The impact of theatre pedagogy on the understanding of musical emotions and expressive performance of Chinese primary school students

Abstract

This article examines the mechanisms by which theater pedagogy (educational drama) influences the development of emotional musical perception and expressive musical performance in primary school students in China. The relevance of this topic stems from the update of the «Standard of the Arts Curriculum for Compulsory Education» (2022), which stipulates the need to incorporate theater components into music classes. The purpose of this analysis is to theoretically substantiate and systematize the practical experience of Chinese educators in implementing educational drama in music lessons to identify how such practices influence the comprehension of musical emotions and the quality of vocal performance. Based on a number of publications and specific educational situations (including works like «Ode to Joy», «The Mischievous Cuckoo», «Peter and the Wolves» and others), it has been established that the use of tools such as role-playing, static staging (freeze-frame), immersion in an imaginary environment, and theatrical games facilitates a transition from the mechanical reproduction of musical text to conscious intonation based on experiencing the emotional core of the composition. It is shown that theater pedagogy creates a multidimensional learning space within which primary school students transform from passive listeners into active co-creators of the musical image. It is concluded that the integration of dramatic techniques into music education in primary schools in China is an effective means of developing students' aesthetic intelligence, emotional responsiveness, and communication skills.