Keywords

1 Introduction

Music specialty education in universities is an important composite part in the higher music normal education system in our country. How to embrace so many difficulties in home and abroad in the twenty-first century, especially how to reform our music educational ideas, concepts, and the content, system, teaching methods, way and modes of subject curriculum are problems that cry for solution currently [1].

2 Content

The content of subject curriculum is basically as the following:

Elementary skills (playing the piano, basic of acoustics, improvisational accompaniment).

Basic theories and skills (audio visual speech recognition, musical theory, the history of Chinese music and foreign music, survey and brief introduction on Chinese traditional music, chorus conduction and music appreciation).

Composition theories and application (composition methods and analysis, harmony theoretical basis and application, orchestration for a small group of instruments, composite foundation and works analysis).

The above courses are of various types. They are the subject curriculum opened up for the music specialty education in universities in our country. However, there are still small differences in the following things [2]: class time and the depth of the content as well as the teaching forms. The reason for the differences lies in that the universities adjust the subject curriculum according to their own situation.

3 The Characteristics of Reform

3.1 New Thinking

The educational thinking in our country does not have the innovation from the fundamental aspect. It does not adapt to the requirements of the times. Therefore, we need to carry out reformation from the following aspects: the content, the form and the specific operations and so on [3]. The traditional thinking should be changed with the times. New educational thinking should be adapted with a bold mind. We should use the new thinking way to determine the teaching content and the teaching forms as well as the teaching methods.

The new thinking should “place the music education on the large education background of the twenty first century.” The new thinking should be open and practical as well as scientific. In order to study well and put into practice the future music education, open, practical and scientific thinking should be applied. In this way, we should by any means use the new thinking to drive the subject curriculum for the music specialty education in universities and colleges. In addition, we should try to develop the subject curriculum for the music specialty education in practice and make it fulfill and perfect [4].

The new thinking of reform should be first presented in the course setting of the music specialty education for universities and colleges in our country. On the basis of surrounding, the cultivation goal of music specialty education, reciprocal chiasma and interpenetration between different courses should be paid full attention to [5]. Special efforts should be made so as to cultivate well the comprehensive abilities of the students. At the same time, the setting of new courses should be scientific. It should show the time changes, and it should have high practical performance. High union of scientific performance and time performance as well as the practical performance should be shown in the new course setting [6].

The new thinking of reformation should be shown in the compilation of the teaching materials in a full manner. The content of the teaching materials should be maintained in a relatively stable basis. On this relatively stable condition and basis, the content of the teaching materials should keep on making supplement and innovations according to the development of the society as well as the times. As the content of the teaching materials are made to keep paces with the times and the social development, students are as well able to keep paces with the times. They are able to grasp and understand the advanced knowledge and information about the subject that they are learning currently. At the same time, the content of the teaching materials should be united with the scientific performance as well as the practical performance. It is the goal that we have been pursuing to strengthen the scientific performance as well as the practical performance of the teaching materials for the music specialty education in both the universities and the colleges in our country.

The new thinking of reformation should be applied in the form of teaching in a full manner. In the past, there were a few ways of teaching. All of the ways of teaching in the past times should be changed in the contemporary society. New forms of teaching should be used. We should introduce a great deal of new forms of teaching, such as the multiple methods and the multiple diversification of thinking methods. In this way, we can carry out the teaching activities with the above mentioned methods. Under this circumstance, the students are able to be guided and motivated so that they are able to acquire knowledge and grasp the skills in a far better and new method than before.

It is an important content for the reformation of the subject curriculum in music specialty education for universities as well as colleges to maintain the goal of ability cultivation. In addition to the goal of the reformation in colleges as well as universities, it is as well the key to whether the reformation can be successful or not. The students should be equipped with the ability to learn the esthetic perception of music. The aesthetic perception of music should be strengthened in a fiercer manner. Connect both the teaching of the subject curriculum as well as the teaching practice of basic music that one is going to take for a career in the future. In this way, the students are able to grow into a music teacher who is of the “modern type” before they graduate from the universities or colleges. The students are able to have the following abilities with the innovation of reform: the teaching ability, and the organization ability, as well as the innovation ability. All of the above abilities are deserved by the students if they keep close connection with the subject curriculum in music specialty education. In addition, they are able to grow into a music teacher who is truly qualified. This kind of modern music teacher has relatively high music culture. They are as well fully equipped with comprehensive abilities. In this way, the goal of cultivation abilities can be reached.

3.2 New Distribution

As for the reformation development of the music specialty education in the music and art colleges as well as universities, the overall distribution should be carried out innovation. In the past, the distribution of the music specialty education in the music and art colleges has not out of date in the contemporary society. The original structure as well as the content of teaching of the subject curriculum should by any means be adjusted and reformed. As for the reformation as well as the adjustment, it refers to the amount of the classes as well as the subsequence of the open course and so on. The courses should be added or cut to become fewer according to the structure of the subject curriculum as well as the teaching content. The sequence of the courses should be arranged in a new manner so as to adapt to the new structure of the subject curriculum as well as the content of teaching. The other content should be reformed and adjusted as well. At the same time, the content of the teaching materials should be fulfilled as well as innovated. In this aspect, cultural pluralism should be paid special attention to. This multiculturalism should be recommended. This is because “diversification has become the absolute trend for the music education development.”

In the past, the “piano teaching and research section” as well as the “vocal music teaching and research section” is very single in its form. In addition to the single form, the “piano teaching and research section” as well as the “vocal music teaching and research section” has relatively strong specialization, which is not good and should be changed. Therefore, in current times, the composite structure of the “piano teaching and research section” as well as the “vocal music teaching and research section” is changed. The “piano teaching and research section” as well as the “vocal music teaching and research section” is integrated into the piano and vocal music teaching and research section, which has combined both the piano and the vocal music. This composition section is not simply a variation in the forms. What is more important is that it has played an important role in the music education. It has very important effect on the interpenetration as well as the mutual influence between different subjects, which is able to influence the other subjects.

4 The Methods and Ways for the Reformation

4.1 Interdisciplinary and Subject Infiltration

In the first place, we should set forth in the interdisciplinary and subject infiltration. This can help students to connect what they have learnt and apply them widely on this basis.

When carrying out interdisciplinary and subject infiltration, we make brave and scientific practice with the teaching explorations of more than 10 years as well as the teaching experiences drawn by colleges and universities all over the country. It has acquired very good teaching effect.

In order to improve the ability to extemporaneous accompaniment for the students, in addition to learning what is on the book, they should do practice. They should learn knowledge of other subjects as well. This is able the effective way to cultivate the comprehensive abilities of the students.

4.2 The Combination, Simplification and Addition of the Courses

In order to construct a reasonable course structure system and realize the overall optimal combination of subject curriculum, it is necessary to reorganize and readjust some traditional courses system in the past. For some courses, they can be combined and simplified. Some courses of closed relationship can be combined into a single course. In this aspect, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, a famous musical educator and composer from Switzerland, combined systematically the following three parts: body rhythm, solfeggio and ear training and improvisation. He has founded the famous eurythmics, a method of learning and experiencing music through movement. It can be said that the course combination and comprehension have changed the previous pursuit of entity of course system.

When carrying out the course combination, we require the teaching content to be simple instead of complicated. In addition to this, the teaching content should stress the key point. The reason for this is because there are relatively many courses for the music specialty education. If there is no reformation and simplification on the teaching content of every lesson, it is very hard to complete the requirements of the outline. At the same time, it is hard to get good teaching results in practice.

In addition, we should base on the characteristics of the music specialty education and add the lesson of “playing and singing.” This lesson has combined multiple subjects such as the piano, vocal music, harmony and impromptu accompany. However, it would not cause the repetition of these courses. The lesson of “playing and singing” aims at the cultivation of the comprehensive practice and application ability of the students. It is a very important course for the music specialty education as well as an important basic skill that the teachers should be equipped with. In order to make students pay more attention to this course, we list “playing and singing” one of the content in entrance examination. Our way of doing proves to be correct through practice.

4.3 The Reform of Examination Form

Make reformations on the examination forms and methods of the following three courses, the piano, vocal music and fluffed by self and sung by self. Students will have the exam content of the three courses from beginning to end without stopping. The previous pure skill examination is changed into the examination of comprehensive abilities. It not only requires testing the professional skills but also the relevant theoretical knowledge and teaching methods.

4.4 Reform Educational Practice and Art Practice

It is an important link to do educational internships for the music specialty education. It can lay a solid foundation for the students to be a qualified and excellent music teacher.

To sum up, the reform of subject curriculum for the music specialty education in both colleges and universities has cultivated a great amount of abilities for students. It not only cultivates a relatively deep music culture and comprehensive music skills, but also enables the students to grasp scientific teaching theories and the relatively strong music education teaching practice abilities. At the same time, it enables the students to be equipped with certain music educational study abilities and so on. Under this circumstance, we should make explorations and brave reformation during the teaching practice so as to cultivate music educational talents of high qualities. We should keep making arduous efforts on the cultivation.