Synchronous online instrumental music teaching in cross-cultural learning contexts

Abstract

This scoping review addresses two questions: (1) How can previous research inform approaches to synchronous online instrumental music teaching for cross-cultural learning in the field of Western classical music? and (2) What does the corpus of existing studies suggest about Chinese student experiences with western instrumental pedagogy and synchronous online teaching? Based on a systematic examination of 100+ articles from refereed journals in English across the past two decades, the review reveals cultural differences in autonomy and student-centeredness in classical instrument pedagogy traditions. In China, new pragmatic concepts appear as Confucian-Dewey fusion approaches and a distinctive music pedagogy tradition influenced by Russian and Germanic traditions and Chinese philosophy. The review also found that synchronous online instrumental music teaching can be efficient despite technical issues and latency, and the format may enhance forms of dialogue between students and teachers. The review shows little research on intercultural aspects of synchronous online musical instrument teaching, particularly addressing interaction and communication between students and teachers. Moreover, there is a widespread need for competence development for effectively approaching the diversity of music teaching and learning cultures worldwide in the online learning environment.