1、1Analysis on the Social Functions of Music Education at Higher Learning SchoolsAbstract. Since the earliest times, the social functions of music are highly valued in China. Just like “the same priority given to both the rite and music“ advocated by Confucius, the social functions of music education
2、at higher learning schools attract increasingly more peoples attention. How to guide the students at higher learning schools to know well the social functions of music education and utilize it to enhance their own comprehensive qualities is a major issue that the music teachers necessary to face up
3、to. Key words: Music Education at Higher Learning Schools, Social Functions, Promotion, Measures 1. Introduction It is well known that music is one of the oldest, the most universal and contagious artistic forms. Through specific and organized acoustics, music creates the spe-cial artistic image, an
4、d realizes the expression and com-munication of ideas and feelings. It is said that music is the reappearance of the ideas and feelings of human beings. At all times and in all 2over the world, all of the outstanding music works from short and small songs to large symphonies are the true spiritual l
5、ight. The performance and appreciation of music works are not merely the beautiful experience and also are the acquisition of the spiritual strength. Today, along with the development of music communication methods, music has penetrated into peoples daily life, study and work. Music, as a kind of he
6、art art, has become the organic component of human spiritual life. Music is an art of beauty, and also it is the nature of human beings to pursue beauty. High-level aesthetic pursuit can make the peoples spirit sublimed, sentiment edified and life richened. The beauty of music lies in the melody, ha
7、rmony, color, structure and content. Only we know and feel it well, the essence of the musical beauty can be perceived really. Meanwhile, music has another series of social functions. How to rightly recognize the social functions of music and improve the perception, performance and creation for musi
8、c must be the neces-sary art quality and ability of the students at higher learning schools. 2. Musical Contents and Forms at Higher Learning Schools Generally speaking, the contents in music works are the reflections of the composers social life experience; the 3feelings and ideas in music are refl
9、ections of social life to a great extent. Therefore, musical contents are the feelings and ideas. The relationship between the musical contents and forms can be summarized that the forms are the means of the contents to be expressed; the purpose is expressing then contents; and the forms are decided
10、 by the contents. However, without the forms of art, there will be no art works. Therefore, the forms are essential as well; the essence of an outstanding art work lies in the integration of contents and forms. The musical contents at higher learning schools are extremely extensive, including the na
11、rrative, epic poetry, reflection of social custom and life, depiction of natural scenery, expression of peoples life feelings and love, and the content taking the landscape painting as the background. Specifically, the contents and scope shown in music contain sublime, gravity, bravery, infuriation,
12、 luxury, self-importance, anger, fear, rage, hatred, despair, piety, joyfulness, upright and lasciviousness, as well as the cowardice, low spirits, sorrow, roughness, clumsiness and modesty. Furthermore, the music at higher learning schools can be expressed as the tranquility, confusing, hesitation,
13、 enthusiasm, frankness and stubbornness, 4etc. In addition, the music at higher learning schools is an art of time, and is the form of a series of musical sounds to unceasingly flow. Therefore, it especially needs its own acoustics combination form, which is the logic of the music development. Throu
14、gh the repeated changes and developments of themes or motivations, the music at higher learning schools can constitute multiple forms different from each other, and generate different types according to the needs of the performed contents. Based on the musical structures and layouts, the students at
15、 higher learning schools can know how the music begins, how it reaches to the climax and how it ends. Besides, the expressions of the music at higher learning schools can be understood by people based on Chinas traditional customs and complying with the musical “up, hold, turn, integrate“ laws. Howe
16、ver, the social functions of the music at higher learning schools are hidden in the contents and forms of music, and need students to explore and appreciate them attentively. 3. Social Functions of Music at Higher Learning Schools Since the earliest times, the social functions of music are highly va
17、lued in China. Just like “the same priority given to both the rite and music“ advocated by Confucius, the social 5functions of music education at higher learning schools attract increasingly more peoples attention. Generally speaking, the music at higher learning schools owns the several social func
18、tions as the following. 3.1 Music at Higher Learning Schools and Life Music, as a kind of feeling art, can exert a subtle in-fluence on the ideas and feelings of the students at higher learning schools. Lenin said that the pursuit of truth could never exist nor had possibility to exist without the f
19、eelings of human beings. The feelings and ideas contained in music mirror the social features of different historic periods. Music is a tool to express the strong feelings, and hence the musical real life is contained in the feeling factors. Also, music can promote students to be stronger, peaceful
20、and joyful. Music can not only stimulate a feeling of students at higher learning schools, but also owns the rallying point. Therefore, it not only exerts influences on the feelings of the students and also their will. The characteristic of music is to directly express the heartfelt wishes and seein
21、g of the students at higher learning schools, and can play the roles that other art forms cannot be compared with. Two famous Chinese idioms that “the dilemma is alleviated quickly by a song“ and “songs of Chu 6on all sides“ just prove such a role of music. The former idiom refers to that troops and
22、 horses of the Xiongnu (an ancient nationality in China) were broken by a song played with a reed pipe; and the latter means that thou-sands of soldiers were collapsed by a Chu song, making Xiang Yu cut his throat in Wu River, which has been a well-known anecdote among Chinese people. It can be seen
23、 that music can stimulate the feelings of the students at higher learning schools to love his motherland and life. 3.2 Music at Higher Learning Schools and Education The educational role of the music at higher learning schools lies in the purification of the souls of the students at higher learning
24、schools and the edifying of their temperaments. Importance attached to the musical educational role is always the tradition in China. Chinese Confucian always held the musical educational role in high esteem and listed the music into the compulsory subject of the new learners. Today, in European cou
25、ntries and America, the music education is valued from children. Psychologists always believe that the music education is an important means to cultivate the physical and mental health of teenagers, which can not only edify their temperaments and broaden the thinking, but also can promote the 7impro
26、vement on the learning, creative and development abilities. All these have been verified by Chinese and foreign scholars in practice. In addition, in todays social life, along with the improvement of the material life, music has become the indispensable nourishment for the minds of students in their
27、 life. After a day of nervous learning, the students at higher learning schools often rely on musical beauty to relief their tired minds, making their bodies and minds keep balanced, and hence attaining more abundant energy to meet the new studies. 3.3 Music at Higher Learning Schools and Thinking A
28、s is known to all, the logical thinking and imagery thinking are different. The logical thinking is applied to the scientific creation, while the imagery thinking is em-ployed to artistic creation. Though art and science are different disciplines, their mutual influences are fairly close. The world
29、famous physicists Li zhengdao, a Nobel prizewinner, said that “science and art are indivisible as the two sides of a coin, and their common base is the creativity of human beings that their pursuing goal is the universality of truth“. Many well-known Chinese and foreign scientists, politicians and t
30、heorists are the quali-fied musicians; and most are the music lovers. For example, Chinas famous physicist Qian Xuesen was a 8scientist with high musical quality, proposed the instructive suggestions for the relationship between the science and technology and art, and classified art with scientific
31、ways. Therefore, the reasonable utilization of the music at higher learning schools can train the imagery thinking, scientific quality and innovation ability of students at higher learning schools. 4. How to Excavate the Social Functions of the Music Education at Higher Learning Schools The music at
32、 higher learning schools has so many important social functions. Therefore, in the music edu-cation at higher learning schools, teachers must excavate the social functions of music to improve the abilities of students to feel, appreciate and analyze the beauty. First, teachers must encourage the stu
33、dents to appre-ciate the music works with patriotic feelings. The patriot-ic feeling is highly general among all kinds of love. Many domestic and foreign music works contain rich patriotism factors and exert a strong patriotism education function. For example, Chinas “the Yellow River Cantata“ is an
34、 excellent music work to express the solidarity of Chinese people to fight against the external aggressors. This musical work takes the Yellow River also called as the mother river of China as the background, unfolds 9Chinese people to surge forward with great momentum against Japanese invaders, and
35、 also expresses Chinese peoples heroic spirits, in which there is hidden awe-inspiring righteousness able to stimulate the students great spiritual power. Any other educational way is incomparable with such a role. Also, the “Ode to Our Motherland“, “Enter the New Era“, and “Chinas spring“ all are t
36、he music works which eulogize the new look and atmosphere of the motherland. Instructing students at higher learning schools to appre-ciate such works can gloriously cultivate their patriotism. Second, teachers must encourage the students to take part in chorus and other music activities. Music is a
37、 comprehensive art that needs full cooperation and unique features. One of the main social functions of the music education at higher learning schools is to instruct the students to learn how to rightly deal with relationship among individuals, collectives and others. Therefore, teachers must motiva
38、te students to join the band, chorus and other campus activities. This can not only make them learn the musical fundamentals and skills and train their will, but also can realize the collective strength and cooperative interest. As the performances of ensemble and chorus can allow each person to hav
39、e his own tasks, it is 10necessary for students to cooperate with each other in the performance process, and otherwise the mistakes of one person can affect the performance of the whole work. At the same time, in the collective music education, students can know well the importance of tacit agreemen
40、ts, solidarity and friendship, but also can learn how to respect and communicate with others, and hence the collective sense of honor can be fostered. Ultimately, the ensemble, chorus, collective dance and other music activities can lead students to learn how to care about and regulate their own beh
41、aviors, promoting their personalities to be improved further. Next, teachers must guide the students at higher learning schools to appreciate the music works with artistic conception. The so-called aesthetic feeling refers to the experience of the beauty of things. However, music is just the embodim
42、ent of the feeling and artistic conception beauties. At home and abroad, many music works are with rich artistic conception. For instance, in the well-known “the Butterfly Lovers“, people know the love between Liang and Zhu; the sad and beautiful love theme plus the up-and-down but smooth music melody makes the music effect presented with a feeling of delicateness, euphemism, depth and grace; and the quaver of harp, the overtone of string music and the tremolo of
