movable bridges underneath.

Chen has been playing the guzheng for 10 years. When she was first learning to play, she said she would practice every day for two to three hours. However, since starting college, she said she has a difficult time finding a chance to practice.

"There is so much to do now. I can only practice about three times a week," she said.

Chen said she was happy to perform for an audience, but usually prefers to play in a much quieter setting.

"When it's quiet, you can hear the more subtle parts of the music. It is also easier to catch your mistakes and correct yourself," she said.

Tom Kerlin, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, said he enjoyed Chen's performance.

"I've never heard something like that before, or that type of instrument," Kerlin said. "I thought it was a really unique style."

Chen's performance was part of a series of events held last week for International Education Week. The events demonstrated different aspects of other cultures, like food and music, to inspire student interest in international education.

Blake Ward, the international marketing and communications coordinator for the Office of International Education, said International Education Week was held nationwide.

"It was an initiative by the State Department to help draw more students to international education," he said.

International Education Week is held on all levels of education, from kindergarten to the university level. This was the second year the event was held at Marquette.

Although OIE coordinated the event, Ward said the office wants to act as more of a facilitator than an organizer in the future.

"We want to help other departments coordinate with each other to hold the event, rather than organize the whole thing ourselves," Ward said.