China Normal Music Teaching Course Materials Research

With the reform and opening up, the music pedagogy textbook for the higher normal schools in China has been greatly improved. From the first half of the 1980s to the first half of the 1990s, the music pedagogy textbooks of secondary schools are widely used in the music pedagogy course in the higher normal schools. It is considered an important period for the reform of music pedagogy textbook of higher normal schools.The author made a research on the text of the books used as the music pedagogy textbook by the higher normal schools from the first half of the 1980s to the first half of the 1990s and analyzed the structures and texts of the three representative textbooks including (1984), (1991) and (1993) to reveal the characteristics and rules in the evolution of the textbooks and find out its historical value and the limitation from the present perspective.The paper consists of four parts, the summarization of background, research on the textbook structure, research on the contents of the textbooks, the historical value and limitation of the textbooks. The summarization of background includes the rising-up, development and curriculum design of music education in higher normal school as well as the evolution of the textbooks. In the research of the structure and contents of the textbooks, the author attempts to point out the regular pattern and characteristics of the textbooks during this period by analyzing the structures and texts. The analysis of the chapters in the textbook comes to the conclusion that 1) these textbooks are based on the departmental teaching; 2) they follow the principle of teaching according to the arrangement made in the teaching and organizing; 3) the chapters are distributed differently. After the analysis of the structure proportion, it is evident that the textbook gradually extends to the music education theories in addition to the music education practice and the pedagogy is no longer be emphasized too heavily, instead, each of the parts are evenly distributed. The third part of the paper studies the contents of the textbooks and analyzes the contents in some paragraphs like the music pedagogy, principles and process of teaching, other jobs related to music education and the music education theories with a conclusion that the categorized music pedagogy is the main part and the comprehensive music pedagogy is also included; more stress on the practice and training of music skills; the single approach is replaced with diversified approaches in the music education; the general pedagogy is focused while the music education is auxiliary; several steps shall be taken in the teaching and the subject is put forward in the process; more importance is attached to the organization and guiding in the extracurricular music activities as well as the application of the modern teaching technology in the music education; the main function of music education changes from the auxiliary function to aesthetic function; the foreign music pedagogy is briefly introduced; the music education theory is essential to the textbooks, however, it is neglected in the practical teaching. The last part of the paper discusses the historical value and limitation. It has a positive impact on the textbook, the curriculum development and education of the students majoring in the music education in higher normal schools, which has laid a foundation for the music pedagogy textbooks in higher normal schools in China and promoted the development of the course of music pedagogy. It helps the music education majors in the higher normal school to have a good command of the knowledge and skills in the secondary school music education and push forward the basic music education. On the other hand, the historical limitation of the textbooks in current situation is also mentioned in the paper that the textbook is lagging behind the basic music education reform and lack for the citation of examples without a connection between the theories and practice.