“100 Village Primary School Music Classrooms” Program, UNESCO International
Research and Training Centre for Rural Education
http://www.inruled.org/en/templet/default/ShowArticle.jsp?id=1244
Summary: This Chinese government sponsored program is being proposed and planned
to bring music education to 100 rural schools in Eastern (10 schools), Central (30
schools), and Western (60 schools) China. The program’s purpose is to address the
difference in opportunity between urban and rural primary schools in the valuable study
of music which promotes “social harmony” and “personal physical and mental well
being”. Preparation of music CDs and plans to train village school teachers will be the
primary methods of delivery.
One identified disadvantage of rural education could be the considered the lack of access
for students to specific curriculum, in this case music. This provides one useful example
of how this problem can be address through government support.
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“100 Village Primary School Music Classrooms ”Program
Ⅰ. Background of the Program
Despite years of economic development China remains largely an agricultural country. This situation
is especially true as regards to basic education with some 80% of all schools located in rural areas, of
which 50% are in villages. For the most part these village schools are small and poorly staffed and
equipped. In particular they lack educational programs and teachers beyond the basics, especially in
the area of music education. In the past graduates of teacher training universities returned to their
native provinces and villages to teach, but now with a market economy such teachers are free to work
where they choose and most prefer to work in urban areas. Thus less attention is paid in rural areas to
“appreciation education” which includes art, music, values, dance, etc. Such education is important to
the individual development of the child.
The lack of music education has a negative effect on children, especially those in the primary grades.
These children are affected in both mind and body. Furthermore, the unavailability of music education
for children in the primary grades in village schools reflects the growing disparity between urban and
rural areas in China. The policy of the Chinese government is to promote “Social Harmony”
throughout China by promoting educational, economic and social development in rural areas where
there is a large and growing disparity as compared to Eastern China. This lack of equal opportunity
affects the development of the entire country.
The Chinese government has invested money and other resources for long distance study using the
Internet as one means of redressing this disparity. Music education, however, is not one of the subjects
included in this effort. Thus at present there is no program or means available to provide music
education to children in the primary grades in village schools in rural China.
Ⅱ. Goals and Objectives
It is proposed to develop a new method for redressing the problem of lack of music education for
children in rural village schools. This is an innovative program that will create a new model for the
study of music in rural areas of China. Since 1998 the Ministry of Education in China has developed a
number of CDs with songs that are appropriate for children. This program will utilize this existing
resource in music education to develop a model music education program utilizing computers and
providing training to teachers in village schools. Thus an “electronic classroom” will be created.
The primary goals of this program are as follows:
1.
Develop a model program using computers and music CDs to substitute for music teachers in
schools that do not have such teachers.
2.
Redress the imbalance in educational opportunities between urban and rural China in the area of
music education
3.
Improve the physical and mental well-being of children in primary grades through music
education.
The specific measurable objectives are:
1.
Select 100 schools in rural areas in three sections of China to participate in the program.
2.
Provide computers and music CDs for use in these schools.
3.
Utilize provincial music experts to select songs and train village school teachers in how to use
the material
4.
Improve the mental and social well being of children in such schools as measured by a pre and
post program assessment.
Ⅲ. Target Population
This project will be undertaken in three regions of China according to the following plan:
1 Eastern China—Jiang Su or Zhejiang province—10 schools
2. Central China—An Hui, Hubei or Henan province—30 schools
3 Western China—Guizhou or Gan Su province—60 schools
Each of these sections represents a different level of development, with Eastern China being the most
developed and Western China the least. The target group are children in village schools in the primary
grades, that is to say grades one through six. A total of 20,000 to 30,000 students will be included in
the project. Ultimately the program will be available to all children in the primary grades in rural
China.
Ⅳ. Project Activities
The first activity in this project will be to select the project staff which will consist of experts in music
and rural education. In each province there is a teaching research office with one person who is a
specialist in music education. The project staff will work with this person to select the schools for the
project in each area as well as the songs to be included in the program in that area. Each of the village
schools has a science teacher who has some knowledge of computers and a teacher for teaching
various aspects of culture. These two teachers can assist the students to learn music through this
model. The provincial music expert will train these two teachers in the use of the program and project
staff will follow up with periodic visits to be sure the program is being implemented according to
plan.
The time frame for this project is 18 months. The first six months will be spent organizing the project,
selecting schools and developing the model. The last 12 months will involve a pilot study to
implement and assess the program results and prepare a final report.