Diversified Development of Vocal Music Teaching

Lu Hui

Cai Jikun Music School, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350001, China

Keywords: Vocal Music Teaching, Diversification, Connotation.

Abstract: In the process of global integration, China has been gradually integrated into the international environment.

All the industries in China have entered international development, among which vocal music teaching is

showing a trend of diversified development. Researches on the development of vocal music teaching should

be strengthened because it is not only a problem with theoretical significance, but also one that should be

solved in teaching practice. This work focuses on causes and characteristics of the diversified trend in vocal

music teaching to analyze main connotation of the trend. It is hoped that a theoretical reference is provided

for promoting the development of vocal music teaching.

1 INTRODUCTION

After China joined the WTO, international music

exchange is increasingly frequent. Traditional

methods of vocal music teaching have been

gradually changed, showing a trend of mutual

integration between traditional teaching and

international teaching. The formation factors of

current diversified trend are analyzed to better

promote vocal music teaching in China. Meanwhile,

characteristics of the diversified trend are explained

in detail, thus summarizing the connotation of

diversified development in vocal music teaching.

The theoretical content obtained through concrete

teaching practice has a positive importance in

enhancing the overall level of vocal music teaching

in China.

2 MAJOR CAUSES OF

DIVERSIFIED TREND IN

VOCAL MUSIC TEACHING

Exploring the underlying causes of diversified vocal

music teaching should be like doctors’ diagnosis.

They obtain accurate etiology through looking,

listening, questioning and feeling the pulse, and then

adequately prescribe to enhance the effect of

treatment. Therefore, the main factors for the

diversified development trend of vocal music

teaching should be found out to help enhance the

effect of vocal music teaching. According to

teaching practice, the current development trend of

vocal music teaching is mainly reflected in the

following aspects.

2.1 Inevitable Demand of the times

with the Development of Arts

Different times have different artistic aspirations

which become the inevitable demands of the times

in the developing process of arts. Especially in this

century, diversification has been shown in many

aspects of the society and our life, such as the

diversified politics, trade and art. In the

diversification of art, there are integration between

vocal and instrumental music, music and dance, fine

arts and modern computer graphics, as well as

acrobatics, dance and music, and also the integration

of magic, comedy, music and art. For example,

Magic Fairy Tales, a magic drama, integrates magic,

music, dance, acrobatics and fine arts together,

bringing artistic enjoyment to the audiences. Mutual

integration and diversification of different arts can

sufficiently manifest the diversified trend, and also

show art’s strong development momentum and

infinite charm.

2.2 Inevitable Demand of Quality

Education

With the deepening of education reform, Chinese

education has gradually converted from traditional

exam-oriented education to quality education. The

core element of quality education is to train

279

Hui L.

Diversiﬁed Development of Vocal Music Teaching.

DOI: 10.5220/0006024202790282

In Proceedings of the Information Science and Management Engineering III (ISME 2015), pages 279-282

ISBN: 978-989-758-163-2

279

integrated talents meeting the needs of the times.

Namely, the education should have obvious

timeliness, so students can have practical ability to

handle their job well after graduation. Involved with

many aspects, timeliness needs the improvement in

the overall quality of students. From this angle,

quality education is to gradually transform a wide

range of knowledge into practical ability, which is

currently an important direction of quality education

in colleges and universities. Only thus can students

be able to better meet the needs of the new era after

graduation.

2.3 Inevitable Result from the

Development of Vocal Education

The diverse needs of the times and quality education

determine the diversification of vocal music

teaching. As the proverb says each time has its

heroes. The development needs of the times and the

timeliness of quality education put more attention on

cultivation of students’ overall quality. And in this

background, vocal music teaching, an important way

of training students’ overall qualities, inevitably

shows diversified trend of development. Therefore,

vocal music teaching should emphasize the

cultivation of compound music talents, which will

undoubtedly lead to the diversified development of

vocal education.

3 MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE DIVERSIFIED

DEVELOPMENT IN VOCAL

MUSIC TEACHING

3.1 Directionality of Art Development

Diversification is the inevitable direction of Chinese

art due to reasons such as the inevitability of

diversified arts in China and timeliness of quality

education. Mutual integration, penetration and

influence between various arts have become a trend,

so the collision of a variety of musical elements is

inevitable. For example, the effective integration of

European and American jazz and Chinese folk

music, as well as the fusion between bel canto, folk

singing and popular singing make vocal music more

colorful. Besides, frontier or interdisciplinary artistic

subjects have gradually appeared on the stage of

history and become a trend. This feature of vocal

music development has been recognized by the

majority of music experts.

3.2 Expansibility of Vocal Arts

After several years of development, vocal art has

greatly expanded its scope of teaching from

traditional single teaching mode. Vocal music has

been integrated with a variety of art forms such as

instrumental music and even some non-artistic

forms, which makes vocal music teaching more

colorful. Guo Rong, for example, mixed electric

violin with popular singing during the performance

of Flying Red Flag, making this song very modern,

popular and compatible with the aesthetic taste of

the times. In 2014, Little Apple, a very popular song

by Chopsticks Brothers, achieved good effects by

mixing electronic dance music and western pop

singing. In terms of vocal expansion, Feng

Xiaoquan’s works are undoubtedly typical

examples. Feng is one of the famous contemporary

suona performers and also one of the wordauthors of

Chinese folk. As a composer, he has created a large

number of classic works such as Sugar-coated Haws

and Farewell to My Concubine. Folk instruments

and modern pop singing are innovatively integrated

in these works. Especially in Farewell to My

Concubine, the integration of Beijing Opera and the

brilliant performance of Tu Honggang make this

work well known in China. The success of this work

is very obviously based on the expansibility of vocal

music.

3.3 Urgency of Vocal Music Teaching

The directionality of art’s development and

expansibility of vocal art determine the urgency of

diversified vocal teaching. Traditional vocal music

teaching is simplex and conservative, so full-range,

systematic and in-depth reform should be conducted

as soon as possible. Only by creating new content of

vocal music teaching, can we adapt to the diversified

development of vocal music teaching. From this

point of view, the reform of vocal music teaching is

relatively urgent in China. If we cannot meet the

diverse requirements from the development of vocal

music teaching as soon as possible, it is difficult to

cultivate music generalist with high overall qualities.

4 CONNOTATION OF

DIVERSIFIED DEVELOPMENT

TREND IN VOCAL MUSIC

TEACHING

The elements and main features of diversified vocal

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music teaching have been determined, and the core

purpose is to achieve the purpose of teaching

through specific teaching methods. Thus, we need to

analyze from the connotation of diversified

development in vocal music teaching, thereby

promoting the level of vocal music teaching.

4.1 Analysis on the Diversified

Connotation of Vocal Art

Vocal music teaching should follow the trend of

diversification in teaching process, and focus on the

basic content of vocal music including phonation,

breathing, vocal resonance, style show, ear training,

sight-singing and recognition of music score.

Besides, comprehensive teaching should be

conducted from aspects of performance, writing

lyric, music and command arts, so that vocal music

teaching can develop into a whole new system. Then

the content of vocal music teaching will be greatly

enriched to manifest the diversified connotation of

vocal art.

4.2 Analysis on the Diversified

Connotation in the Field of Music

Vocal music, an important part of music art, can be

divided into male voice and female voice in terms of

gender; from the tone point of view, it can also be

divided into treble and midrange and bass, and

another distinction is adult voice and childish voice;

according to the number of singers, there are solo,

ensemble singing, chorus and vocal accompaniment;

different singing methods include bel canto, popular

and folk music; for the forms of music, there are art

song and vocal divertimento, oratorio, opera and

musical, as well as rock, jazz, folk and country

blues; instrumental music includes strings, pipe

music, percussion, plucked string music, western

music, folk music and electronic music and network

music. Performing forms of instrumental music

include solo, unison, accompaniment and ensemble,

and instrumental melodies can be divided into suite,

nocturne, concerto, symphonic poem, ballade and

rhapsody. Various components of music are

mutually integrated and also closely integrated with

the specific means of expression such as melody,

rhythm, polyphony, musical form and tonality.

Vocal and instrumental music are constantly

integrated and intercrossed, so in singing or

performance, they can be combined into a whole to

make the performance better. And this effect

requires the integration of different forms of music

art, which reflects the diversified connotation of

music. Therefore, constant innovation and

integration is needed in teaching practice to

effectively enhance students' learning level of vocal

art.

4.3 Diversified Connotation of

Integration between Vocal Music

and a Variety of Arts

This connotation is mainly reflected in the diverse

integration and intercross between vocal music and

other art forms, such as the integration between

vocal music and fine arts, dance, drama and film.

Many singers combine vocal music with fine art. Jay

Chou's Blue-white Porcelain, for example, has fully

demonstrated the integration of traditional blue-

white art and vocal music. Besides, a mutually

reinforcing relationship gradually forms between

vocal music and opera, and there is also an effective

integration between vocal music, film and television,

such as the theme song, ending song and episode in

a movie. Various arias and harmonies in the movie

soundtrack can effectively integrate the vocal music

with video pictures, bringing the audience a

wonderful visual feast.

4.4 Diversified Connotation of

Integration between Vocal Music

and Non-art Forms

The integration between vocal music and other non-

art forms includes a diverse intercross between vocal

music and pedagogy, psychology, ethics, aesthetics,

economy and science. For example, the integration

between vocal and education forms the vocal

pedagogy, and the intercross of vocal and

psychology leads to vocal psychology. Vocal culture

is the most important in the integration of vocal

music and other non-artistic disciplines, because it is

the in-depth refining of spiritual culture and cultural

ideas, and includes cultural essence and soul of

vocal music. In 1871, Taylor, a famous

anthropologist, mentioned in Primitive Culture that

culture and civilization is a complex integration of

many elements including knowledge, belief, art and

morality. In essence, the competition of art is the

competition of culture. Therefore, the essence of

vocal is cultural connotation. Also with the

development of science and technology, the

integration of modern high-tech and vocal music

became increasingly popular and important.

Electronic music and electronic music devices such

as microphone, amplifier and computer synthesized

sound and laser are perfectly integrated with vocal

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music to create a beautiful visual feast. Then vocal

music will have the typical characteristic of the

times with the wings of science and technology.

Therefore, the connotation of diversified trend in

vocal music teaching is undoubtedly all-inclusive,

covering a variety of art-related and non-art content.

In this context, teachers and students should change

the traditional teaching and learning concepts, get

rid of traditional single education and receive

diverse education. Then comprehensive education

can be formed to cultivate professional students with

high overall quality. As the saying goes, familiar

with three hundred Tang poems, you are able to

chant some poems even though you cannot write

them. So the professionalism of vocal music should

be reflected in teaching to achieve the

transformation from “professional” to “versatile” on

this basis. “Professional” and “versatile” are

complementary with each other: without

comprehensive knowledge, one cannot innovate on

his expertise; without profound professional

knowledge, one cannot integrate them with other

knowledge.

Vocal music teacher should receive education

first. Traditional concepts and methods of vocal

music teaching should be changed to cultivate

diverse students with overall qualities, so teachers

should have a wide range of qualities. Although

strict teacher may cultivate a good student, modern

education concept requires comprehensive qualities

from teachers to cultivate versatile students. Vocal

teachers should have open awareness and extensive

knowledge structure, and get rid of specific forms of

art and rigid concepts through close connection with

social life, thus setting a good example for students.

In vocal music teaching, open teaching methods,

specific practice, teachers’ guidance are needed to

let students break away from the traditional teaching

modes in the learning process. Thus, students will

have more outstanding innovation thinking and

higher overall quality.

5 CONCLUSIONS

In short, diversified development trend of vocal

music teaching the times has become the inevitable

demand of artistic development and the times. This

trend is also determined by the diversified aesthetic

taste and enhanced aesthetic level of people.

Therefore, modern vocal music teaching should

follow this international trend to effectively enhance

the level of vocal music teaching, and train good

students with overall qualities for the society.

REFERENCES

Bi Yanan. Diversified Development Trend of Vocal Music

Teaching. Big Stage, 2014 (04): 199-200.

Lin Yan. Vocal Music Education—Teaching and

Learning. Development, 2010 (01): 124.

Li Yunfei. Value Orientation of Diverse Vocal Music

Teaching in Normal Universities. Journal of

Chongqing Academy of Arts and Sciences (Social

Science Edition), 2011 (06): 162-165.

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