Research On Music Education For Young Children In Hunan Province(1903-1937)

Music education for young children in Hunan Province began at the end of the Qing Dynasty, going through a process of growing out of nothing, and developing from naivety to maturity. Abundant historical materials on children’s music education were buried during this period.This essay hoped to enrich the research on the history of music education for young children in Hunan Province, and to provide references for the development of children’s music education in modern times.The essay selected music education for young children as the research subject, and conducted a profound and in-depth analysis on the historical movements of music education for young children(1903-1937) in Hunan Province from perspectives of history, pedagogy and musicology. It further discussed the characteristics of music education for young children, which formed under the social context at that time, and its impacts on Hunan Province.The essay was divided into four parts. In the introduction, the writer combed through the social atmosphere of Hunan Province and the general situation of education in the Republic of China in late Qing Dynasty,displaying a clear background. Chapter One emphasized on an overall description on children’s education in Hunan Province, to achieve a basic understanding of the development of children’s education in Hunan Province. Chapter Two discussed the system, content and methods of music education, and the condition of practices in music educational institutions, and also summarized the characteristics of music education for young children in Hunan Province in every stage during the developing process from 1903 to 1937. Chapter Three conducted a case study on the condition of music education in Youyou Kindergarten,describing in details the characteristics of music teaching as well as the features of music education under the social context at that time.