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ABSTRACT
This empirical study attempted to examine cultural and national values in relation to the teaching of musical multiculturalism, which is defined as music from regions around the world, as well as Taiwanese nationalism (i.e., a desinicized version of national identity based on Taiwan’s localization movement) in school music education. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 70 in-service and 40 pre-service teachers between February and October 2018. Two major questions will be explored in this paper in response to the changing society of Taiwan: (1) how do teachers feel about music teaching related to diverse music cultures; and (2) how have they reacted to Taiwanese nationalism in school music education? The findings indicated a significantly higher preference for teaching traditional Western music versus that of other cultures among all the teachers. In addition, the participants with more experience exhibited a significantly greater preference for teaching traditional Chinese music and national education compared to their less experienced counterparts. Based on the survey data, this paper will argue that there is a cultural gap between teaching traditional Chinese music, Taiwanese local music, and other music cultures alongside the question of nationalism in contemporary music education in Taiwan.
Acknowledgments
Not revealed in the blind review version.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the author.
Notes
1. Due to the repercussions of Westernization, Western music has influenced many music cultures around the world, such as introducing new concepts in melody, harmony, notation, instrumentation, rhythm, and structure. The reforms enacted during the Meiji era (1868–1912) brought about the modernization and Westernization of both the Japanese nation and Taiwan (for details, see Howe et al., Citation2014).
2. Traditional Chinese music is an art form of organized vocal and/or instrumental sounds that was developed in China. It can be traced back between 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, based on the discovery of a flute made in the Neolithic Age. Traditional Chinese musical instruments can be categorized into four divisions: stringed instruments, plucked instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instructions.
3. The singing of this event can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APstJvITkT8.
4. The reporting of a few questions in the survey questionnaire was omitted in this manuscript as they were not along the theme of analysis and discussion.
5. In this paper, “teachers” refers to both sectors of pre-service and in-service teachers in the data presentation. When a specific group is named, this study makes reference to “pre-service” and “in-service” in the representation.
6. The reporting of a few questions on the original survey in Appendix One was omitted as they were not along the theme of analysis and discussion of this paper.
7. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), which was founded in 1946, is one of the top universities in Taiwan, as well as an important institution of higher learning in training Taiwanese music teachers. NTNU is regarded as the first local education training institute, and it has sustained a leading position in the fields of education, arts, arts and humanities, etc.
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Wai-Chung Ho
Wai-Chung Ho is a professor in the Department of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her substantive research interests include the sociology of music, sociology of education, China’s music education, and the comparative study of East Asian music education. Her research has focused on interlinked areas of social and political development, education policy, and reform in school education, as well as on values in education across school curricula in Chinese contexts, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.