This book compares, from a historical and sociopolitical perspective, the respective systems and contents of music education in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in response to globalization, localization and Sinificiation, with particular reference to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei.

While attention has been paid to various aspects of music education in China, to date no single publication has systematically addressed the complex interplay of sociopolitical transformations underlying the development of popular music and music education in the multilevel culture of China. Before the implementation of the new curriculum reforms in China at the beginning of the twenty-first century, there was neither Chinese nor Western popular music in textbook materials. Popular culture had long been prohibited in school music education by China’s strong revolutionary orientation, which feared ‘spiritual pollution’ by Western cultures. However, since the early twenty-first century, education reform has attempted to help students deal with experiences in their daily lives and has officially included learning the canon of popular music in the music curriculum. In relation to this topic, this book analyses how social transformation and cultural politics have affected community relations and the transmission of popular music through school music education. Ho presents music and music education as sociopolitical constructions of nationalism and globalization. Moreover, how popular music is received in national and global contexts and how it affects the construction of social and musical meanings in school music education, as well as the reformation of music education in mainland China, is discussed. Based on the perspectives of school music teachers and students, the findings of the empirical studies in this book address the power and potential use of popular music in school music education as a producer and reproducer of cultural politics in the music curriculum in the mainland.

This book will examine the recent development of school music education in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to illustrate how national policies for music in the school curriculum integrate music cultures and non-musical values in the relationship between national cultural identity and globalization. It will examine the ways in which policies for national identity formation and globalization interact to complement and contradict each other in the content of music education in these three Chinese territories. Meanwhile, tensions posed by the complex relationship between cultural diversity and political change have also led to a crisis of national identity in these three localities. The research methods of this book involve an analysis of official approved music textbooks, a survey questionnaire distributed to students attending music education programmes as well as primary and secondary school music teachers, and in-depth interviews with student teachers and schoolteachers in the three territories.

This book focuses on the rapidly changing sociology of music as manifested in Chinese society and Chinese education. It examines how social changes and cultural politics affect how music is currently being used in connection with the Chinese dream. While there is a growing trend toward incorporating the Chinese dream into school education and higher education, there has been no scholarly discussion to date. The combination of cultural politics, transformed authority relations, and officially approved songs can provide us with an understanding of the official content on the Chinese dream that is conveyed in today’s Chinese society, and how these factors have influenced the renewal of values-based education and practices in school music education in China.

Ho's book explores music education in China, and how creativity, education reforms, and social transformation can be enabled through music. The essential elements of music discussed include perception and creativity, sources and stimulation, and the integration of musical creativity in diverse cultures and participation. It focuses on three Chinese cities; Changsha and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, which have creative industries, and Shijiazhuang, which has cultural industries. Readers will gain insights into the introduction of creativity into the Chinese education system through music, particularly during the pandemic. The author analyses official documents, selected music textbooks adopted by schools, questionnaire surveys, and in-depth interviews with both students and teachers. These interviews reveal the underbelly of the dilemmas of introducing creativity into schools through music education. The volume will be of interest to those keen to increase creativity in teaching through music, and researchers in the fields of creativity and music education. It will also interest students undertaking Chinese, teacher education, or music.

Introduction -- The arts and social change -- The power of utopian thinking -- Transforming society -- Music education and utopia -- Conclusion.

While attention has been paid to various aspects of music education in China, to date no single publication has systematically addressed the complex interplay of sociopolitical transformations underlying the development of popular music and music education in the multilevel culture of China. Before the implementation of the new curriculum reforms in China at the beginning of the twenty-first century, there was neither Chinese nor Western popular music in textbook materials. Popular culture had long been prohibited in school music education by China’s strong revolutionary orientation, which feared ‘spiritual pollution’ by Western cultures. However, since the early twenty-first century, education reform has attempted to help students deal with experiences in their daily lives and has officially included learning the canon of popular music in the music curriculum. In relation to this topic, this book analyses how social transformation and cultural politics have affected community relations and the transmission of popular music through school music education. Ho presents music and music education as sociopolitical constructions of nationalism and globalization. Moreover, how popular music is received in national and global contexts and how it affects the construction of social and musical meanings in school music education, as well as the reformation of music education in mainland China, is discussed. Based on the perspectives of school music teachers and students, the findings of the empirical studies in this book address the power and potential use of popular music in school music education as a producer and reproducer of cultural politics in the music curriculum in the mainland.