Abstract:

Li Jinhui（1891—1967）is considered to be the founder of Chinese children’s musical theater. He extensively dabbled in multiple fields such as music, dance, literature, drama, and education. It deserves to be mentioned that he may also be one of the most controversial composers in China. As he pioneered the music form of Chinese pop music, he was labeled as a “yellow musician” and all his works were banned in the field of education. He was persecuted and died at the climax of China’s Great Cultural Revolution. Despite the fact that most studies so far have concentrated on Li Jinhui's pop music works and his literary works, his contributions to the field of children’s music education, especially for preschool children aged 3-6, have been ignored. It has been found that some of his compositions and works, including his music textbooks, have not been studied in an all-round manner. When the ban on Li Jinhui’s music was lifted at the end of the 20th century, scholars began to concentrate on many of his neglected works. In this study, we will probe deep into the teaching methods in Li’s preschool music textbooks and explore how this teaching method in the 1930s can be applied to modern preschool music education. Aside from that, we will understand Li’s intention in creating this teaching method through his life and background. The study also examines the relationships between teaching methods in his textbooks and children’s theatrical acting methods. Through the existing literature, this study first looked into the teaching methods in the textbook, found out the practice and methods including choreography, props, singing methods, and performances, and subsequently explored its potential as a tool of contemporary preschool music education. Apart from that, we also discussed how his preschool music textbooks provide structured and systematic methods for preschool teachers’ teaching practice and alleviate the current deficiency of preschool teachers in China.

Keywords:

Li Jinhui, music, folk song, Music Textbooks, Preschool Education, Teaching Methods.