To deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on school aesthetic education and to fulfill the relevant requirements of the Ministry of Education's "Notice on Comprehensively Implementing the School Aesthetic Education Immersion Action," the Open University of China (OUC) actively promotes the immersion work of university aesthetic education.
The OUC has vigorously advanced its immersive aesthetic education initiatives, steadfastly upholding the principle of fostering virtue through education and integrating high-quality ideological and political education into the curriculum. This approach has led to the implementation of a comprehensive series of teaching research and academic training activities.
On 11 June 2024, the OUC invited Zhou Haihong, a professor of music education from the Central Conservatory of Music, to deliver a lecture themed "How to Listen to Music and the Purpose of Art." The lecture was chaired by Li Song, a member of the OUC's Party Committee and the university's vice president. The event saw the physical attendance of faculty representatives and students from the Seniors College, a direct affiliate of the Seniors University of China (SUC). The Lifelong Education Platform and the SUC's video channel live-streamed the event, reaching over 15,000 views.
Zhou Haihong delivered the lecture.
Li Song hosted the event.
Through the careful analysis of classic music excerpts, Zhou Haihong skillfully introduced the principles of music aesthetics, revealing the intrinsic functions of music art with ingenuity. He explored in depth the constructive role of "perceptual wisdom" in fostering personal happiness and social harmony. Zhou's presentation was both insightful and accessible, characterized by a humorous and engaging language, with a layered analysis that led to profound and thought-provoking conclusions. The interactive segment was filled with lively music theory discussions that electrified the atmosphere. Participants enthusiastically remarked, "This is a grand banquet of aesthetic education, a feast for the senses, and a spiritual purification," "The lecture has truly opened my ears to music, allowing me to experience its profound allure."
In his summary, Li Song emphasised that this lecture was part of the OUC’s series of aesthetic education immersion activities, aimed at enhancing the faculty and students' capacities to recognise, appreciate, and create beauty. It offered the power of music and the energy of art to nurture temperament and shape character.
This lecture was also one of the series of activities for the special training on ideological and political education through curriculum, marking a solid and effective move for the university to carry out the aesthetics education immersion action. The event was conducive to infiltrating aesthetics education into students, teachers, and the university, enhancing the overall awareness and literacy of aesthetic education, and promoting the construction of an aesthetic education environment that is accessible for anyone, anytime, and anywhere at the OUC.
Written by Yang Yao, Chen Siming, photos by Zhuge Huanyu