The analysis of music teacher education programmes in Lithuania and China

Study programmes that aim to educate music teachers have been undergoing a constant process of renewal, which is predetermined by various factors . The s tudy programmes of music teacher education implemented in Li thuania have never been broadly analysed and compared to similar s tudy programmes of music teacher education in China. Therefore, this s tudy aimed to carry out an analysis of bachelor and master s tudy programmes of music teacher education in Li thuania and China revealing their similarities and differences . The research s tudy disclosed that the goals , intended learning outcomes, s tructure and curriculum of the two countries have similari ties and differences , which are predetermined by philosophical aspects , humanistic ideas and national context of educational policies in both the countries . The s tudy programmes aim to respond to needs of contemporary society, to develop competencies of music teachers , to establish conditions for successful implementation of the goals of s tudy programmes and attainment of learning outcomes .


Introduction
The striving for responding to challenges imposed by the 21st century, that is, to implement lifelong learning, to ensure quality in education and to prepare an individual for life and successful professional activities, under rapidly changing social and cultural conditions, has been increasingly gaining ground in contemporary theory and practice of pedagogy.All of this is also reflected in the documents regulating teacher training in Lithuania and China (Del pedagogų rengimo reglamento patvirtinimo pakeitimo, 2012; Del mokytojo profesijos kompetencijos apraso patvirtinimo, 2007; Lietuvos Respublikos Svietimo ir mokslo ministro įsakymas 'Del pradinio, pagrindinio ir vidurinio ugdymo programu apraso patvirtinimo', 2015, Lietuvos pedagogų rengimo koncepcijos projektas ir jo pagrindimas, 2016; Lietuvos svietimo koncepcija, 1992; The Law on Higher Education of the People's Republic of China, 2015; The Education Law of the People's Republic of China, 2015).
In 2001, the basic education curriculum in China was reformed to improve the quality of education and to make it more people-oriented.According to Geng (1998), high quality education promotes the individuality of the student and accelerates the process of socialisation.According to Zhou (1999), music teacher education reform was a serious task, although figuring out the specifics, deciding on the concept, content, methods and course system of the reform was not easy.The Ministry of Education in China issued the curriculum guidelines 'The guidance programme of undergraduate curriculum of music major in National Colleges and Universities ' (2004), which included the music teacher education curriculum objectives, curriculum structure and credit specification.In 2006 'The National College of Music teacher education guidelines for compulsory course for undergraduate teaching ' (2006) was released defining the obligatory courses required for the undergraduate curriculum guidelines, as well as curriculum implementation and evaluation.In 2007, the Ministry of Education issued documents titled 'On the development of the National College of Musicology (Teacher education) teaching pilot undergraduate course ' (2007), The Music Curriculum Standards of High School ' (2003).'The music curriculum standards of compulsory education' (2011) was designed to provide practical guidance for the implementation of the first two documents.Music teacher education has been regarded as a serious academic field and an important research topic (Guo & Li, 2013;Lin & Zhao, 2013;Lu & Zhu, 2016;Wang & Si, 2016, Xu & Dong, 2010;Yin & Guo, 2014;Yin, Zhang & Wang, 2014).Music education as well as music teacher education has been thoroughly researched internationally.

Problem statement
The study programmes of music teacher education implemented in Lithuania have never been broadly analysed and compared to similar study programmes of music teacher education in China.Therefore, an objective is set to carry out an analysis of study programmes of music teacher education in the two countries revealing their similarities and differences.

Purpose of the study
The aim of the research is to conduct the analysis of music teacher education programmes implemented in Lithuanian and Chinese universities.

Method
Analysis of scholarly literature sources, legal acts, strategical documents of educational policy; analysis of study programmes of music teacher education in Northeast Normal University (China) and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (Lithuania).

Peculiarities of the higher education system in China and Lithuania
The Education Law of the People's Republic of China (2015) was created in order to develop educational undertakings and promote the building of the socialist material and spiritual civilisation.The government has taken measures to promote fairness in education, to enforce a more balanced development of education, as well as to adapt to the socialist market economy needs, to the national development and social progress and to improve the level of modernisation of education.The state implemented a nine-year compulsory education system.The Law on Higher Education of the People's Republic of China (2015) stresses that the task of higher education is to prepare high level professionals with an innovative spirit and practical ability, and to build up a culture of science and technology.
According to the Republicof Lithuanian Law on Higher Education and Research (2015), education is an activity intended to provide an individual with a basis for a worthy, independent life, and to assist the individual in the continuous development of abilities.Education is a means of shaping the future of an individual, the society and the country, based on the acknowledgement of the indisputable value of the individual, his right of free choice and moral responsibility, as well as democratic relationships and the country's cultural traditions.Education protects and creates national identity, guarantees continuity of the values that make a person's life meaningful, grants understanding the importance of social life and solidarity, and promotes the development and security of the country.Education serves its purpose best when its advancement leads to the overall development of society.The law establishes the educational goals of the Republic of Lithuania, the principles of the educational system, the foundations of the structure of the educational system, educational activities and educational relationships as well as obligations of the country in the area of education.The mission of higher education and research is to help ensure the country's public, cultural and economic prosperity, provide support and impetus for a full life of every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania, and satisfy the natural thirst for knowledge.
The Lithuanian policy on higher education and research guarantees the quality of higher education and research, equal access to higher education for all citizens and favourable conditions for the best of them to conduct their research, and to seek academic and creative development; the said policy ensures that the system of higher education and research satisfies the needs of the society and the economy, supports its openness and integration into the international area of higher education and research.A cohesive system of higher education and research is the foundation for the development of an intelligent society, the strengthening of a knowledge-based economy and the sustainable development of the country, a dynamic and competitive life of the national economy, and social and economic well-being.Such system cultivates a creative, educated, dignified, morally responsible, open-minded, independent and entrepreneurial personality, fosters the civili sational identity of Lithuania, supports, develops and creates national and global cultural traditions (Republic of Lithuania Law on Higher Education and Research, 2015).The higher education system of China is based on the Law on Higher Education of the People's Republic of China (2015).The framework of higher education in China is arranged as follows Table 1.  1 demonstrates that there are four cycles in the higher education system of China.The first cycle (specialty education) is considered to be higher professional education.The duration of specialty education is 2-3 years, the basic length of undergraduate education is 4-5 years, the basic length of post graduate education is 2-3 years, and the basic length of doctoral education is 3-4 years.The Law on Higher Education of the People's Republic of China (2015) does not outline specific numbers of credits of each cycle necessary to get an academic degree.The academic degree level is reached according to the standards prescribed by the state.
The framework of higher education in Lithuania is displayed in Table 2. Lithuanian higher education is comprised of universities and colleges, which means the country implements studies of nonuniversity level and university level.Non-university studies lead to a professional qualification.Professional qualification does not give a student the right to enter the university's second cycle (graduate) studies, but it can be transferred as an appropriate part of university first cycle or integrated studies provided that the student has collected an appropriate number of credits from related subjects.University-level involves first-cycle programme s equivalent to a bachelor's programme , second-cycle (graduate) programme s equivalent to a master's programme and PhD programme s.Tables 1 and 2 illustrate the frameworks of higher education systems in China and Lithuania.Higher education cycles in both countries are similar in duration and levels.The main difference lies in the distribution of credits which varies greatly in China and depends on various factors, whereas the Lithuanian system provides for clearly defined numbers of credits.

Analysis of the aims of study programmes of the music teacher education
In order to compare the study programmes of music teacher education in China and Lithuania, this article takes the curriculum structure of music teacher education at Northeast Normal University (China) and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (Lithuania).Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences was established in 1935, and is now one of the five universities in the country that trains music teachers.Northeast Normal University belongs to the State Ministry of Education.It was established in 1946, and the university has provided music teacher education in the Lu Xun Art Institute (The study programme in Northeast Normal University, 2015).Although Northeast Normal University cannot fully reflect the music teacher education situation in China, it is an adequate example.
Table 3.The aims of study programmes of music teacher education (Bachelor)

Northeast Normal University Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences
The study programme of music education aims to educate a music teacher who is able to understand the basic theory and obtain the basic skills of music education; who knows the right methods for teaching music, has a creative spirit, is able to adapt to the needs of social development, to demonstrate the excellence in music to students and to help develop their moral, intellectual, aesthetic values.Primary and secondary school teachers shall have a strong sense of responsibility and dedication.
The study programme of music education aims to train a music educator, who has completed higher education studies and possesses a theoretical understanding of music education based on newest results of scientific resea rch; who is able to creatively organise high quality music education, to communicate and collaborate when implementing it, to consider the diversity of learners (in terms of their abilities, social or economic background, etc.) and individual needs of every learner; who has obtained foundations for continuous personal and professional improvement and demonstrates a solid deter mination and motivation to work in music education.
According to 'The guidance programme of undergraduate curriculum of music major in National Colleges and Universities' ( 2004), the aims of the music teacher education programme in China (Table 3) are to educate a competent music teacher who is able to develop core virtues, wisdom, lead a healthy lifestyle, who is able to understand the basic theory and develop the skills necessary for music education; who has an innovative spirit and teaching research ability.
The analysis of music teacher education programme aims in both universities reveals that they are similar in content.The main goal of both programmes is to train competent music educators who will have a passion for education, strong determination and motivation to study and teach music.Northeast Normal University has very concise and specific aims: The purpose of the programme is to educate music teachers for primary school and middle school, focusing on their personal development, comprehensive abilities and innovative thinking.The aim of the study programme of Music Education implemented at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences is linked with the importance of the role of a teacher in a contemporary Lithuanian school, which is connected with huge responsibility and nurturance of new competences such as learning to learn, information management and problem solving.The relevant issues of music teacher education in the context of general education schools have been analysed by a big number of Lithuanian educational researchers (Balcytis, 2012;Girdzijauskas, 2012;Girdzijauskiene, 2015;Piliciauskas, 1998;Rauduvaite, 2015Rauduvaite, , 2017;;Seckuviene, 2004;Vitkauskas, Abramauskienė, Barisas, Kirliauskiene, & Tarnauskaite-Palubinskiene, 2012).
Table 4 demonstrates the aims of music teacher education programmes of master studies in the two higher education schools.The aim of Northeast Normal University is to educate teachers for primary and secondary schools who have good morals, theoretical knowledge, strong teaching skills, practical research and professional development abilities.Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences aims to prepare a competent music pedagogue, a researcher and a leader.To prepa re excellent pri ma ry and se conda ry s chool tea chers or educa tional administra tors who ha ve good professional ethi cs , the ability to tea ch others about music; who possess hi gh theoretical and pra cti cal resea rch abilities ; who a re able to develop necessary professional abilities.
To prepa re a competent musi c pedagogue, a researcher, a leader wi th obtained knowledge of musi cal education, whi ch is based on the fundamental and applied researches ; who possesses musical expression, artis ti c leadershi p and managing competences, who can evidentl y support and i mprove the pra cti ce of formal and non-formal musi c educa tion.
The aims of study programmes of music teacher education are similar in the two universities.Overall, the aims of bachelor and master study programmes of music teacher education in China and Lithuania are to educate competent music teachers who have the ability to carry out music educational activities.

Analysis of the learning outcomes of study programmes of the music teacher education
The methods and contents of training music teacher are different in the China Northeast Normal University and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.They are reflected in the learning outcomes and structure of curriculum in both of the universities (Table 5).The intended learni ng outcomes of the study progra mme a re: to ha ve good music litera cy, good morals and voca tional moti va tion; to ha ve a fi rm and correct politi cal orienta tion and a clear educati onal and a rtis tic concept; to desi re an a rtis ti c and educa tional ca reer; to unders tand the basic law of educa tion; to ha ve the general knowledge of the subject and unders tand i ts releva nce, to be openmi nded.The s tudent: will mas ter the basic concepts of music educati on, basic theory and a cqui re necessa ry professional s kills; will ha ve a solid knowledge of music theory, ability to apprecia te musi c, a rtisti c pra cti ce skills, strong innova ti ve sense and ability; will be able to improve professional abilities indi vi duall y; will ha ve the necessary IT skills and will be able to use a foreign language for effecti ve expression and communica tion, to mas ter modern informa tion technology and use the means of modern informati on; will ha ve a s trong sense of tea mwork and coopera tion; the abili ties of langua ge, organisati on, coordina tion and communi ca tion; will ha ve heal thy consci ousness and will mas ter the means and methods to promote physi cal and mental heal th, will ha ve a heal thy body and good mental heal th.
A s tudent will know the s cientifi c s ys tema ti c basics of special musi c (music language, music his tory, musi c aestheti cs , musi c ps ychology etc.) and educati on (educa tion theories , philosophy, ps ychology, sociology) and the use of technologies in the pra cti cal musical pedagogi cal a cti vi ties .
A s tudent will be able to pa rti cipa te in musi cal a cti vi ties (sing, pla y musical ins truments , value the phenomena of musical cul ture in the context of a rts , possess good moral values).
A s tudent will be able to see a nd assess learners ' different musical skills, thei r needs, inclina tions and learning s tyles through the pers onifi ca tion of the musical educa tional content, the envi ronment.She/he will be able to assess lea rners ' achievements, focusing on the lea rners ' development of general competences.
A s tudent will be able to provide good condi tions for every single learner (i ncluding students wi th special educati onal needs or those who a re extremel y talented) to pa rtici pate in the educa tional process by ma ximising the lea rner's potential .
A s tudent will be able to crea te a safe, open, invol ving, tolerant for all (despi te age, sex, social envi ronment, langua ge, na tionality, cul ture, religion etc.,), enforced, moti va ting, crea ti ve learning envi ronment through self-expression and self-governed educa tion by using the di versity of musi cal educa tion process, tools and di gital technologies .
A s tudent will be able to plan and organise a lea rner-oriented musi cal educati on process ; s ys tema ti cally assess learner's effi ciency, provi de feedba ck, promote the development and evaluate every learner's musi cal a chievements .A s tudent will be able to sea rch and anal yse educa tion documents and s cientifi c resources, to plan and ca rry out researches based on the la tes t s cientifi c information, to disseminate the resea rch resul ts to musi c pedagogues and the society.
A s tudent will be able to assume the role of a leader and take responsibili ty for professional a cti vi ty and for the musi cal cul ture of educati onal ins ti tutions .She/he also be able to include the s chool 's communi ty into the realisation of musical educa tion aims , coopera te with educa tion assistance experts and social partners .
A s tudent will be able to develop a professional identi ty, improve personal effecti veness through evidence-based professional a cti vi ty.
Analysis of the intended learning outcomes (Table 5) of music teacher education (Bachelor studies) in both universities shows the importance of basic knowledge of music education, the development of basic theoretical knowledge and professional skills.The universities also focus on cultivating the learners' self-development ability, cooperation abilities and communicational skills as well as disciplinary research ability.To understand the primary and secondary education reform, be a strong, independent professional.A student will deepen, systematically and critically analyse, evaluate and creatively apply fundamental knowledge of music education philosophy, psychology, leadership, management and educational science in a new environment of music education.A student will be able to develop and creatively apply abilities of musical expression, innovative didactics of music education, methodology for development of musical educational projects in practical activities; will be able to rally interdisciplinary teams for project development and implementation.A student will be able to design, evaluate and improve education curricular, new forms of music education taking into account the diversity of learners, different roles of participants in the learning process, the complexity of the learning process and peculiarities of educational environments.A student will be able to apply the newest educational research methodology, innovative research methods, to autonomously conduct complex and interdisciplinary research in music education, to develop recommendations for educational policy makers, administrators, communities, to initiate changes in the practice of education and music education.A student will be able to reflect personal music competenc e, to carry out research on own activities in music education, to apply the obtained resul ts in the personal and broader context of professional activities, to share experience, to discuss improvement of music education in the educational community.A student will be able to act in an international team, to participate in professional networks, to assume responsibility for the quality of own performance and that of team members and to conduct its evaluation and improvement.A student will be able to apply latest music information and communication technologies, to introduce innovative methods of music education, modern conceptions of integrated arts education improving the quality of music education.A student will be able to assume the role of a leader organising formal and informal music education that focusses on success of each learner and considers multiculturalism and diversity.A student will be able to think in a creative, systemic and strategical way, to independently make complex decisions, to act in an ethical way, to motivate community to attain common goals through cooperation, to envisage and critically evaluate relevant issues of contemporary ethno-cultural education in the international context, to nurtur e musical culture of an educational institution, town or country.
According to the analysis of the intended learning outcomes (Table 6) of master studies of music teacher education, the intended learning outcomes of China Northeast Normal University mainly focus on students' need to have a high theoretical literacy and advanced educational philosophy and ability to analyse educational problems.Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences aims to educate teachers, researchers and educational administrators, who will be able to cultivate learners' creativity, have the basic knowledge of philosophy, psychology and management of music education, have the ability to critically analyse problems, and will be capable of evaluating and improving music education (learning) programmes.Northeast Normal University focuses on cultivating future music teachers' morality, consciousness and love for education.According to Geng (1998), teachers must follow the moral norms when engaged in education and teaching activities.

The structure of Bachelor study programme of music teacher education curriculum
'The guidance programme of undergraduate curriculum of music major in National Colleges and Universities ' (2004) issued by the Ministry of Education of China points out that the curricula of music teacher education are about 150 credits, the estimated learning time is about 2600-2800 hours.Those include general education curriculum (40 credits) with the learning time of 720 hours and subject knowledge curriculum (110-115 credits) with the workload of 1900-2100 hours.The study programmes of music education point out the aims and learning outcomes of music teacher education, and specify the rules and models of curriculum and each university can be independent to open courses based on the actual conditions.The structure of music education curriculum in Northeast Normal University is as follows Table 7.Total 142 Table 7 shows the structure of music education curriculum in China Northeast Normal University (Bachelor).There are three parts in the structure: general education, subject education and pedagogy and teaching training.The first part of the curriculum is general education and includes 47 credits.The aim of general education is to educate students' general abilities, especially focusing on ideological and moral training, and developing comprehensive music ability.General education is a form of university education, but also a training model.The curriculum of music teacher education has been the focus of discussions concerning music teacher education for a long time.The second part is subject education consisting of 77 credits.It includes compulsory courses (55 credits) and elective courses (22 credits).The third part is pedagogy and teaching training (18 credits), that includes general pedagogy, subject pedagogy and pedagogy practice.The main problems faced in the field of music education are as follows: how to construct the curriculum of music teacher education, what kind of structure is reasonable and scientific, and how to proportionate the theoretical and practical courses.Liu (2004) points out that there are not enough music pedagogical courses in the total music teacher educati on programme curriculum.Analysing the curriculum guidelines of Guo and Li (2013) found that pedagogical courses accounted for 10% of the course.Pedagogical courses in Northeast Normal University accounted for 13%.
Next to the provisions of the national documents, the structure of the study programmes in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences is regulated by 'The structure of the study programmes at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences' (Lietuvos edukologijos universiteto studiju programu sandara, 2013).Table 8 shows the structure of music teacher education curriculum in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.The content includes the module of courses, credits and the percentage of each module in the total volume of the study programme.Analysing the structures of subject education curriculum and pedagogy curriculum, the tables show that the proportion of subject education curriculum equals 54% in Northeast Normal University; the proportion of subject education (compulsory) curriculum is 39%; and the proportion of subject educational (elective) curriculum is equal to 15%.In Northeast Normal University, the proportion of subject education curriculum is larger than that in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.This indicates that the music curriculum setting is rich and pays attention to the cultivation of music teachers' professional knowledge and skills.The proportion of the pedagogy curriculum is 13% in Northeast Normal University.This indicator is significantly lower than that in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.In Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, the pedagogy curriculum emphasises specialty skills.In the field of pedagogical theory and practice, the curriculum is very well balanced.The teaching practice starts from the fifth semester.This is conducive to the timely feedback on the existing problems in practical teaching.This can effectively improve the practical teaching experience helping to solve teaching problems in the following course of study.As can be seen from Table 9, the master's degree programme of Northeast Normal University consists of four parts.The first part is the basic degree course (12 credits).This part includes the following subjects: Foreign language (2 credits), political theory (2 credits), modern pedagogy theory introduction (2 credits), curriculum and teaching (2 credits), primary and secondary education research methods (2 credits) and adolescent psychological development and education (2 credits).The second part is professional compulsory course (10 credits).This section includes: Subject design and case studies (3 credits), frontier topics in the development of disciplines (3 credits), music courses and pedagogy (2 credits) and music education research methods (2 credits).The third part is professional elective course (6 credits) offering 8 subjects.The fourth part is teaching practice (8 credits) and its length is 8 weeks (6 credits).
The master degree programme in music education at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences consists of the following modules: Philosophy and psychology of music education (10 ECTS), methodology for educational research in music (10 ECTS), project of music expression (30 ECTS), strategies for music education improvement (10 ECTS), writing and defence of master's thesis (30 ECTS), contemporary computer music technologies (10 ECTS), music teacher as leader (10 ECTS), contemporary strategies for music research and dissemination of research results (10 ECTS); total 120 ECTS.
The study of the legal acts regulating higher education and teacher traini ng in China and Lithuania and the analysis of the study programmes of Music Education (Bachelor and Master) in the two countries revealed that a music teacher has to be ready to perform a big variety of functions , and the systems of music teacher education in China and Lithuania target at development of competencies necessary to respond to the requirements of the state and society imposed on teachers in both countries.

Conclusions
The research revealed that the goals, intended learning outcomes, structure and curricula of the bachelor and master study programmes of music teacher education in Lithuania and China have similarities and differences, which are predetermined by philosophical aspects, humanistic ideas and national context of educational policies in both countries.The study programmes aim to respond to the needs of the contemporary society, to develop competencies of music teachers, to establish conditions for successful implementation of the goals of study programmes and attainment of intended learning outcomes.In China, music teacher education cultivates all-round development of teachers, the music teachers' moral education and occupation concept is foremost.Moreover, emphasis is placed on training subject knowledge and professional skills of music teachers ignoring their educational status; the teachers' pedagogical function is weakened.Generalising, it can be stated that the activities of a teacher in Lithuania are broad and embrace numerous functions.A music teacher takes part not only in classroom activities but also organises musical life of a school, heads non-formal music education circles or clubs, communicates and collaborates with participants of the process of education.A music teacher analyses environment of musical and cultural life in a school, is continuously engaged in professional development, and is an active participant in the public cultural life.The content of music teachers' activities is best revealed through the roles of a music educator, a researcher and a manager.
Northeast Normal University and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences are similar universities.However, the data indicate that Northeast Normal University puts more emphasis on the cultivation of professional knowledge training and professional skills of learners.They ensure that music teachers would have a wide professional knowledge and professional skills.In Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, the pedagogy curriculum focuses on the cultivation of pedagogical skills.
The study disclosed that students' training and curriculum of music teacher education develop according to the needs of music education, the expected learning outcomes require a clear framework.These studies can help students to have necessary skills and knowledge, to enable them to obtain the ability to organise and implement music teaching activities, to have a successful career in the competitive labour market.Overall, the two compared universities have certain similarities and differences but their goals are relatively similar.

Table 1 .
The framework of higher education in China

Table 2 .
The framework of hi gher educa tion in Li thuania

Table 4 .
The aims of s tudy progra mmes of musi c teacher educa tion (Master)

Table 5 .
The intended learning outcomes of s tudy programmes of music tea cher educa tion (Ba chelor) Northeast Normal Uni versi ty Li thuanian Uni versi ty of Educa tional Sciences

Table 6 .
The intended learning outcomes of study programmes of music teacher education (Master)

Table 7 .
The structure of music education curriculum in China Northeast Normal University (Bachelor)

Table 8 .
The structure of music teacher educational curriculum in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (Bachelor)

Table 9 .
The structure of music education curriculum in Northeast Normal University(Master)