73. Regulating effect of Matouqin collective class teaching on anxiety emotions of music students in Inner Mongolia universities

Abstract Background College music students face unique academic and performance pressures, with generally high levels of anxiety. Music intervention is an effective means of regulating emotions, but research on the application of specific ethnic musical instrument teaching is still blank. As a traditional Mongolian musical instrument, the horsehead fiddle's music and collective learning mode may have a positive effect on emotional regulation. The research aims to empirically explore the moderating effect of collective classes on anxiety among music students in Inner Mongolia universities, in order to provide a basis for developing characteristic psychological health intervention programs. Methods The study adopted a pre-test posttest design consisting of an experimental group and a control group. Firstly, using the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) as a screening tool, 60 students with mild to moderate anxiety were randomly selected from the music department of a university in Inner Mongolia and divided into an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). Before the experiment, SAS pre-test was conducted on both groups of subjects to ensure that there was no significant difference in baseline levels. The experimental group received a 12-week, weekly 90- minute group lesson on the horsehead fiddle, which included explanations of the history and culture of the horsehead fiddle, learning of basic performance techniques, and group ensemble training. The control group did not receive any intervention during this period and maintained a regular learning routine. After the experiment, the SAS posttest was immediately performed again on both groups of subjects. All data were processed using SPSS software. Results Through the analysis of pre-test and post test data, the following results were obtained: the posttest SAS score of the experimental group (45.23 ± 4.15) was significantly lower than its pre-test score (58.70 ± 5.62), and the difference was statistically significant (t = 11.857, p<.001). There was no significant difference (t = 0.421, p=.677) between the posttest SAS score of the control group (57.85 ± 5.48) and the pre-test score (58.02 ± 5.71). Inter group comparison showed that in the post experiment test, the SAS score of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (t = 10.924, p<.001). The results indicate that a 12 week group course on horsehead fiddle can effectively reduce the anxiety level of music majors in Inner Mongolia universities. Discussion The research results confirm that group teaching of horsehead fiddle has a significant positive effect on regulating the anxiety of college music students. Its mechanism of action may stem from multiple aspects: (1) the unique infectious power of horsehead fiddle music can trigger emotional resonance and release; (2) The sense of achievement brought by learning new skills enhances self-efficacy; (3) The form of group classes provides social support and effectively alleviates feelings of loneliness. This result provides empirical support for integrating ethnic culture into mental health education and has practical promotion value. Future research can be expanded to different student groups and incorporate multidimensional evaluation indicators to further explore their mechanisms of action. Fundings No. 2022NDC253; No. 23NYJB12.