INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL CHINESE MUSIC INTO PRIMARY SCHOOL MUSIC CURRICULUM: A STANDARDS-BASED APPROACH TO ARTS EDUCATION

This paper discusses how Traditional Chinese Music (TCM) can serve a primary school music programme within a standards-based school system. Despite the rich culture and history, TCM has yet to gain much presence in primary classrooms, and it looks like a spectacle compared to Western musical traditions. The current qualitative case study explores how TCM can be relevantly and sustainably incorporated in the teaching of music under the national standards. Using semi-structured interviews carried out with five primary school music teachers of varying backgrounds, the study has identified key themes to include limited formal inclusion of TCM, knowledge and confidence gap among teachers, resources and time limit, perceived cultural and musical value, and long-term integration strategies. Results show that although teachers have noted the cultural significance of TCM, they experience difficulties regarding training, curriculum provisions, and availability of required materials. The teachers promote proper curriculum alignment, professional growth, utilisation of digital tools and resource packages to improve implementation. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Constructivist Learning Theory give the study its context, arguing that inclusive, student-centred, and culturally based teaching practises are required. The study makes a valuable contribution to the discussion of culturally inclusive education and proposes viable directions in which TCM should be incorporated into music curriculums. It demands institutional changes to sustain culture and identity making in primary education to date.