An approach to the two musical dramas, opera ”Aida” and Kabuki Music ”Kanjinchou” from a cross-cultural perspective

In the previous paper we studied the possibility of an approach to the teaching of music appreciation to junior high school students from a cross-cultural perspective. We analyzed the data we obtained from an appreciation experiment in which we had a group of junior high school students watch the opera ”Aida” and the kabuki ”Kanjinchou”, two masterpiece dramas from the West and East, close in time. We hoped the study would help to provide a better teaching material for music appreciation. Our vision seems to be supported by Keith Swanwick, who notes ”the first and unique aim of music education in schools and colleges is to raise to consciousness and explore a number of musical procedures, experienced directly through the reality of various intercultural encounters.” For the present paper, we performed the same experiment with a different group of students of the same age to reexamine and confirm the observations we presented in the previous paper. Based pm the revised analysis we try to provide more specifically what we think should be taught to junior high school students in the music appreciation from a cross-cultural perspective.

musical drama

opera

kabuki

cross-cultural perspective

the teaching of music appreciation