Genesis of Music Education in Ukraine and the East (the Example of China and Japan)

The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the processes of origin and development of music education in Ukraine and the East Asian countries, in particular in China and Japan, to define their common and distinctive features. The research methodology. The author has applied analytical and historical methods to trace the origin and development of music education in Ukraine and the countries of East Asia; the structural method has been used for arranging into groups and presenting of the facts; biographical method has given the possibility to focus on the activity of the outstanding people in the sphere of music education in Ukraine. The scientific novelty of the study is that it highlights common and distinctive features of music education of Ukraine and the East Asian countries. This is illustrated by the analysis of methods and forms of musical activity of both sides and the way music education influences the formation of the spiritual culture of the individual, contributes to the comprehensive and harmonious development. Conclusions. Along with the differences, the author defines certain similarities between music education in Ukraine and the East Asian countries. In the process of personality formation the similar feature is the cultivation of moral and aesthetic characteristics through music art. Just like in Ukraine where the folk art is an important demonstration of national and ethnographic culture, in the East Asian countries holidays are one of the forms of culture, since they are closely linked to history and national traditions. It is considered necessary both in Ukraine and the East Asian countries to combine the sensory perception of music with the awareness of the need for education, from simple to complex. However, in Ukraine, the achievements of different peoples’ musical culture are actively involved in comprehensive and harmonious music education, while the family, which cherishes national traditions, has a great influence on the Eastern mentality