A Comparative Study Of Chinese And New Zealand Kindergarten Music Education From A Cross-cultural Perspective

The value of music education has been a central issue in academic circles.In previous literature,a large number of studies have shown that music education has its unique value.Kindergarten music education in China has continued to develop for a long time.In recent years,comparative studies of music education in the field of preschool education have also gradually expanded.The current comparative studies of kindergarten music education are mainly between China and countries with developed preschool education such as America and Japan.New Zealand is a country with multicultural background and kindergarten music education in New Zealand is also quite distinctive.However,there is lack of comparative study on kindergarten music education between China and New Zealand.This study focuses on characteristics of music education for children in New Zealand and gives some suggestions on kindergarten music education in China.This thesis has seven chapters.The first chapter is the introduction,which mainly explains the reason for choosing this topic,and purposes,meanings,contents,methods and the thought of this study.The second chapter is the research review,mainly including definitions of core concepts and research overview of kindergarten music education in China and New Zealand and comparative studies of music education between different countries.The third chapter is an overview of the development of kindergarten music education in China and New Zealand.The fourth chapter describes relevant policy texts about kindergarten music education in China and New Zealand.It compares from three aspects: educational concepts and principles,teaching goals and implemental guidelines.The fifth chapter states the implementation of kindergarten music education in China and New Zealand.Through the observation of music teaching and interviews with educators in two kindergartens of two countries,this paper analyzes and compares the similarities and differences in teaching content,methods and evaluation from a cross-cultural perspective.In chapter six,in order to promote kindergarten music education in China,suggestions are proposed.The seventh chapter summarizes the shortcomings of this study and puts forward the prospects for the future.Through this study,we find that traditional Chinese culture pursues collective value,while New Zealand pays more attention to individual rights and performance.These two countries present different cultural connotations.Overall,kindergarten music education in both countries focuses on the emotional experience and creative expression of children,emphasizing the provision of an adequate environment for children to feel the music.Meanwhile,there are certain differences in teaching contents,approaches and evaluation.China pays more attention to the acquisition of music knowledge and skills.New Zealand focuses on folk music,and approaches are more flexible and diverse.Besides,a formative evaluation system is adopted.Through the compare of kindergarten music education in these two countries,the author puts forward suggestions to promote the implement of kindergarten music education in China.In the practice of music education,there is a need for a more open educational concept,integrating multiple cultures and national culture,expanding the connotation of emotional experience in the teaching goals,flexibly selecting teaching contents,richly using teaching approaches,and realizing multiple evaluations.