Confucius On Music Education. (2008)

In the Western world, when one talks of the history of music education, typically she traces it back to the Renaissance. However, in East Asia, there is a different view: Confucius, who lived twenty-five centuries ago (1) a grand master of music Essentially he told us everything we need for music In this article, we collect a number of his sayings on music education to demonstrate this point. Importance of Music Education The most famous saying of Confucius on music education might be: To educate somebody, you should start from poems, emphasize on and with (2) In other words, one cannot expect to become educated without learning music. If you are familiar with the culture of ancient Chinese society, you can easily see from this saying how highly regarded music education was, because the finish of something is usually associated with greater significance than other parts. In fact, Confucius always taught his students the (3), the most crucial knowledge and skills in ancient China. These six arts were (in decreasing order of importance): music, shooting, driving, writing, and mathematics. (4) Music second only to ceremonies. Note that the ancient Chinese societies are called society of ceremonies, because they were based on just as the Western societies are based on laws. Hence, the above statement of Confucius put music education in a position with great importance. Objects of Music Education Given the importance of music education, naturally one would think of this question: Who should receive music education? Confucius's answer to this question was: should be no discrimination against anybody in education. (5) I never refused to teach anybody paying the tuition with at least Shu Xiu. (6) Indeed, Confucius never refused to teach students, including those from poor, lower-class families. A good example Yan Yuan, who grew up in a poor family and never improved his financial situation throughout his short life. (7) Although Yan Yuan such a financial hardship, Confucius accepted him as a student and soon recognized him as his best student. (8) Confucius loved him so much that he claimed to be killed by the news that Yan Yuan died. (9) There were many other students of Confucius who were from even poorer families. Zeng Shen often no food for days and had no money to buy clothes for years. (10) Zhong Gong was a slave's son; his home too small to have any furniture. (11) Confucius never discriminated against them or allowed anybody to discriminate against them because of their financial status. Similarly, Confucius also taught Gong Ye Chang, who a prisoner, and Zai Yu, who completely worthless like a spoiled wood. (12) Therefore, by his own educational practice Confucius told us that there should not be any discrimination based on social status, or moral standards, or anything else. Contents of Music Education Confucius insisted that we should teach good music. Of course, then there is a question of what is good music. We can learn this from his comments on various pieces of music of his age. The music he liked most probably Shao. After listening to Shao, he intoxicated so much that forgot the taste of meat for months. (13) He loved it because it has both a good connotation and an artistic beauty. (14) Consequently, the standard for good music should be two fold: first, its connotation must be of sufficient merit; second, its beauty must be sensible. Confucius stressed that music without good connotation should be excluded from the curriculum: Once the music of Zheng is popular, corruptions will be everywhere. (15) Here Zheng a kingdom in Confucius's age, whose territory covered part of today's Henan Province of China. Its music famous for being sexually suggestive. …