Introduction to Academic Master's Programs in Music and Dance Studies

The Music and Dance discipline at Jiangnan University has significant influence within the province and even nationwide. Currently, the major has a master's degree program in Music and Dance as well as a professional master's degree program in Education (discipline teaching). Leveraging the resources of a comprehensive university with multiple disciplines and majors, it has formed a complete talent cultivation system from undergraduate to graduate studies. It has gradually established a professional direction with music education, music performance, and dance choreography as its dominant characteristics and core, including three research directions: music theory and teaching, music performance and teaching, and dance performance and teaching. It has also formed specialized research teams such as Wu-style music and dance, Jiangnan ethnic music, and Jiangnan folk dance. The discipline also has established a "National College Student Cultural Quality Education Base," "Jiangsu Province Internet+ Education Research Center," "Jiangsu Province Music and Dance Graduate Workstation," "Jiangnan University President Teacher Training Center," "Rural Backbone Teacher Cultivation Station," "Jiangnan Ethnic Music Research Center," and "Wu-style Music Research Center," providing important support in academic theory, artistic practice, in-class training, and cultivating innovative talents. At the same time, the discipline has established good cooperative relationships with internationally renowned universities such as Oxford University, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States, and the Conservatory of Cagliari in Italy, and has gathered a group of highly-skilled, capable, and dynamic faculty members. The discipline has a total of 34 full-time teachers, including 21 senior title teachers, 19 master's supervisors, and 4 teachers with overseas study backgrounds. At the same time, the discipline hires famous musicians, dancers, and frontline music and dance backbone teachers at home and abroad as practice mentors, forming a high-quality faculty team with a reasonable structure.

The discipline has strong scientific research strength and converges research focuses. In the past five years, it has undertaken three national-level projects and more than 20 provincial-level projects, published more than 40 high-level papers in authoritative journals at home and abroad, and published more than 40 monographs and textbooks. Teachers and students have won dozens of awards such as the National Blended Teaching Design Innovation Competition First Prize, China Dance "Lotus Award," National University Student Art Exhibition, Jiangsu Province "Wenhua Award," and "Zijin Chorus Festival Gold Award."

The discipline actively explores the integrated talent cultivation model of "Classroom-Stage-Society," further expands the forms and ways of artistic practice, promotes the conversion of theoretical knowledge into practical stage ability. In recent years, it has not only trained some art doctoral students both at home and abroad, but also provided a group of outstanding art education workers for universities. It aims to cultivate high-quality innovative talents with competitive and innovative consciousness, wide knowledge, high comprehensive quality, strong practical ability, and broad social adaptability.

The Objectives of Academic Master's Programs in Music and Dance Studies

This major aims to cultivate compound talents who possess good moral qualities and socialist core values, have a sense of social responsibility and patriotism, demonstrate professionalism and enterprising spirit in pursuing their artistic careers, and can adapt to the needs of national education, cultural development, and society. They will master the basic theories and systematic professional knowledge of this major, possess correct cultural and historical perspectives, be proficient in at least one foreign language which can be used to read foreign literature and materials related to this major, and possess an international perspective. They will also have the ability to conduct research, teaching, or independent work in a specific aspect of this major, as well as possessing craftsmanship spirit and good physical health.

The Research Directions of the Academic Master's Programs in Music and Dance Studies

1. Music Theory and Teaching

2. Music Performance and Teaching

3. Dance Theory and Teaching