On The Development Of Music Lessons In Elementary And Middle Schools In China During The First Half Of20th Century From The Perspective Of Music Textbooks

The first half of the20th century had witnessed far-reaching reforms in the education system of China. In1905, the traditional Chinese examination system was brought to its end. Meanwhile, another kind of schooling system was established when the western modern teaching system was introduced. Music Lessons were thus given while relevant teaching materials were needed and the compiling work of textbooks got started.In the fist half of the20th century, the textbooks for music education underwent five stages each one of which gained momentum from one to another. The first textbooks placed focus on the social function of music featuring what music education valued at that period of time. After the New Culture Movement on May4th,1919, aesthetic education thoughts attracted much attention, thus enabling music lessons to be equipped with independent course value. The most significant difference in the development of music education at this stage lied in the changes from collections of songs to comprehensive music textbooks. It was not until1937that the course value of music lessons came into its being. Textbooks Included syllabus about western basic music theories, singing songs, introduction to instrumental music, general music knowledge and so on. On the other hand, the focus had been placed on the cultivation of virtues as well as that of patriotism. After the anti-Japanese War broke out, the social function of music education again became its major value.