Moral thought: evaluation on the moral education and virtue cultivation of traditional Chinese music

Abstract:

As one of the treasures of Chinese culture, Chinese traditional music has been carrying rich moral thoughts since ancient times, and it is an important part of the value system of Chinese traditional culture. However, with the society’s development and the diversification of culture, the rapid social rhythm and the popularity of popular music have brought great impact on traditional music, and it has been gradually forgotten due to its neglect. By exploring the application and value of traditional Chinese music in moral education and virtue cultivation, this paper combined traditional music culture with the modern residents’ living habits, such as education, large-scale social events, competitions and music festivals. Through school education and regular community activities, this paper can provide new ideas and practical experience for the inheritance and innovation of traditional culture. Through the integration of modern media and art forms, the moral concept of traditional music is connected with modern society, forming a new cultural ecology that is more modern and inclusive. By making use of the rich moral thought resources in traditional Chinese music, it shows that traditional Chinese music has irreplaceable role and value in moral education and virtue cultivation.

Keywords:
Music Culture; Chinese Traditional Music; Cultural Fusion; Virtue Cultivation

Resumo:

Sendo um dos tesouros da cultura chinesa, a música tradicional chinesa tem carregado ricos pensamentos morais desde os tempos antigos. sendo uma parte importante do sistema de valores da cultura tradicional chinesa. No entanto, com o desenvolvimento da sociedade e a diversificação da cultura, o rápido ritmo social e a popularidade da música popular trouxeram grande impacto à música tradicional, que foi gradualmente esquecida devido ao seu abandono. Ao explorar a aplicação e o valor da música tradicional chinesa na educação moral e no cultivo da virtude neste artigo, combinamos a cultura musical tradicional com os hábitos de vida dos residentes modernos, tais como educação, eventos sociais de grande escala, competições e festivais de música. Através da educação escolar e de atividades comunitárias regulares, buscamos fornecer novas ideias e experiências práticas para a herança e inovação da cultura tradicional. Através da integração dos meios de comunicação modernos e das formas de arte, o conceito moral da música tradicional está ligado à sociedade moderna, formando uma nova ecologia cultural mais moderna e inclusiva. Ao fazer uso dos ricos recursos de pensamento moral da música tradicional chinesa, mostramos que o seu papel e valor insubstituíveis na educação moral e no cultivo da virtude.

Palavras-chave:
Cultura Musical; Música Tradicional Chinesa; Fusão Cultural; Cultivo da Virtude

Introduction

The earliest evidence of its application in China can be traced back to music theory books, indicating the relationship between music and the roots of Chinese culture (Wu, 2019, p. 84). In traditional Chinese music thought, the Confucian concept of “etiquette and music” emphasizes that music should serve politics, so traditional Chinese music has a strong educational color. The educational ideas, traditional culture and humanistic spirit, contained in it, are traditional cultural treasures with Chinese cultural characteristics (Zhang; Gao, 2022, p. 323). In the long historical development of traditional Chinese music, it has gradually developed ideological and moral concepts that are unique to traditional Chinese culture, and has made tremendous contributions to people’s moral education and virtue cultivation under this moral concept. However, with the society’s development, great changes have taken place in residents’ thoughts. If traditional music is not connected with the times, it would gradually lose touch with the times. Based on this, this paper studies the role of traditional music in moral education and virtue cultivation in China. Through practical activities and means to change the transmission mode of traditional music, it can give full play to the great value of moral education and virtue cultivation of traditional music.

Music education plays an important role in Asian modernization and nation-state construction, enhancing national identity and communication with other ethnic groups (Ishii, 2018, p. 55). Although the country has increasingly attached importance to the status and role of traditional music in music education in recent years, there are still shortcomings in interpreting how to inherit and continue the ideas of qin music through school education. The characteristics of traditional Guqin music originate from the core of Confucian etiquette and music, emphasizing the virtue of effect, known as “musical instrument moral”. The most prominent manifestation of musical instrument moral is harmony. Therefore, the idea of “using qin to carry virtue” should be taken as the center of music education. Based on contemporary music education theory and current educational situation, reasonable suggestions are proposed to provide reference and inspiration for the inheritance of excellent traditional culture and the development of music education.

Confucius’ educational ideology is a Chinese nation’s treasure, and he places great importance on the educational role of music in morality. The Yue Ji also states, “Virtue is the essence of nature, and music is the essence of virtue” (Chinn, 2017, p. 341). Traditional Guqin music inherits classical literature and embodies the cultural Confucianism, dominated by classical literature (Zhao, 2021, p. 119). Therefore, interpreting Confucian classic culture plays a very important role in students’ learning instrumental music, improving good personality and cultivating elegant artistic temperament. Moreover, traditional Chinese music has the ability to solve anxiety, pain and pressure, thereby improving people’s mental health level (Liu; Zhang; Zhao et al. 2022, p. 891).

As the basis of modern music education, Chinese traditional music has its unique advantages in moral edification and virtue cultivation. It educates modern students on ritual and music ideology and morality, and appreciates the unique charm of traditional music rhythm. Through the education of traditional Chinese music, it subtly conveys the Confucian ideology and culture. In modern society, popular music and fast-paced life make it difficult for people to calm down and feel the charm of traditional music.

This article is based on exploring the moral ideas in traditional Chinese music and studying the application of traditional Chinese music in moral education and virtue cultivation. First, the moral thought of traditional Chinese music is introduced, including its basic characteristics, intrinsic meaning and historical origin, in order to have a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of traditional Chinese music. Secondly, the focus is on exploring the application of traditional Chinese music in moral education. Through the analysis of historical materials and literature, it indicates the important position of ancient Chinese music in moral education, and explains how traditional Chinese music conveys moral values through music and has a positive impact. Next, the paper would further study the application of traditional Chinese music in virtue cultivation. Through emotional experience of music and artistic works, one can enjoy psychological pleasure and aesthetic enjoyment, thereby gaining an eternal understanding of life and the future (Shuangxia, 2020, p. 2891; Shaw, 2012, p. 304). By examining different types of traditional music and their application scenarios, the practical significance of traditional music in virtue cultivation is presented in a user-friendly manner, conveying the unique virtue cultivation function of Chinese traditional music.

1 Moral thought of traditional Chinese music

1.1 Relationship between music and morality

In traditional Chinese music, the connection between music and morality is very close, and the two are inseparable, demonstrating a unique charm that belongs to traditional music (Umbrello; Sorrenti; Mistraletti et al. 2019, p. 886). From a historical perspective, traditional Chinese music has played an important role in moral education and virtue cultivation.

Traditional Chinese music, as a carrier, can convey ethical wisdom and moral spirit. For example, in the Records of the States in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it is described that, in early sacrificial activities, the promotion of official positions and the production of coffins were related to orchestral music, indicating that ancient Chinese believed that music should be a moral assistant and played a role in educating (Xie, 2017, p. 161; Falconer, 2019, p. 42).

Traditional Chinese music has profound moral connotations. In folk music, it often involves people’s lives, work and rural life. However, these musics not only express emotions and convey them, but also convey people’s moral beliefs and life philosophy. For example, traditional music, such as “mountain songs”, usually depicts fragments of people’s lives, work and emotions. However, from these outdoor songs, one can experience the moral connotations of being suitable for all ages, which have influenced several generations’ lives.

Traditional Chinese music has profound significance and role in moral education and virtue cultivation. By using various musical elements, such as pitch, syllables, rhythm, tone, etc., people’s consciousness and emotions can be changed. Therefore, the singing and creation of Chinese folk music is an education and enlightenment for people, which realizes the function of beauty, as well as the function of moral transmission and moral education.

In summary, traditional Chinese music plays a very important role in the field of moral thought, which promotes the entire society’s moral construction and cultural development by integrating emotions among people and continuously promoting Confucianism.

1.2 Moral connotation of traditional Chinese music

Chinese traditional music is not only an important part of Chinese culture, but also one of the embodiment of Chinese traditional moral culture. There is a close relationship between music and morality. Music is not only a form of artistic expression, but also an expression of people’s emotions and spirits. In traditional Chinese music, moral connotation is widely reflected and transmitted.

Among them, the moral connotation of traditional Chinese music is influenced by many ideas, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk beliefs and customs. Confucianism emphasizes moral qualities, such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness. In traditional Chinese music, Confucianism is embodied in the pursuit of harmony, order, moral education and emotional expression. The musical works are usually rigorous in structure and beautiful in melody, aiming to convey Confucian values and life wisdom; Taoism advocates conforming to nature and ruling without doing anything. In traditional Chinese music, Taoism is embodied in the pursuit of natural harmony and tranquility. Based on this, many musical works imitate the nature’s sound and atmosphere and emphasize the harmonious symbiosis between music and nature to express their awe and respect for nature. Buddhism emphasizes the spiritual realm of compassion, Prajna, meditation, etc. In traditional Chinese music, Buddhist thought is reflected in the pursuit of inner purification and spiritual sublimation. Many Buddhist music works are quiet and ethereal, aiming to help people get rid of troubles and achieve inner peace and tranquility. These thoughts together shape the moral connotation of music and make it an art form with enlightening effect and far-reaching influence.

The moral connotation of music is inseparable from the form and characteristics of music. For example, the sound of traditional instruments, such as pipa and guzheng, is crisp and melodious, which makes people feel inner peace and beauty. This music style is consistent with the traditional Chinese ideas of “harmonious coexistence” and “etiquette and virtue”.

Chinese traditional music is usually accompanied by poems, stories, fables and other texts, which often convey moral concepts, such as loyalty, filial piety, bravery and kindness. These moral concepts are also integrated into the melody and rhythm of the music, so that the audience can not only feel the beauty of the music, but also understand the connotation and spirit of morality more deeply.

To sum up, the moral connotation of traditional Chinese music has been fully reflected and transmitted in the form and content of music. This style of music also allows people to better understand the inner spirit of morality and apply it to daily life. At the same time, Chinese traditional music also plays an important role in moral education and virtue cultivation.

1.3 The role of music in moral education and education

Music, as a cultural form, not only has artistic expression forms, but also has important educational significance. Traditional Chinese music plays an irreplaceable role in moral education and virtue cultivation, and has a significant impact on students’ comprehensive development, creating a positive social atmosphere, and stabilizing national cultural confidence (Zhou, 2022, p. 65).

Traditional music, as a form of expression, can directly affect people’s emotions and emotions through its beautiful and profound melodies, integrating moral education into it and subtly guiding people towards goodness. For example, during the Spring Festival, some regions would use traditional music to “listen to the New Year”, as an opportunity for people to better promote traditional culture, enhance national cohesion and moral quality.

Traditional Chinese music contains profound moral connotations and is closely related to the origin of traditional Chinese culture. For example, in the ancient Mount Tai, one of the 72 mountains, there are sacrificial rites and music activities, including twelve laws, namely: Huang Zhong, Da Lu, Tai Chu, Jia Zhong, Gu Xian, Zhong Lu, Rui Bin, Lin Zhong, Yizei, Nan Lu, Wushan and Ying Zhong. This music contains Taoist philosophical ideas, reflecting the harmonious relationship between humans and nature through elements, such as rhythm, syllables and tones, as well as humanity’s reverence for the universe.

Moral education and virtue cultivation are also important social functions of traditional Chinese music. In ancient China, literature, such as the Book of Music and Cai Yong’s Theory of Music, mentioned the concepts of “moral music” and “governing music” in music, emphasizing that music should have the functions of inspiring people, resolving disputes, promoting unity and educating human relationships (Schaab, 2022, p. 239). It can be seen that traditional Chinese music has a positive role in moral education and can make positive contributions to the progress of social civilization and the construction of spiritual culture.

To sum up, Chinese traditional music plays an important role in moral education and virtue cultivation, which deserves better exploration and utilization to promote the society’s development and of human spiritual civilization.

2 Application of traditional Chinese music in moral education

2.1 Reflection of moral education in traditional Chinese music

In traditional Chinese culture, moral education has always been regarded as the humanity’s fundamental mission to pursue truth, goodness and beauty. Traditional Chinese music, as a prominent cultural and artistic form, has always played a very important role in moral education. Moral education has a wide range of applications in traditional Chinese music, and its forms of expression are also extremely diverse. For example, in terms of rhythm, melody, form and other aspects of music, there are rich moral concepts and emotional experiences that can inspire and convey values to the audience through restructuring and arranging different pieces of music.

In terms of rhythm, traditional Chinese music adopts a gradually changing rhythm pattern, known as “slow with change” or “discerning the pearl with a wise eye”. It can gradually immerse the audience into the artistic conception of music through its rhythm and beat, and gradually appreciate the moral concepts and emotional experiences contained in music. The emergence of this effect is due to the fact that the treble of classical music enhances the prominence of moral thought (Huang; Aparna, 2020, p. 130).

In terms of melody and musical form, traditional Chinese music often expresses moral concepts with profound cultural connotations. For example, in traditional Peking Opera singing, colorful melodies and various musical forms are often used to express the character characteristics of martial arts and the characters’ ones, and perceptual presentation of the others’ and individuals’ moral responsibility. In addition, music also uses different language forms and instruments, such as moral storylines, dance music and elegant one, to express moral concepts and emotional experiences, truly achieving the artistic effect of preaching through music and resolving troubles through music.

Overall, traditional Chinese music has a unique value in moral edification. Through various forms and styles of expression, it can carry on multi-faceted and multi-directional cultural exposition and moral judgment. It uses moral yardstick to guide people to measure the behavior norms in life’s all aspects, which can cultivate virtue, abandon bad habits, and sublimate and beautify people’s thoughts, morals and hearts.

2.2 Practice of traditional Chinese music in moral education

In practice, traditional Chinese music has the depth and breadth of moral education, involving multiple aspects, such as moral norms, moral qualities and moral emotions.

In Chinese traditional music works, there are rich moral norms, such as respecting teachers, filial piety, loving children, honesty and keeping promises. For example, the songs, such as Moonlit Night Over Chunjiang, House of Flying Daggers and Breaking a Dream in “Huizhou Ancient Diao” deeply elaborate on many important moral norms, such as the principles of benevolence and propriety, which have been widely disseminated and respected by society’s various sectors (Wang, 2009, p. 299). However, with the development of globalization and the deepening of cultural exchanges, the modern society’s values are becoming more and more diverse. In this context, traditional Chinese music may face obstacles of understanding and acceptance in terms of moral education. Some people may think that the moral concept of traditional music is too conservative or not fully compatible with the modern society’s values, thus affecting the effect of music in moral education.

Traditional Chinese music expresses noble moral emotions and qualities through musical works, such as patriotism, national spirit, feelings for family and nation, love for life, etc. For example, Singing the Evening in Fishing Boats expresses the ancient Chinese fishermen’s deep friendship towards the rivers and mountains of their motherland, reflecting the patriotism in traditional Chinese music (Wang, 2009, p. 299). At the same time, there are also popular plays, such as Butterfly Lovers and Peony Pavilion, which showcase virtues, such as kindness, love and tolerance, conveying positive energy and positive moral beliefs to people (Wang, 2009, p. 299; Nowell, 2015, p. 158). Due to the society’s development and the progress of science and technology, many young people are gradually losing their interest in traditional music and are more inclined to appreciate pop music and modern music. This causes the traditional music to face the difficulty of inheritance to a certain extent, thus affecting the spread and practice of music in the aspect of moral education.

The moral education role of traditional Chinese music has also received strong practical support. Music education, as a special form of education, has become a widely accepted cultural education method in current Chinese society. In music education, traditional Chinese music has been widely applied and promoted, such as ethnic instrumental music classes and opera performances, offered by schools, innovative use of ethnic instruments, such as Guqin, guzheng and flute, to form ensembles, and various Guqin concerts and art festivals to create an art form that ordinary people appreciate (Juan; Phakamas; Zhang, 2023, p. 22). These activities comply with the times’ development requirements, guiding students to understand and experience the positive energy and moral ideas conveyed in traditional Chinese music, aiming to cultivate students’ musical literacy while promoting their moral cultivation.

In summary, in terms of moral education and virtue cultivation, traditional Chinese music has played a unique role in historical development. Through the moral norms, emotions and qualities conveyed, it not only enriches the connotation of traditional Chinese music culture, but also establishes a positive and upward worldview and outlook on life for people. However, in the practice of moral education, Chinese traditional music faces challenges, such as the diversity of values in modern society, the difficulty of traditional music inheritance and the imbalance of music education resources. To overcome these difficulties, it is necessary to strengthen the inheritance and innovation of traditional music, improve the popularity rate of music education, and cultivate people’s awareness and interest in traditional music and moral education.

3 Application of traditional Chinese music in virtue cultivation

3.1 Embodiment of virtue cultivation in traditional Chinese music

Chinese traditional music is the Chinese nation’s one of the outstanding art forms, which is characterized by implicitness, elegance and simplicity, and permeated with rich moral qualities. Virtue cultivation is an important part of moral education, which is to make people know how to be a good person, how to do a good thing and how to form a good habit through inheritance, cultivation and promotion under the joint efforts of life’s all walks. In traditional Chinese music, the cultivation of virtue is perfectly displayed, which is explained in detail from the following five aspects.

Traditional Chinese music emphasizes harmonious musical structure and melody, which aims to express the harmonious relationship in man-man and man-nature. This kind of harmony reflects the values of harmonious coexistence and balanced development in Chinese culture, and helps to cultivate the spirit of unity, love and mutual help among people.

Reverence for the natural world is often incorporated into traditional Chinese music. By imitating the nature’s sound and atmosphere, music works express respect for nature and care for all creatures in nature. This helps to cultivate people’s environmental awareness and respect for nature.

Chinese traditional music has the function of moral education to some extent. Music often incorporates the eulogization of good character and moral principles to guide people to pursue justice, kindness and moral behavior. This helps to cultivate people’s moral character and social responsibility.

Traditional Chinese music expresses and transmits emotions through rich musical forms and performance techniques. Emotions are highly expressed in music, so that people can resonate, feel and understand the emotional connotation of music. This helps develop empathy and emotional communication.

Chinese traditional music works have unique aesthetic value. By appreciating and learning these works, people can cultivate their own aesthetic ability and artistic accomplishment. This would help improve people’s quality of life and enrich their spiritual and cultural life.

In a word, Chinese traditional music plays a unique role in cultivating virtue. Harmony, reverence for nature, moral education, emotional expression and resonance, aesthetic education and other virtues are reflected in the creation, performance and inheritance of music, which can make Chinese traditional music become an art form with educational function and far-reaching influence.

3.2 Practice of traditional Chinese music in virtue cultivation

In traditional Chinese music, the cultivation of virtues is a very important aspect. In this form of music, one can not only hear beautiful and moving melodies and harmonious singing, but also feel the profound moral connotations contained within it. The cultivation of virtues, in traditional Chinese music, mainly includes the following aspects.

Promoting traditional virtues in traditional Chinese music is an important way. This form of music combines moral qualities with music, conveying correct national values to people through music (He; Luo, 2020, p. 219). For example, the loyalty, love for the country and the people, adherence to justice and morality expressed in Song of Pipa, and the respect for family traditions and their values, expressed in Dream of the Red Chamber, all express the strong demand of traditional Chinese music for the cultivation of virtues (He; Luo, 2020, p. 219).

Advocating humanistic spirit is another distinct characteristic of traditional Chinese music. In this form of music, one can feel one’s longing and pursuit for a peaceful and happy life for humanity. For example, High Mountains and Flowing Water conveys a selfless dedication and patriotic spirit, while A Parting Tune with a Thrice Repeated Refrain expresses the one’s longing for a better life on earth (Johnston, 1985, p. 127).

In traditional Chinese music, it can also provide assistance in shaping people’s beautiful personalities. For example, the pure, indifferent and detached spiritual qualities, depicted in Snow White, should be learned from these spiritual virtues (Xu, 2018, p. 615). Under the infiltration of traditional Chinese music, one can continuously improve oneself and enhance one’s moral qualities.

The above three aspects are the focus of cultivating virtues in traditional Chinese music, and Chinese traditional music has also achieved fruitful results in practice. For a long time, constructing national identity, based on collective memory of traditional culture, has been a problem (Xu, 2018, p. 628). In today’s society, music with the abuse of evil and negative emotions is flooding the market, and virtue education, through traditional Chinese music, has become a necessary, urgent and effective means. Studying the role of traditional Chinese music, in cultivating virtues, can help people better understand and appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese music, and also provide a new way of education and cultural inheritance.

3.3 Virtue education significance of traditional Chinese music in modern society

Traditional Chinese music has always been used as a cultural resource in the field of virtue education. The characteristics of music education students’ extrinsic motivations are simple and, sometimes, even singular, and they emphasize virtue, value and achievement (Woody, 2021, p. 1321). In modern society, moral education and virtue cultivation have become increasingly important topics of concern. Chinese traditional music, as an important cultural heritage, has received widespread attention. In terms of cultivating virtues, the application of traditional Chinese music has been recognized and used by an increasing number of people.

Firstly, traditional Chinese music has a strong educational function, which can achieve the goal of cultivating virtues by conveying the virtues and ideas contained in it. Secondly, traditional Chinese music, as a cultural carrier, can inherit traditional Chinese virtues and concepts. By guiding people to appreciate and learn Chinese traditional music, one can cultivate people’s strong cultural self-confidence and cultural identity by virtue of traditional Chinese culture. In addition, in modern society, people’s demand for virtue is becoming increasingly strong, so improving people’s moral cultivation is particularly important. By promoting traditional Chinese music and virtue culture, people can recognize the importance of virtue and focus on cultivating and practicing virtue in their daily lives.

In summary, the application of traditional Chinese music, in virtue cultivation and moral education, has important practical significance. By learning and inheriting traditional Chinese music and its inherent virtues, people can better understand and practice virtues, thereby promoting the progress of social civilization and the development of human spiritual culture.

4 Innovative practices of moral education and virtue cultivation in traditional Chinese music

4.1 Innovative practice forms of moral education and virtue cultivation

There are various forms of innovative practice in the moral education and virtue cultivation of traditional Chinese music. Firstly, it can be in the form of musicals, conveying positive values and ideas to the audience through the perfect combination of music and plot. The musical Dream of the Red Chamber is a very good example, which conveys much moral and educational significance by depicting the characters’ lives, such as Jia Baoyu (Zhao, 2011, p. 129). Secondly, performances can also be used to showcase the perfect combination of music and morality, inspiring people’s moral emotions. For example, the famous Sugar Painter Singing Opera and Dong Jia Bangchui Knocking the GONG not only have entertainment, but also can convey positive values and ideas. Meanwhile, these forms of performances are generally conducted in public places, such as community basketball courts, which have good popularity and social influence (Lowney, 2015, p. 417).

In addition, music stories can also be used to convey moral and virtue education. The anonymous Chilechuan is a good example, which deeply impresses people’s virtues, such as “[…] faithfulness, righteousness, filial piety, and friendship by depicting the stories of many characters” (Zhao, 2011, p. 129). In addition, The Mighty One is also a good example, which guides young students to correctly guide their growth by expressing their various moral practices and thoughts (Zhao, 2011, p. 129; Horovitz, 2022, p. 17). Finally, when conducting related activities, relevant artistic creations, such as classical poetry, songs, paintings, etc. can also be introduced, allowing participants to express their thoughts and understanding of moral aspects through their own creations.

In short, there are various forms of innovative practice in moral education and virtue cultivation, each with its unique advantages and value. In practice, it is necessary to flexibly choose and combine the characteristics of traditional music to explore innovative activity methods, in order to promote the inheritance and innovation of traditional music. For example, when cultivating students’ creativity in piano playing, students should understand the world from the perspective of overall epistemology in the context of life and culture (Zheng; Bo-Wah, 2023, p. 141). Combining the characteristics of modern education, people cultivate students to feel virtues, create virtues and pass on virtues, in music, in an innovative form.

4.2 Innovative cases of moral education and virtue cultivation in traditional Chinese music

Traditional Chinese music has always played a unique role in the field of moral thought and virtue cultivation. In modern society, how to integrate traditional music into the practice of moral education and virtue cultivation has become a very important topic.

In response to the moral education and virtue cultivation values, contained in traditional music, some primary and secondary schools, in some places, have begun to organize students to learn traditional music courses, and use this as an opportunity to guide students to understand and experience traditional Chinese aesthetics, moral ethics and cultural spirit. The learning process also enhances the understanding of ancient poetry and culture, folklore and other cultural elements. In some cultural art exhibition, traditional music has also become an important way of display. In this situation, the function of traditional music is not only to bring good musical effects to the on-site audience, as a promoter of traditional culture, virtues and moral spirit, but also indirectly affects the receiver’s moral judgment (Steffens, 2020, p. 3; Stuempfle, 1997, p. 445). Through the organic combination of various art forms, such as music, art and dance, traditional music has become an important carrier for cultural exchange, cross-border cooperation, cultural innovation and virtue cultivation.

In addition, traditional music also plays an important role in various social activities and public welfare undertakings. For example, in some community-organized charity sales, traditional music serves as a cultural activity that not only attracts audiences, but also enhances the cultural level and artistic taste of the charity sales. In public welfare undertakings, traditional music is also used to complement charitable fundraising and other activities, which not only meets cultural needs, but also helps promote social welfare undertakings.

In summary, traditional music plays an indispensable role in the innovative practice of moral education and virtue cultivation. In the process of inheriting traditional culture, traditional music is an important form of expression with its own aesthetic, philosophical and ethical values, and also an important driving force for cultural innovation and social development. Therefore, through innovative practices, people should better tap into the potential of traditional music and unleash its unique value in modern society.

4.3 Practical enlightenment of innovative practice

In the innovative practice of moral education and virtue cultivation in traditional Chinese music, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative practices. Drawing on existing critical approaches to music, the foundations of music education practice were explored (Hadley, 2018, p. 168).

Chinese traditional music, as a cultural form, can convey moral concepts and virtues in its unique way of inheritance. In schools, communities and other occasions, through collective performance, chorus, music teaching and other activities, teachers, students and community members can enhance their sense of cultural identity, strengthen the families, communities and teams’ cohesion, and cultivate the students, community residents and team members’ moral feelings.

Innovative practice has played a positive role in moral education and virtue cultivation. Taking the inheritor of traditional music culture as the leader, by organizing learning and inheriting knowledge, conducting traditional music activities and participating in social welfare activities, people combine traditional music culture with modern society, making traditional music play a more important role in moral education and virtue cultivation.

Through practical inspiration, people should attach importance to the role of traditional Chinese music in moral education and virtue cultivation, and protect and inherit Chinese traditional music culture. At the same time, it is also necessary to introduce more modern technological means, explore more excellent forms of innovative practice, and strengthen and expand the moral education and virtue cultivation role of traditional music. Unlike traditional music teaching methods, establishing a robot-based cognitive emotional interaction model can create an innovative teaching mode for popular music teaching, in universities, to optimize teaching effectiveness (Zhou, 2023, p. 200). Ultimately, it is necessary to achieve the mutual integration of traditional Chinese culture and modern society, and enhance the soft power of Chinese national culture.

Conclusions

In traditional Chinese culture, music has always been regarded as an important cultural form. As a highly malleable cultural tool, music can convey emotions as well as ideas. Therefore, traditional Chinese music plays an important role in moral education and virtue cultivation. Through its unique musical language, traditional Chinese music can effectively convey moral concepts. By learning, playing and appreciating music, people can deeply understand and comprehend these moral concepts, thereby internalizing moral consciousness into their hearts and becoming the code of action in daily life. By learning and playing traditional music, people can cultivate their artistic sentiments and aesthetic literacy, while also gaining the pursuit of beauty, thus placing greater emphasis on taste and self-cultivation in daily life. In short, traditional Chinese music plays an irreplaceable role in moral education and virtue cultivation. In future research, it is necessary to further explore and utilize the cultural resources of traditional music, promote the innovation and development of traditional music, and explore how to combine the cultural value of traditional music with the modern society’s moral construction and virtue cultivation, achieving the organic integration of traditional culture and modern society.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  27 May 2024
• Date of issue
  2024

History

• Received
  19 July 2023
• Accepted
  22 Aug 2023
• Published
  03 May 2024