Research On Textbooks Of Music For Primary Schools In Taiwan

Years of political standoff and hindered cultural and educational exchanges have led to the Mainland's scarce knowledge of the musical education in Taiwan.This article summarizes the rationales of the"Grade 1-9 Curriculum Guidelines"and "the Curriculum Guidelines for Arts and Humanities"and the principles of compiling the textbooks for music.Penetrating from "Diversity"?/“Indigenization" and "Life oriented",this article also conducts a research on and analysis of the features of music textbooks of Han Lin Edition and Kang Hsuan Edition used in the elementary schools in Taiwan.From a macro perspective,it analyzes their content arrangements and statuses in the Curriculum Integration.It discovers that the contents are arranged as per a "unit" with six aspects of musical knowledge,musicality,singing,instrumental performing,appreciation and creation.The music textbook contents take the largest proportion in Curriculum Integration.Music is of vital status in the curriculum of Arts.From a micro perspective,it analyzes such elements as the themes of tracks,the themes of the units,the sources of the tracks,the singing languages,the musical genres,the musical styles,the musical creation,the selection of tracks,the musical terms,the lyrics of the tracks,the fine arts design,the linguistic representation and the selection of musical instruments,from all of which are discovered something as followed:the music education in Taiwan is featured by:1?"Diversity" in terms of the themes of the tracks,the sources of the tracks,the singing languages,the musical genres,and the musical creation;2."Indigenization" in selection of the tracks,emphasizing the indigenous traditional music of Taiwan and the musical works by the contemporary Taiwanese composers;3."Life oriented" in musical terms,linguistic representation,lyrics,fine arts design and others.From the perspectives of diversity,indigenization and Life oriented,the finale of the article analyzes the music textbooks used in Mainland elementary schools.By comparison,the music textbooks in the Mainland elementary schools,this article holds,while Taiwanese counterparts by more openness,internationalization and inclusiveness.In specifics,the Taiwanese music textbooks select more foreign tracks,new music and popular songs while those in the Mainland choose more Chinese tracks for singing,appreciating and performing with instruments from the rich traditional music,the folk music across different regions and ethnicities,as well as the tracks for children and in arts,showing distinctive characteristics of"nationalization"and"vernacularization".Generally speaking,music textbooks in each side have their own merits.However,it is worthy of attention to notice the apparent inclination of Taiwan to"rid itself off Mainland" elements as the colorful traditional music and contemporary music in Chinese Mainland are consciously ignored in Taiwanese music textbooks.