The continuity of the didactic principle in teaching violin playing in China

Fan Jinwen Postgraduate student, Department of Performing Arts, Moscow State Pedagogical University 119991, Russia, Moscow, M. Pirogovskaya str., 1 teoretina@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The study of continuity between generations is the subject of interest for specialists working in various scientific fields, such as philosophy, cultural studies, pedagogy, psychology, art criticism and others. This problem attracts the attention of scientists and researchers who seek to understand how knowledge and values are transmitted and preserved in various spheres of human activity. Thanks to this interdisciplinary approach, we can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the succession process in society and culture.

If we turn to the Large Encyclopedic Dictionary, it states that "continuity" means "the connection between phenomena in the process of development in nature, society and understanding, when the new, replacing the old, retains some of its elements" ^{[1, p. 1021]}.

From the point of view of philosophy, it is "a connection between different stages or stages of development of both being and cognition, the essence of which consists in preserving certain elements of the whole or individual sides of its organization while changing the whole as a system" ^{[2, p. 15]}.

Psychologists consider the concept of continuity in the context of the transmission and continuity of psychological processes and characteristics from one generation to another. They explore how hereditary factors and the educational environment affect the formation of personality and the development of psychological characteristics in an individual. B.G. Ananyev, L.S. Vygotsky, S.L. Rubinstein, T.I. Shnurenko, E.V. Plotnikova and others devoted their works to this issue.

Within the framework of this article, L.S. Vygotsky's idea of the close connection between development and learning is relevant. The psychologist emphasizes that the educational process occurs only when it precedes development. Training can actualize functions that are at the stage of maturation if it is performed during the "period defined by the zone of proximal development" ^{[3, p. 252]}.

Continuity in education means that each stage of the educational process contributes to the development and formation of new personality traits that are necessary for the student's progress in the learning process. Continuity is based on the idea of creating a base and conditions that allow you to work effectively with the past, present and future.

The issue of maintaining continuity between different types of scientific institutions can be considered from a polar point of view. It is necessary to pay attention to the correspondence of curricula, the organization of the educational process, the interaction of students with each other, as well as with the teacher, etc. This problem was highlighted in their works by such authors as M.N. Lebedeva, M.V. Zaitsev, E.S. Cherkasova and others.

The problem of continuity plays a significant role in research that focuses on the harmonization of the content of educational programs within a full-fledged system. They pay attention to both continuity and continuity of the educational process, in which consistency is important. Both of these aspects are interrelated and make it possible to make smooth transitions between different age periods of educational links, providing new knowledge while maintaining the previous ones. It is these two aspects, working with a holistic pedagogical approach, that significantly affect the quality of training for young violinists.

The principle of continuity has been at the heart of violin education in Russia for many centuries. The violin appeared in the XVI — early XVII century, and the violin art reached its heyday in the XIX century. He has always been characterized by consistency and interconnection between different levels of education, extrapolated the experience of other systems (including the principles of work, the educational materials used and the repertoire), for example, the traditions of the European school.

Unlike in Russia, professional violin training in China began in the first decades of the 20th century. There have been many turning points in the country this century. In 1949, the People's Republic of China was formed, the Cultural Revolution continued for 10 years from 1968, and then a period of recovery and development began, which ended only by the 90th year. All this time, Chinese violin education was in a state of isolation, which began to be overcome in the 90s, when Chinese musicians were sent to study in other countries, and also invited professionals from abroad to China ^{[4, p. 59]}.

Numerous studies by modern authors such as Zhao Wei ^[5], Zhang Jin-xin ^{[6, p. 12]}, Fan Zijun ^{[7, pp. 248-252]} are devoted to the problems of violin education in China. They relate to the issues of violin education at different stages of education: primary, secondary and higher.

The didactic principle of continuity and continuity in Chinese violin education is implemented through consistency in teaching. The new stage of training takes into account all the experience that was gained in the previous one. Thus, comprehensive requirements are formed at different stages of music education (school, college, university), and all the knowledge previously acquired by students is certainly used in the future.

Primary musical skills are taught to children in secondary schools in music lessons, which in China are called "school song", as well as in musical instrument lessons in the afternoon. In 1982, two bills on musical education were approved, which helped to increase the role of music education in ordinary schools.

Currently, students can get their initial professional musical skills in art schools operating both in secondary schools and at a higher level in music. There are many specialized music educational institutions in China, such as private schools, colleges, conservatories, and art academies. Music education is available at multidisciplinary universities and at the faculties of pedagogical universities.

As noted by scientist Dean Yi, a significant role in the field of music education was played by the education development and reform plan, which was to be implemented from 2010 to 2020. Within the framework of this plan, it was necessary to achieve a balance in basic education, make secondary education comprehensive and improve the quality of vocational education ^{[8, p. 12]}.

The principle of continuity can only work if there are professional educational institutions with their own specific structure. At the same time, it is important to prevent stagnation of teaching methods, as well as to integrate the knowledge and skills of violin schools in foreign countries and their representatives.

It should be noted that the modern musical education in China was formed from the methods of teachers who studied abroad. It was the knowledge and skills gained from foreign masters that allowed Chinese teachers to lay the foundation for a complete system of teaching violin playing.

At the beginning of the last century, violin education in China was developed by Tseng Zhiwong, Cao Rujin and Ye Bo, who studied in Japan. An important contribution was made by orchestra violinists educated in Europe - Zhao Niankui and Mu Zhiqing ^{[9, pp. 27-29]}. An important role was played by an association called the "Musical Educational Association" in Beijing, which included Zhao Niankui, Quan Shu Meng, Gan Wenlian. Subsequently, their students continued to develop the achievements of their mentors.

Professional violin education began to spread actively with the emergence of higher musical educational institutions. In 1925, the A. Glazunov Conservatory was opened in Harbin, and in 1927 the State Institute of Music appeared in Shanghai. At the same time, the country began to use a European-type orchestra. Violinists were trained in them according to Russian and German educational standards. Xiao Yumei, violinist and rector of the Shanghai Conservatory, played a special role in the formation of the violin art. Besides him, Arrigo Foa, R.B. Herzovsky, W. Frankel, M. Lifshitz taught at that time. Outstanding violinists came out of the walls of the Shanghai Conservatory – Chen Yuxin, Dou Lixun, Xu Simian, Xian Xing-hai, Wang Zhenyi, etc. ^{[10, p. 111]} It was the Shanghai Conservatory that set the pace of development of violin art and pedagogy throughout China, and other musical educational institutions were guided by it.

It should be noted that the Chinese performing pedagogical school clearly traces the influence of the experience of Soviet teachers who worked in China at the beginning of the twentieth century, among them V.V. Volchek, F.K. Wagner, V.N. Kaplun-Vladimirsky, E. A. Singer, V.D. Trachtenberg, A.M. Shaevsky, S.I. Khoroshevsky and others ^{[11, p. 34]}.

We also note the important role of the pedagogical achievements of outstanding violinists – the founders of the Russian violin school – I. Khandoshkin, L. Auer, P. Stolyarsky, L. Zeitlin, K. Mostras, A. Yampolsky, D. Oistrakh, etc. Their pedagogical and performing traditions penetrated into Chinese violin art thanks to teachers who taught in China, as well as methodological manuals and other works translated into Chinese. The approach to the educational process developed on the basis of their knowledge is also used in modern musical educational institutions in China.

Let's take a closer look at the principles of the Russian violin school, which are applied by many teachers in violin pedagogy in China.

- education of artistic thinking,

- addressing the content side of the performance process,

- intransigence to "external" virtuosity,

- unity of artistic and technical development,

- the principle of an individual approach, taking into account individual physiological and psychological characteristics.

These principles were the basis of the pedagogy of the Russian violin school. Most of the methods were practiced in the classroom of teachers of the second half of the XIX century – F. Laub, G. Venyavsky, L. Auer, I. Grzhimali, V. Bezekirsky. Later they were accepted by subsequent generations of teachers of the Russian violin school: P.S. Stolyarsky, L. Zeitlin, A. Yampolsky, K. Mostras, B. Sibor, and further developed in the performance and pedagogical activities of D. Oistrakh, M. Polyakin, D. Tsyganov, Y. Yankelevich, Ya. Rabinovich, L. Kogan and others.

After schools, colleges and conservatories were opened in China, many became interested in the violin. Over time, a large number of enthusiasts of playing this instrument appeared, both ordinary amateurs and professionals who took first places in competitions. As Xu Bo notes, Chinese performers began an active concert life, there was "an outgrowth of the country and an international resonance" ^{[4, p. 78]}.

According to a study by Luo Zhihui, at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the flow of musicians in China increased. Parents often sent their children to study, and the music schools were really huge - there were over 23,000 students in the Beijing school. The prestige of the musician's profession was maintained at the state level, a large amount of financial resources was allocated for music institutions, and a special contribution was made by relatively young talents ^{[12, p. 56]}.

To date, there is an obvious tendency to transform the foundations established in the educational methodology with a refocus on the individual qualities of the student and the development of his independence. Teachers select new repertoires that include both classical works and outstanding works by contemporary authors.

Currently, violin education in China meets international standards. There is primary (school), secondary (college) and higher (bachelor's and master's) musical education. There are eleven conservatories and six art colleges in the country, and the rest of the general education universities have art faculties that teach violin playing. The most famous of them are the Central Conservatory in Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory.

Some students who enroll in the string department majoring in violin at Chinese universities graduate from high school at music universities, where they receive the highest professional training since the beginning of their studies. There they undergo strict selection, systematically study music and violin art from the best teachers.

Other students come from regular secondary schools, their violin training level is much lower. As a rule, these are those applicants who have not scored enough points to enter the conservatory. Before the university entrance exams, such students study with violin teachers to prepare for admission. Individual violin lessons are a common practice in China, as there are a lot of people who want to study. In addition, violinists are often trained on the principle of group lessons, which is atypical for Russia. There are both positive and negative sides to this practice: studying in a group, future violinists learn from each other, gain communication skills and the ability to work collectively, but there is no individual approach.

There is still very fierce competition in China for admission to professional music universities: according to statistics, out of the total population of the country (about 10 million people), only about 15 students enter the conservatory in the violin specialty every year.

The continuity of violin education in China has two aspects. If violinists receive a professional, systematic education before university (as, for example, students of an attached secondary school), then after entering the university they continue more in-depth training, and teachers adjust to the individual abilities of the student and organize their training according to their abilities. Many university professors teach at the same time in secondary schools, as well as in Russia. If the same professor teaches a student violinist at the pre-university and university levels, then the staging is preserved, and there is no need for the student to change anything in his playing style or hand position.

If these are students of an ordinary secondary school or individual education, then their training may differ greatly from the high level of special schools at universities. Upon admission to a higher educational institution, after such training, future violinists change the setting of the right and left hands, which in fact means learning almost from the very beginning. This has a negative effect on their subsequent studies and the level of performing skills.

In addition, there is a problem of the lack of state programs for primary music education and compulsory subjects in music theory. Due to the high demand for violin education, there is an urgent need for qualified personnel. Teachers often pay attention only to the technical training of future violinists, engage in singing with them to develop purity of intonation and actively involve parents who should monitor their independent studies at home. All this affects further education in higher education.

As for university education, as we noted above, the level of musical training of applicants can vary greatly (depending on where they studied before entering the university). In addition, many applicants have a very poor repertoire and little studied works. Knowledge and skills in theoretical subjects also do not always receive a high level of competence among applicants. The pursuit of a quick result makes pre–university education superficial, important performing tasks remain outside the framework - understanding the depth and meaning of the work, knowledge of the style and era of the composition being performed, lack of broad horizons and knowledge in the field of musical history and theory. All this affects the performing style of students, creates problems with the interpretation and comprehension of works.

In Chinese universities, large classes are usually organized for music theory courses such as harmony, analysis of works, history of Chinese music, history of Western music, and so on, about 20-30 students per group. These theoretical courses are taught by university professors, who mostly start with the most basic knowledge. With such a large number of students, it is not always possible to track the quality of the acquired knowledge.

Unfortunately, these problems have not been solved at the state level – they are left to the students themselves ^[13]. Despite the fact that violin education in China is organized according to international standards, there are separate problems in the field of pedagogy and performance that need to be solved. Improving the methodology of teaching violin playing (from the very initial level), increasing the professionalism of teachers, expanding the staff of qualified personnel and creating pedagogical conditions – all this will help make the professional training of future violinists effective and strengthen the position of the Chinese violin school at the world level.