Flute education in China: Origins and modernity

Abstract

In modern China, along with the national bamboo flute, the European academic flute is extremely popular, which begins to spread in concert life and teaching from the beginning of the 20th century. The article characterizes the system of flute education in several important aspects: educational institutions, the pedagogical community, the origins of methodological orientation, the scientific work of teachers. In the presentation of these materials, historical and analytical methods are used to provide an understanding of the panorama of the flute educational system. The most significant feature is described in sufficient detail — the active performing activities of teachers: their work in orchestras, participation in international competitions. These facts are revealed on the examples of the patriarchs of Chinese flute pedagogy Han Zhongjie and Li Xuequan, as well as about twenty teachers from different universities and conservatories of the next generations. To characterize the origin of the principles of the training system, the facts of inviting foreign masters with master classes are described. The scientific works of professors are shown and systematized by genres and topics. At the end of the article, the shortcomings and problems highlighted in the literature and supported by the author, who teaches the flute class at Xichang University, are outlined.