The Inheritance Of Ethnic Music In Primary And Secondary School Education In Xinjiang

Hejing County in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture,Xinjiang is home to one of the largest populations of Oirat Mongols.It is commonly known as Donggui Mingcheng,meaning "The Famous City from the Eastern Torghut Migration" and has a wealth of history and culture,placing a strong importance on the protection,popularisation and publicity given to its intangible cultural heritage.Hejing County's Number Four Middle School acts as an Educational and Inheritance Institution for the County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Centre(ICHPC).It has not only been listed as "Research Base for the Education and Popularisation of Intangible Cultural Heritage" by the Regional Arts Research Centre(RARC)in 2013,but has also been awarded the honorary title of being part of the "Top Ten Schools for Exceptional Chinese Cultural Education" and is a "Specialist School for the Inheritance of Chinese Traditional Arts and Culture".Thanks to the support of the leadership teams at the RARC and the ICHPC at the Hejing County Donggui Cultural Centre,Number Four Middle School has established a series of educational and inheritance centres for Jangar(Epic Poem),Sauurdin(Folk Dance)Tobshuur(Plucked Lute),Morin Khuur(Horsehead Fiddle)and Urtyn Duu.(Mongolian "Long Song").This has not only allowed for the more effective inheritance of traditional Mongolian music,but also for the promotion of ethnic minority culture and the establishment of a more localised and standardised ethno-musical education system.Through the active incorporation of ethnic music into primary and secondary education,students will develop a passion for their own musical heritage and indentify themselves more strongly with their ethnic culture.In turn,this will promote inter-ethnic unity and help students cultivate a stronger sense of belonging to their country.Furthermore,it can also promote the development of ethnomusical education in Bayingolin and give rise to the thorough incorporation of the Mongolian cultural arts into the syllabus,hence stimulating the overall growth of musical education in ethnic minority-based regions in Xinjiang.Through an investigation into the current state of Mongolian ethnomusical education and inheritance at Hejing Number Four Middle School,one can not only gain an insight into the way in which traditional music is being inherited though classroom education,but can also draw some interesting conclusions.How can one more effectively protect,popularise and publicise intangible cultural heritage?How can one portray the value of identifying oneself with one's own ethnic culture?How can one improve the way in which ethnic culture is inherited through primary and secondary musical education?The significance of such an investigation is in its educational and research value.It highlights the advantageous position both society and the classroom hold for the inheritance of Mongolian culture and how this can strengthen interethnic unity and students' sense of ethnic belonging.This paper shall take its methodology from the fields of ethnology,ethnomusicology,comparative musicology,cultural anthropology,musical pedagogy,musical aesthetics,linguistics and history.What's more,during the course of investigation,a series of relevant literature,questionnaires,surveys and interviews were also used.This paper can be divided into the following sections:?.Overview of Hejing CountyAn overview into the location,demographics,education and cultural history of Hejing County.?.The Current State of Ethnomusical Inheritance at Number Four Middle School,Hejing County.This section forms the main body of this paper and shall provide an in-depth discussion on the cultural inheritance at the Jangar(Epic Poem),Sauurdin(Folk Dance),Tobshuur(Plucked Lute),Morin Khuur(Horsehead Fiddle)and Urtyn Duu(Mongolian "Long Song")educational and inheritance centres.It shall frame its discussion on the type of inheritance,as well as it's system,processes,characteristics and current state.?.ConclusionThis section shall provide a set of findings and conclusions in regards to the methods,efficacy,value and significance of ethnomusical inheritance.Thereafter,it shall focus on these four aspects and provide a series of opinions and suitable suggestions on how to better conduct the inheritance of Mongolian folk music,strengthen interethnic unity,promote self-identification with Mongolian culture and further improve students' sense of belonging to both Chinese culture and the Chinese nation at Number Four Middle School,Hejing County.