Integration of Traditional Chinese Folk Music Culture into Music Education at Middle Schools

The integration of traditional Chinese folk music into music education at middle schools not only can improve learning effectiveness, but also raise awareness of national values and the importance of China’s cultural heritage. The primary goal of this study is to examine the effectiveness of developed academic programs in integrating traditional Chinese folk music culture and to establish what impact the developed curriculum has on the awareness of national values among students. The study was conducted among 410 students (n = 13.1) from four middle schools in China. The study relied on a developed academic program, with assessment of academic achievements in music and two online surveys. Experimental groups B performed 13.7% better than the control groups, suggesting that the developed academic program is effective in the context of music learning. Also, after a six-month exposure to the training program that involved learning traditional Chinese folk music, Group B performed better compared to its performance in January. “Strongly agree” answers were given to statements that referred to the understanding that China’s cultural heritage constitutes the treasure of the entire nation (an increase of 22.2%), and to patriotism, which manifested itself as a feeling of love for one’s country (an increase of 20.7%). This study has practical value and is important for further research because it confirms the effectiveness of the integration of the developed academic program for increasing awareness of national values and the importance of cultural heritage among middle school students.