Abstract
Folk music is an integral part of any national art and contributes to the cultural development of each country. This paper is aimed at studying aspects of Chinese folk music, which is the bedrock of Chinese cultural traditions. This paper conducted a sociological survey of 142 students in their third year of study. The results showed that 37% of the respondents believe that traditional music is a folk art passed down from generation to generation. The most important function of folk music, according to students’ opinions, is the preservation of cultural traditions based on historical events (27%). Due to the fact that respondents perceive folk music as the most harmonious in piano instruction (36%), the tools for its integration in piano lessons have been developed. These tools include selecting a music platform, providing theoretical information in the public domain, developing improvisation skills based on folk compositions, using online platforms to share experiences and knowledge between students and teachers and analysing contemporary Chinese compositions. In addition, all mentioned applications have been tested to measure their effectiveness. The best results of using folk compositions in piano instruction were achieved in group #5 (100%), which can be explained by knowledge gained in the first and second terms.
Folk art is an invaluable treasure of every nation that has shaped a unique view of society. For centuries, folk songs and melodies have been preserved and passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation in China. China has a vast territory, rich resources and a prosperous nation. Its traditional culture has a long history (Cai et al., 2013). Chinese folk music has contributed to the development of music in Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam and Japan, and partially in Russia (Thompson, 2015). Chinese folk music has accumulated enormous resources during thousands of years of development (Zhang & Zhao, 2020). It has retained its identity, independence and originality. Regarding the relevance and importance of folk music for China, folk music should be distributed among the younger generation to facilitate the preservation of unique folk traditions.
Musical analysis allowed determining that Confucianism and Taoism had a significant influence on the formation of Chinese folk music (Wong, 2020). The importance of applying musical analysis lies in understanding music, its patterns, identifying unique musical structures and making sense of them (Q. Tang et al., 2021). Chinese folk music is the product of China’s long history and culture. F. Li (2020) argues that folk music is a mixture of diverse cultural elements reflecting Chinese history and cultural heritage. Liumei et al. (2021) draw attention to the distinctive symbolic style of Chinese folk music, which is an ideological source of its continued vitality. Q. Tang et al. (2021) believe the Huar folk song is an intangible cultural heritage, a unique hallmark of Chinese national culture. In 1904, Zeng Zhimin, having studied and compared the European and Chinese cultures, introduced the concept of Chinese folk music. From this period, a new phase in folk music development has begun, characterized by three stages (Chenyu, 2020):
From the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century — influenced by Western music, early forms of musical expression appeared, for example, in schools of music, children’s song and dance drama. The establishment of the Professional Conservatory of Music (Shanghai National Conservatory of Music) in 1927 contributed to the emergence of professional composers, including Xian Xinghai.
The middle of the twentieth century to 1980 is a period of emergence and formation of the People’s Republic of China, characterized by the reform in professional music education. Music institutes and new conservatories were opened in large cities during that time as well.
From 1980 till now, Chinese music has been developing in various directions. New pieces are often created based on adapted folk music. Folk music has gained new momentum with the emergence of new genres and performance styles.
Based on the development characteristics of folk music in China, the correlation between historical events and the spread of musical culture was revealed, which was reflected in issues of musicology (Xu, 2018). Historical events facilitated the formation of numerous musical genres in China and the determination of the folk music significance (Fang, 2021). The processes of folk music popularization are related to the original creativity of the Chinese people and the need to preserve the national spirituality. Based on the principles of musicology, there is an artistic exploration of the world through folk music, which contributes to the unique character of Chinese music. In the process of music education, the harmony of the folk music sound, its polyphony and melody should be reflected as accurately as possible. The emphasis on these parameters in the learning process forms musical folklore, enculturation, aesthetics, which is manifested in the sound vividness (Zhang & Zhao, 2020). The system of music education should provide acquisition of the most detailed knowledge of the folk music peculiarities and specific traditions. The most accurate perception of musical traditions in the learning process is formed by the combination of theoretical knowledge, practice and skills (Ma, 2019). Music education aims not only at learning creative skills but also at personal development (Zhang & Zhao, 2020). Music formulates the philosophy of life, which is manifested in the study of contemplative mood compositions, intonations, tones and pentatonic systems. Chinese folk music is not only the expression of human emotion art in real life but also a way to inherit a long cultural tradition.
Theoretical framework
Chinese folk music is based on a harmonious combination of rationality and emotionality, which creates an aesthetic of its perception (Fang, 2021). The juxtaposition of folk music parameters is related to ethnic, regional and national characteristics, reflected in its originality. Folk music is represented as a unique system that displays songwriting and playing folk musical instruments (Wong, 2020). Folk music reflects not only the artistic culture of the people but also the social conditions that have been shaped under the conditions of different historical eras (W. Guo, 2018). Folk music is widely used in vocal songs or while playing musical instruments, since it is characterized by diversity and artistic richness (W. Guo, 2018). The intonation expressiveness of folk music is supplemented with improvised elements, based on the pentatonic scale and well-known tunes that may be used in other genres. Chinese folk music has remarkable melody, depth and lyricism, which reflect the national spirit and aesthetics (Yoo & Kang, 2020).
The harmony of Chinese folk music as a part of aesthetic perception is achieved as a result of the principles of neutrality and artistry (Campbell, 2021). Therefore, folk music is supposed to convey aesthetic value and rich content. The freedom of performance provides the transmission of musical subtleties and national spirituality. A fairly common technique is the unison which is simultaneous sound of one or several tunes (Shen et al., 2019). At the same time, the pentachord scale is an important element of Chinese folk music, including expression forms, timbre and performance manners that reflect the values of spiritual culture (Xu, 2018).
The perception of folk music is interconnected with the accuracy of emotions and feelings, which express the artistic picture of the world. The cultural-historical approach to the perception of folk music is presented in the works by L. S. Vygotsky, A. R. Luria, A. N. Leontiev, L. L. Christiansen. This approach in music is characterized by the reflection of peculiarities of one historical period (Yoo & Kang, 2020). At the same time, the cultural-historical approach delineates the specifics of the music perception and folk music in particular (W. Guo, 2018). Consequently, the cultural-historical analysis determines the specifics of music development and its significance, and also contributes to determining its role in the cultural development of society.
L. S. Vygotsky’s work was aimed at defining the place of music in culture and the education system through the statement of critical theories (Yasnitsky, 2018). He believed that music is an integral part of aesthetics, which is associated with the movement and discovering its possibilities. The development of musical art is possible when it possesses vividness and displays strong emotions (Shayer, 2022). According to L. S. Vygotsky, music contributes to the realization of human needs and ideas, which occurs as a result of listening to complex melodies with combined scales (Newman & Latifi, 2020). The aesthetic perception of music is formed by the combination of different aesthetic delights. This implies reflecting internal reactions of art processing, which encourages emotional release rather than completing certain actions (Newman & Latifi, 2020). L. L. Christiansen, on the other hand, believed that the perception of music manifests itself in the display of sensory and moral actions, which are formed by an impression or sentiment. He believed that each element of melody is displayed as a single emotional impression (Taber, 2020). However, L. S. Vygotsky considered Christiansen’s theory to be ineffective since it lacked an understanding of how emotional elements could affect human performance (Taber, 2020).
A. R. Luria’s cultural-historical approach was based on the fact that culture, including music, is the main indicator of human spiritual development (Shvarts & Bakker, 2019). Music directly influences the formation of individual thinking, since a single composition can contribute to identifying the human in terms of a cultural being (Cole, 2019). Creativity is associated with the ability to visualize thoughts due to understanding the value of culture. A. R. Luria believed that culture and not the environment has an influence on the conscious and unconscious specifics of mental development (Goldberg, 2019). According to his concept, a new self-awareness is formed as a result of listening to musical compositions and understanding internal mental processes (Cole, 2019).
A. N. Leontiev believed that interaction with culture is reflected in the psyche (Burkitt, 2019). The change of mental condition occurs due to historical development and conscious activity. Leontiev believed that the influence of music can only be positive when it is sophisticated (Burkitt, 2019). According to his theory, practical application of music contributes to the understanding of human nature. Thus, the dissemination of folk music culture is due to mastering its practical component (González Rey, 2019).
Literature review
Chinese folk music contributes to the transmission of some of China’s major cultural traditions and is an intangible heritage of China. The increased attention to Chinese folk music raises the question of understanding the musical content and preserving the complete authenticity of the age-old heritage. Thrasher (2016) studied ethnomusicology, music theory, music composition and Chinese music of the Jiangnan ‘silk-bamboo’ tradition and the ritual music of Northern China. The author explored the concept of qupai — melodic patterns which the most traditional Chinese folk instrumental music is based on. Much of the classical instrumental repertoire arose from qupai models based on different ‘variation’ techniques. These melodies and techniques are alive today and are performed by representatives of the ‘silk-bamboo’, zheng and pipa genres and in all types of operas, narrative songs and Buddhist and Taoist ritual music. Xu (2020) analyses the historical characteristics and current problems in the development of Chinese folk music. The author points out that the development of folk music should correspond to such aspects as state financial support, talent policy, education and inheritance, academic research, promotion and information technology innovations.
Ma (2019) drew attention to new ideas and trends in the development of traditional Chinese folk music to preserve its authenticity and protect it from the influence of Western culture by creating a modern database. Their study showed that the development of traditional music is slowing down with the change of information technology and society and is facing a crisis of survival. Traditional Chinese music can adapt to the needs of the times and gradually expand its influence through reform, support of local literary and artistic groups, training of young local musical talents and combination with other integrated arts such as films and television series (K. Tang, 2021). Jiang et al. (2020) proposed a learning system called FolkDuet to create online countermelodies for Chinese folk tunes. This program facilitates generating countermelodies in the Chinese folk style along with real-time interactive improvisation with maximum accuracy.
F. Li (2020) draws attention to the conflict between Chinese and Western cultures. In the history of Chinese folk music, vocal musicians such as Song Zuying, with their beautiful original voices and singing skills, contributed to the formation of folk vocal music. The author conducted an extensive data analysis to understand the trends of Chinese music and remove the obstacles to its development. Y. Yang and Welch (2014) found that traditional approaches to teaching folk music do not necessarily coincide with formal music education. The authors concluded that using a formal approach and informal learning can provide a more effective learning process. Zheng et al. (2017) proposed an automatic algorithm based on the Markov chain model to analyse Chinese folk music according to its melodic features. Folk songs with Chinese national characteristics were selected for analysis. The experiments showed that the model could reproduce the music to fully preserve traditional Chinese folk tradition.
The recognition of Chinese folk songs contributes to identifying musical characteristics and regional styles of specific geographical folk songs. It also has an important research value in the existing music information retrieval system. X. Yang et al. (2018) proposed a practical and novel approach to regional recognition of Chinese folk songs based on the fusion of auditory perception and visual characteristics using the SVM ensemble classifier. Their experiments show that the recognition method combined with auditory perception and visual features can effectively identify Chinese folk songs from different regions. Moreover, accuracy is 89.29% in this case, which is better than in other current approaches.
The listed studies focus on methods for analysing and clustering the development of traditional Chinese folk music and the interaction of contemporary and ancient folk music. They also explore new folk music that has emerged over the past century under the influence of Western culture. These works open the prospect of creating and developing a theory about contemporary Chinese folk music.
Problem statement
This study aims to identify the characteristics of Chinese folk music development. The research involved 142 students who were aware of the importance of folk music in society. This paper explores different aspects of Chinese folk music, the bedrock of Chinese cultural traditions. Thus, it was found that 36% of the students believed that folk music is the most harmonious in the development of piano music. Therefore, the impact of introducing Chinese folk music into piano teaching was tested. Piano playing is very common and can contribute to popularizing folk music in society. The main study objectives include:
the definition of the ‘Chinese folk music’ concept and its significance in society, which affects the most common sphere of Chinese music application, which is based not only on the performance of compositions that contribute to the preservation of cultural traditions but also on the spread of creativity among the younger generation;
developing approaches for teaching piano playing through folk music that contributes to its popularization in society;
evaluating the effectiveness of piano teaching mechanisms that contribute to preserving traditional cultural elements.
Methodological approach
The research on the Chinese folk music tradition is based on the survey and practice lessons of 142 third-year piano students from seven universities in Zhejiang Province. Juniors were selected since they were already familiar with the formative principles of musical composition. Initially, 170 students were to participate in the experimental part, but 28 respondents had classical music as their main field of study, which excludes folk compositions. The limitation of the student sample was not related to the number of selected educational institutions but to the number of students. The number of the study population was fixed in advance, which determined the number of educational institutions for the study. The selection criteria required respondents to reproduce folk compositions on the piano to assess their performance and sound quality. Namely, an important aspect was the pianist’s technique; therefore, an above-average level was required. This implied the possibility of playing musical notes and performing compositions by ear. The purpose of the sociological surveys and the main research stages were explained to the students at the introductory session. Students signed a consent form confirming their voluntary participation in the experiment. The sociological survey was to determine the popularity of folk music compositions among the younger generation. Answers were collected through a questionnaire application. The sociological survey was chosen within the framework of the study due to its convenience. This method extends the study beyond a single audience to conduct research among different categories of respondents which may not be interconnected with each other (Van, 2018). According to students, traditional Chinese music has the following characteristics:
it represents traditional folk art and is passed down from generation to generation;
it is the root of musical art, which forms other types of music;
it is a component of folk art and is transmitted orally;
it has a set of improvised notes and rhythmic patterns.
In the next stage, the study considered the significance of Chinese folk music in preserving cultural traditions and its most common places of use. The survey showed that traditional music has the most prominent role in piano learning. Therefore, tools to popularize traditional music through piano learning were developed. The mechanisms were determined based on the analysis and observation methods (Savage, 2021). These methods facilitated the evaluation and comparison of the existing mechanisms to determine the most effective ones. The proposed approaches included the following elements:
selecting an online platform that promotes piano skills through folk music;
providing theoretical information online;
developing improvisation skills through a combination of folk and contemporary compositions;
using online platforms to share experiences and knowledge between students and faculty;
listening to folk compositions during free time;
analysing contemporary Chinese compositions based on original creative works.
After completing this course, the elements contributing to change in the performance, delivery and preservation of traditional music were identified. Consequently, the effectiveness of introducing folk compositions into piano training was calculated (based on Formula 1). The calculation was carried out by collecting students’ semester grades. The ratio of grades was used to assess the students’ knowledge level. The indicators included data on skills gained, knowledge and the ability to work with folk compositions. Formula 1:
N1 is the average ratio of grades received in the first semester.
N2 is an average total grade assessing the knowledge of folk compositions in the second semester of study.
The grades assessed the students’ general knowledge of folk compositions (their types, use, learning, exploration) and piano playing skills. The students’ level of knowledge was assessed according to the following rating:
(1) 80–100% — advanced level of knowledge;
(2) 60–79% — above-average level of knowledge;
(3) 40–59% — sufficient level of knowledge;
(4) 30–49% — the average level of knowledge;
(5) less than 29% — low level of acquired knowledge.
Data processing was performed in Microsoft Excel since it is the most accessible and is included in Microsoft Windows. The use of other programs required special skills and installation. All ethical norms following the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research were followed (ESOMAR, 2016). Ethical issues implied ensuring equal terms and requirements for respondents. In accordance with ethical standards, the individuality and confidentiality of the received data was provided.
Results
Chinese folk music fosters cultural traditions that influence the society education level. The formation of Chinese folk music was based on the principles of rationality (as it describes various historical events) and emotionality. A sociological survey was conducted among students to determine their understanding of Chinese folk music. The musical analysis was applied in the survey. This analysis influenced the definition of Chinese folk music concepts (see Table 1).
The definition of Chinese folk music according to students.
About 37% of students believed that the definition of folk music was related to the development of traditional folk art, passed down from generation to generation. This definition was the most common. 23% of the students gave a similar but briefer answer. Approximately 22% of students stated that all types of music were based on folk music, so it had direct relevance in modern life. About 18% of respondents believed that traditional Chinese music consists of improvised notes and rhythmic patterns. These 18% of respondents had previously studied folk art, therefore had better knowledge of technical aspects and were able to give a deeper definition of this type of music. The survey also examined the students’ opinions on the importance of Chinese folk music in preserving cultural traditions (see Figure 1).
The importance of Chinese folk music in the preservation of cultural traditions, according to students.
Based on the peculiarities of musicology, the greatest number of students (29%) believed that the significance of Chinese music lies in the conveyance of historical events through folk art and the depiction of moments that took place at different periods of China’s development. About 27% of respondents stated that folk music portrays the aesthetics of musical traditions and fosters creativity through which cultural values and the spiritual culture of the people are conveyed. Approximately 25% of respondents assumed that Chinese music (since it has emerged in ancient times) reflects the talent of the Chinese people. According to them, it contributed to the formation of various folk music types: dance, opera, instrumental music, song story music and song compositions. Parameters were identified as a result of studying the theoretical and practical foundations of music and its theory. The importance of folk music for the respondents in accordance with the musicology basics was reflected in the understanding of the form and content unity of musical language. The students were also asked to emphasize those areas of folk music that they considered to be harmonious and to contribute to the preservation and dissemination of cultural traditions. The results were revealed based on musical analysis (see Figure 2).
The most common uses of Chinese folk music, according to students.
Approximately 36% of students believed that folk music facilitated piano learning since they considered these compositions as the most effective in developing technical skills, preserving traditions and spreading folk music in society. About 27% noted the use of folk compositions in choral performance as the most effective since Chinese music was based on developing a single musical sound. 16% of students assumed that Chinese folk music could be the most harmonious in opera since it conveyed the sounds of nature and other aesthetic components.
The survey revealed the opinions of Chinese folk music among the younger generation. Hence, a series of tools to teach folk music through piano lessons has been developed. The aim of these tools was to preserve the importance of folk music in society and among the younger generation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the approaches were implemented remotely.
(1) The first stage was choosing an online application program that provided students with free access to folk music compositions and promoted piano learning lessons. The Chordana Play (2020) app was selected because it allowed students to play an on-screen keyboard and plug in their instruments. The backlighting features of the keyboard served as the cues during the playback of musical compositions.
(2) Theoretical information online helped students to learn the history of musical composition writing and the emotions and moods of the composer. That information contributed to a greater knowledge and perception of the composition, providing more effective piano learning. Labelling musical genres and describing the musical compositions’ characteristics promoted effective learning as well.
(3) An effective learning process requires maximum use of folk music examples and developing improvisation skills by incorporating modern elements into folk pieces.
(4) Online platforms encouraged experiences and knowledge exchange between students and teachers. The use of various technologies improved memorization and spread of folk compositions. At the same time, the exchange of emotions and experiences presented in the composition contributed to forming an aesthetic component and better involvement of students in the learning process. The use of the online platform Yousician (2021) facilitated collection of the necessary data. In addition, Yousician (2021) provided a free melody playback feature for practice sessions. Therefore, it was possible to adjust the tempo of the composition and evaluate the performance of a particular student. Effective communication was also available on the platform.
(5) Another effective tool in promoting traditional folk music among the younger generation was listening to folk compositions during free time and further discussion on online platforms.
(6) Analysing contemporary Chinese compositions based on original creative works identified similar elements, rhythm, tempo, etc.
After studying and applying the presented methods in piano teaching, the results were measured through a survey. The survey included questions about changes in students’ performance, delivery, and opinions about the importance of traditional music’s preservation (Table 2).
Changes in students’ performance, delivery, and opinions about the preservation of traditional music.
Approximately 35% of students changed their opinion about learning and sharing folk songs through piano playing. About 30% of the students improved their ability to distinguish traditional Chinese folk compositions from modern tunes that incorporate authentic elements. About 28% of respondents became able to use elements of folk songs in their piano melodies after completing the course. Approximately 7% of students selected ‘other’. That assumed that they frequently listened to folk music and found compositions that were most effective for the piano learning process. The study also determined the effectiveness of introducing Chinese folk music elements into piano teaching. The effectiveness was calculated using Formula 1 among 10 groups of students. To assess the effectiveness of teaching, tests were conducted to check students’ progress after two terms of study. Thus, the ratio of the first term’s points and the average total knowledge index in the second term were used. The results obtained for 10 groups of students determined in more detail the effectiveness of practising folk compositions. The results are presented in Table 3.
Results of the performance and effectiveness assessments.
The students from groups #1 (85.7%), #3 (88%), #5 (100%) and #9 (89.3%) demonstrated the high effectiveness of using folk songs in piano lessons. This fact is associated with the application and dissemination of knowledge in society and composition writing using elements of folk music. Participants of groups #2, #6 and #7 had an above-average level of knowledge due to poorer education at the initial stage. Participants of groups #4 (41.7%) and #8 (57%) demonstrated average levels of knowledge. After implementing the approaches, the students had high scores but poorer skills at the initial stage. Students in group #10 (20.4%) had low performance, explained by missing classes in the first semester.
Discussion
Various literary sources were analysed to study the significance of Chinese folk music. Han and Leung (2017) studied different approaches to teaching folk music. The authors found that the content of the music curriculum depends on a teacher’s attitude towards the teaching process. The popularization of Chinese music implies deep understanding of folk music by a teacher, which further facilitates the development of multicultural attitudes among students. On the contrary, although the present study explores the promotion of Chinese folk compositions through an education system, it also determines all the necessary elements (significance, scope, definition) that contribute to the popularization of this music type. Q. Guo (2020) proposed applying a generalized rule induction algorithm for the automatic classification of Chinese folk music and information processing. The present article focuses on evaluating the significance of folk music for the younger generation through a sociological survey.
Y. Yang et al. (2015) studied the mechanisms of learning different singing styles. They found that folk music performance is characterized by different parameters of the singing voice and acoustic features. Thirty folk songs were chosen and digitally recorded for the study. The results showed that during the recording of the folk songs, the singers used a tuning pattern that included five basic tones, which contributed to the uneven tempo of the singing. The authors found that the process of learning a particular type of tune should include the particular pitch and possible tuning systems. On the other hand, in the present paper, the study of folk compositions took place through learning to play the piano. It was proved that the use of various online applications contributes to the dissemination of folk music due to accessibility of materials at any time.
T. Wang et al. (2019) showed the connectivity of Chinese folk music, which possesses unique features for human cognitive development. Chinese folk music is characterized by a long history, artistry and vivid artistic practice. The multivocal folk chorus Dong Chorus’s musical pieces hold a special place among polyphonic folk songs. The participants of Dong Chorus were asked to take part in a survey. Thus, T. Wang et al. (2019) found that participation in Dong Chorus contributes to the development of cognitive abilities related to auditory processes and emotional intelligence and fosters popularization of folk traditions. Nevertheless, in the present study, the significance of Chinese folk music is reflected in students’ attitudes towards the conveyance of cultural and folk traditions of historical periods (29%), the portrayal of musical traditions’ aesthetics (27%) and the demonstration of the Chinese people’s talent (25%).
Y. Yang and Welch (2016) found that traditional approaches to teaching folk music should not necessarily be combined with formal music education. Practical folk music lessons in higher music education in China were presented and characterized by a complex and changing culture. A pedagogical model was constructed. The model included two pedagogical approaches based on the conservatory and traditional teaching systems. An integrated approach to teaching contributes to effective folk music education and its popularity among the younger generation. Gao (2021) studied the specifics of students’ creative ability formation in teaching Chinese folk music. The authors developed a questionnaire about self-awareness during the lessons of Chinese folk music. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were used to determine the overall creativity level. The results showed a high correlation, as evidenced by obtaining a high creativity level in 20% of the children. The study found that learning Chinese folk music contributes to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about folk songs, including the ability to distinguish folk compositions from modern ones regarding original features.
Xu (2018) explored the benefits of folk music education for Chinese traditional culture. The authors concluded that folk music is diverse and has a long history, so it is possible to preserve it through folk music education. Y. Wang et al. (2021) studied various notational features of musical compositions, such as pitch, duration, amplitude, frequency and timbre. The authors presented a multi-string PLCA instrument that simulates individual strings’ timbre characterized by different thicknesses and materials for transcription. The study also confirmed the importance of simulated acoustic characteristics of the most common playing techniques (vibrato and tremolo) characterized by the pitch and amplitude of the sound. In this paper, however, the study of folk music aspects was based on the piano music curriculum.
J. Li et al. (2019) explored classifying folk songs into different regional styles through regional musical classification. The regional classification of Chinese folk songs contributes to developing a music recommendation system that enhances the use of the correct music style and its dissemination in society. Gibbs (2021) analysed various Chinese song lyrics related to ethnographic migration patterns. The authors identified approaches for exploring ‘folk model’ metaphors about separation in songs, which provided listeners with a language to think about in a broader social context, offering various rhetorical solutions to anxieties.
Considering the analysed literature sources, the material was mainly based on teaching folk music through traditional and refined approaches, which contributes to the students’ understanding of folk music’s concept. Approaches to studying timbre, pitch, singing voice, etc., have been taken as the basis of many studies. The novelty of the present work is the development of mechanisms aimed at studying folk music based on piano playing, which fosters the spread of folk music among the younger generation. The paper also analysed students’ understanding of folk music’s definition, identified its significance and measured the effectiveness of the developed program.
Conclusions
The exploration of Chinese folk music through students’ perception made it possible to determine its promotion mechanisms among the younger generation. A total of 142 piano students from seven universities in Zhejiang participated in the study. The sociological survey identified the students’ definition of Chinese folk music. The survey determined that 37% of respondents believed that Chinese folk music represents folk tradition passed down from generation to generation. 18% of respondents stated that folk music was a set of improvised notes and rhythmic patterns (that opinion was the most popular among students who had studied folk music before and were familiar with the technical aspects). The greatest importance of folk music, according to respondents, was its contribution to the conveyance of historical events (29%) and the aesthetics of musical traditions (27%). The survey showed that 36% of respondents believed that Chinese folk music was the most prevalent in piano instruction. Therefore, mechanisms for its dissemination in this study area were developed.
The sociological survey showed that 35% of respondents believed that this approach to learning contributes to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about folk songs. 30% of respondents assumed that folk song knowledge would help distinguish authentic elements of traditional Chinese compositions from modern ones, which facilitates further professional development. Group #10 demonstrated the lowest effectiveness of introducing folk music lessons in piano training (20.4%). However, their lower grades could be due to skipping lessons. The highest scores were observed in group #9 (89.3%). The results are of scientific value for music specialty teachers in promoting folk music in society. The prospects of the study may also be related to the adaptation of the developed recommendations for music education among students and schoolchildren.