Specifics of teaching improvisational and traditional types of accompaniments in Chinese universities

the article reviews the history of improvisation in musical art, showing the main stages of its development from its inception to its current state. Further, it characterizes the current acute problem of performance: improvisation is used today in jazz and some modern trends, but it is little used in academic music. At the same time, improvisation is a special art of creating absolutely new musical material and is a creative process. It corresponds to the very essence of creative thinking – to generate new meanings. In this context, teaching improvisation is particularly relevant in the modern world, where a versatile, creative person is in demand in various fields and can be implemented in various ways. The methodology for teaching improvisation is currently under active development, as evidenced by the teaching aids appearing in Russia, China and the world. This is not accidental, because it corresponds to scientific psychological searches in the field of creativity, giftedness, creative thinking. In Chinese conservatories and universities, courses of improvisational accompaniment have been introduced and successfully used, which are unique in their methodological component. They combine improvisation with traditional and academic piano performance, which currently has no analogues. This article presents an analysis of the specifics of teaching improvisation and traditional accompaniment in China, their main methodological guidelines, problems and main essential characteristics. The article will be useful for practicing pianists and piano teachers who seek to implement the improvisation component in practice at the university.

music education at the university, accompanist, improvisational accompaniment, music education in China, accompanist training methods, piano