Study On The Function Of Moral Education Of Music

As to the understanding of the function of music, people more stress its aesthetic function, but pay little attention to or even go as far as ignoring its function of moral education. However, music has always been exerting its function of moral education actually. As subjective consciousness based on practical life, music can only be taken as a form of ideological and moral values as well as a result of certain actions, and meanwhile it inevitably exerts great influence in turn on people's moral consciousness and behaviors. The aesthetic process is virtually a process of moral education, the ultimate outcome of which is bound to be ideological, political and moral. This is determined by the intrinsic attributes of beauty and moral education. How does music fulfill its function of moral education? What function does it exert as to moral education? There have been no systematical and convincing answers to these questions so far. The present research either concentrates on unidirectional inquiry into music aesthetics, or goes no further than the superficial description of social function of music, without probing into the functional level of moral education and further elaborating completely, objectively, thoroughly, and systematically on the mechanism of the moral education of music. This lack of research is detrimental to the comprehensive understanding of the function of moral education of music, to the broadening of view in moral education and enriching of methods of moral education, and to the construction of harmonious life.From the viewpoint of existential state, music is a three-dimensional moral existence of morphology, behavior and value; from the perspective of diachronic process, music is a historical existence of morality and culture; as to the internal structure, music is unification of rationality and sensibility, corresponding to human morality. The satori, performing, and composing of music is a reflection of human being's fundamental qualities and abilities and also a reflection of his morality. Music produces beauty for man just because it contains morality. The beauty of music is actually beauty of morality. Music is a language and a emotional method of moral education, as well as a way of thinking and a behavioral manner of moral education. Music plays a direct part in the sedimentation and construction of internal and external moralities, and provides a starting point for moral education. As a special functional method of flow of consciousness,moral education is practically also a action of beauty, thus must and is to be conducted in accordance to the principles of beauty. Therefore, music and moral education form a relation of being complementary, mixing together and mutual transforming.The function of moral education of music concerns two aspects—non-liable and liable. The non-liable function of moral education is the precursor and psychological presupposition of the liable function of moral education, is in nature the result of long-term development of liable function, is the heredity and concretion of human evolution, and is reflected as a subconscious process and a free psychological state of moral education. The liable function of moral education includes the following aspects: language awareness, aesthetic optimization, emotion internalization, atmospheric solidification, assessment polarization, and creative sublimation. Moral education by music language features in-depth transfixion and heterogeneous compatibility, and accuracy in vague handling, with the emphasis being placed on internal explanation of morality and the key being inspiration of morality by beauty; in the music aesthetic process the mental environment of the two subjects of moral education is in a state of being optimized, and the mental expectation is also in a state of high level and high stress, that is, in a saturate emotional state and with a higher objective of moral education, thus their moral ideal, quality and character consequently get optimized; as catalyst in the process of moral education, emotion is the most tangible and important outcome of music. The musical process first activates the subjects' moral emotion, which in turn mutually projects with musical emotion, and which, by means of emotional and rational transfixion, is transformed into the subjects' moral needs, thus completing the process of moral internalization; atmospheric solidification begins with atmospheric dip-dying, and gradually turns to solidification in a manner of circulating and spiral rising; the assessment of moral education by music is accomplished with morality, emotion and attitude as the medium—the subjects integrate their judgment of moral values with the judgment and the accepting and rejecting of the value of music, and consequently form an ultimate value judgment of music which is reflected in musical behavior, finally confirms the subjects' orientation of moral education, and thus marks the completion of polarization and assimilation of moral education; as a innovative medium of moral education, music has the characteristics of ramigenousness of thought and expandability of idea, and exhibits a powerful outgoing function of moral education. Beginning with constructing an open language context of moral education, music directly brings thesubjects into an entirely new moral consciousness and moral aspiration, demonstrates the individuals' consciousness of being the moral subjects, esp. the spirit of moral enterprising, reflects man's free imagination and realm to seek the truths of the world, inspires the aspiration for morality and marks the moral objective. The function of moral education of music is characterized as being free and for oneself, being particular to the time and suitable for all time, being introspect and covert, and being holistic and transcending. In the practice of ideological, political education the full exploitation and exertion of the function of moral education of music has a great positive significance in deepening the individual's moral understanding, enhancing moral emotion, heightening moral quality, optimizing the internal and external environments of morality, and simplifying the ideological transformation.