Characteristics of the current state of music teacher training in Chinese universities

Abstract

With the advent of the post-pandemic era, the blended learning model in higher music education is set to become the mainstream approach in music teaching. The advancement of modern information technologies has narrowed the distance in global education, bringing Eastern and Western educational philosophies together with modern teaching technologies in a process of integration and mutual development. Within this process, it is essential to clearly define the professional role positioning of Chinese teachers shaped against the background of Confucian educational thought, as well as to understand the changes in teaching styles, pedagogical strategies, and overall professional competencies brought about by the shifting role of university music teachers. This will facilitate the reform of blended learning in higher music education and promote the critical inheritance and development of Confucian educational thought in the new era. The article characterises the current state of music teacher training in Chinese universities and traces the shift of the teacher from a leading to a guiding role: from designing pre-class independent work to facilitating in-class discussion and providing reflective assessment afterwards. It shows that the emergence of equal, partnership-based relations between teachers and students, the growth of the information technology competence of music teachers and the turn towards multicultural music education enrich teaching styles and create a psychologically safe learning environment. It is argued that the Confucian ideas of «a good teacher and a helpful friend» and of «the Great Teacher» retain their significance and acquire new content under the conditions of blended learning.