Study On The Development Of Instrumental Music Teaching In Musical Education Of Middle And Elementary Schools In Our Country

Such fields of musical study as expression, experience, creation, appreciation and the relation between music and related cultures are the main contents of the musical teaching in middle and elementary schools. Different fields themselves are an organic whole. There is an inter-related and mutually promoting relationship among each field. "Expression, comprehension and creation are basic qualities and abilities of mankind." Expression provides sources for comprehension and creation, comprehension provides impetus for expression and creation, and creation provides new development for expression and comprehension. There is a dialectical unity among the three, and there is something of each in the other. Singing (vocal music) and playing music (instrumental music) are the main expressive forms of the musical art, and important approaches for mankind to have the experience, expression and creation of beauty and to develop and improve their musical culture cultivation. Singing and playing music not only constitute the two basic categories of the musical art, establish and develop the basic skills of music, related basic musical knowledge and musical culture cultivation, but also gradually form and develop the aesthetic experience of people as subjects and promote people' s coordination and unity of feeling, knowledge and intention.Starting from the school songs, the musical education in middle and elementary schools of our country has had a history of over one hundred years. When we carefully review and examine the development history of school musical education in our country, we can draw such a conclusion: the development of musical education in middle and elementary schools of our country lacks balance. Performance of musical instruments, as one of the major expressive forms of music, is the weakest link in the whole chain of musical teaching and learning.The main cause for the continuous existence of this weak link lies in: we have not realized, from the height of theory, the relationship between musical instruments and man, performance of musical instruments and the growth and development of middle and elementary school students, instrumental music and the transmission of national culture and the re-shaping of national spirits, and instrumental music and the harmonious development of society etc; we have also not realized, from the plane of practice, the position and function of instrumental music teaching in the musical education of middle and elementary schools, or grasped and summarized the development laws of instrumental music teaching in the musical education of middle and elementary schools, and found a form of practicing instrumental music teaching that is truly suitable for the development of middle and elementary school students in our country. To see from the combination of theory and practice, we also have not understood the instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools from the perspectives of regional social and economic development, the overall level of education, natural cultural tradition, education administrative leaders and related policies and regulations on school cultural and art education, what influence these aspects exert on its development, and how to use these influential elements and regard them as a resource to promote the diversified development of instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools of each region.The paper has four chapters. The first chapter attempts to realize the related relations in instrumental music teaching from theory; summarize the successful experience that we may use for reference from the development of instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools in some overseas countries. The second chapter attempts to summarize, for the perspective of historical development, the problems existing in the development of instrumental music teaching in musical education of middle and elementary schools in our country during over one hundred years. The third chapter finds out, from the plane of survey of the current situation, the main problems influencing the steady development of instrumental music teaching of middle and elementary schools at present and gives related discussion. The fourth chapter puts forward countermeasure for promoting the development of instrumental musical teaching in middle and elementary schools of our country in accordance with the basic theories of instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools and the development history of instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools in over one hundred years and the survey of current situation. The conclusion of this paper is: (1) musical education in middle and elementary schools without instrumental music is incomplete; without the basic important music expression; (2) instrumental music teaching has irreplaceable function and role in cultivating and development the musical perception, expression and creation of middle and elementary school students and nurturing their delight in music and their interests and habits for participating in musical activities throughout their lifetime; (3) the vast territory, many nationalities and difference in economic development and cultural education in our country determine that the development of instrumental music teaching in middle and elementary schools is diversified, and that it is not feasible to stipulate a certain mode and a certain kind of musical instrument; (4) instrumental music education is an effective measure for implementing national culture subject education and understanding and respecting the diversity of cultures of different countries or nationalities; (5) the practice of instrumental music teaching is a whole with many interlocking links, involving aspects from musical instrument making to performance and musical expression, and the lack of any link will affect the implementation and development of the whole.