The impact of exposure to Chaozhou Xianshi musicon pre-service teachers’ development as music educators

Recent music educational reforms in Hong Kong stress the need to cultivate students’ understanding toward Chinese music. However, research indicates that Hong Kong music teachers lack sufficient confidence and valuing to teach Chinese music. Based on this background, the purpose of this study was to address the need to train teachers with the confidence and skills to teach Chinese music. An indigenous genre, Chaozhou xianshi music was introduced as a focus of study because the genre is considered to be a useful mediator for teachers and their students to understand and appreciate Chinese music. The study comprised two inter-related parts. Part I included fieldwork in xianshi music, semi-structured interviews with xianshi musicians and literature review that investigated the theory, teaching and learning of xianshi and Chinese music. Based on the findings of Part I, Part II involved a Pilot and Main Study that were designed to trial a pre-service teacher education programme at the Hong Kong Institute of Education that would prepare trainees to undertake the teaching of xianshi and Chinese music. A xianshi music ensemble was formed to expose the trainees to practical experiences of the genre. During their final teaching practice session, the trainees were asked to design and teach xianshi and Chinese music in schools. Qualitative data were collected from interviews and an analysis of video-recordings of their teaching. Findings revealed that a sequenced exposure in xianshi music was advantageous for the trainees to develop their potential and competence to teach Chinese music, as was evident in these trainees’ teaching approaches and implementation. Findings suggest that Hong Kong music teachers should adopt the techniques proposed in this study. Importantly, music teachers should demonstrate their role as transmitters of musical heritage and be capable to design and implement effective lessons, to involve their students to practical experiences in traditional Chinese music, and to develop their students intellectually and artistically so that they become informed consumers of their own and other musical traditions. In the long run, these approaches may help to increase the valuing of Chinese music and culture among students and citizens in the society more generally