Recently, the "2011 Community Education Music Broadcast and Competition" drew a close. This activity was hosted by the Ministry of Education Community Education Research and Training Center (Open University of China) and the Community Education Committee of the Chinese Adult Education Association, with guidance from the MoE Department of Vocational and Adult Education, the China Adult Education Association and Music Education Sub-Commission
of the Chinese Society of Education. A selection process involving local recommendation, online exhibition and online voting culminated in an expert review organized by the MoE Community Education Research and Training Center (OUC). 10 entries were awarded with first prizes, 20 with second prizes, and another 30 won third prizes. There were also 10 organization award winners.
The broadcast and competition aimed to promote the harmonious development of communities, raise the artistic literacy of the general population and enrich the cultural lives of the masses. The activity was well received by the National Community Education Experimental and Demonstration Areas as well as the OUC Community Education Experimental Center. 208 entries were broadcast on Chinacma.org.cn, and their content fully reflected the achievements and characteristics of community music education in each locale.
By way of online publicity, the activity attracted an audience of more than 6 million voters, promoting the development of community music education in China and in radio and TV universities around the country. The award conferring ceremony will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan in the middle of April.
In May 2009, the OUC Tian-Di-Ren (Heaven-Earth-People) Art Troupe, together with the China Adult Education Association, initiated the first large-scale non-profit community education activity—the 2009 National Community Music Broadcast. The activity appealed to many music fans, and a number of community education experimental and demonstration areas and radio and TV universities actively participated. More than 100 organizations selected and recommended over 200 entries to be broadcast online. The broadcast attracted great attention and participation among community residents, with some entries receiving almost one million votes. During the broadcast period, a special performance featuring Chinese classical and folk music was organized and staged at the 29th World Music Education Conference. On the night of December 4, 2010, the award ceremony of this first community music broadcast was held at a music hall in Zhejiang province, showcasing the distinctive and lively music of local communities to viewers across the nation.
By Meng Jia, the OUC