The Teaching Method of STEAM Education-based Audio-visual Aesthetics in College Vocal Music Teaching

This study explores the effect of the STEAM teaching method on college music education and its impact on students' audio-visual aesthetics. The research was conducted over one semester with 60 undergraduate students in China, randomly divided into two groups: a traditional music appreciation course (n=30) and a STEAM-integrated course (n=30). The traditional course followed the original curriculum, while the STEAM course involved a collaborative approach with teachers from multiple disciplines, who tailored the curriculum based on the music creation context and song lyrics. Using the folk song Chengdu as a case study, the study assessed students’ abilities, learning methods, disciplinary engagement, and teachers’ perceptions through observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings indicate that, compared to the traditional course students, those in the STEAM course were better able to engage with interdisciplinary knowledge, adopt diverse learning strategies, deepen their understanding of the material, and enhance their aesthetic appreciation. Teacher interviews revealed high satisfaction with the performance of students in the STEAM course. Additionally, the study offers strategic insights into the role of audio-visual aesthetics in music education. The multi-disciplinary STEAM approach significantly enhanced classroom participation, improved music learning outcomes, broadened students’ knowledge base, and fostered greater aesthetic development, making it a promising model for future music education.