The Art of Piano Performance and Distance Technologies in the Training of Students of the People’s Republic of China as a Problem of Contemporary Art Studies
Irina B. Gorbunova, Liu Ganfeng
Abstract. Distance learning technologies that enable the management of music university students’ learning processes by using the internet, videoconferencing, and LMS platforms are being actively introduced worldwide. This issue is particularly significant in the context of teaching students in the People’s Republic of China, who have unique culturally conditioned ways of perceiving and mastering musical material. The authors present the results of a study on the methodology to embed distance learning technologies into training piano students in China, based on the active use of contemporary music and computer technologies in teaching stage piano performance. The authors examine specialized software introduced and used in Chinese piano classrooms. The paper discusses methodological approaches to organizing musical and creative events by using mobile applications, video conferencing systems, instant messengers, etc. The authors describe in detail their own methodology including: 1) synchronous lessons via video conferencing platforms using multichannel sound and a viewing angle of the keyboard and the performer’s hands; 2) asynchronous work with recorded video fragments for a detailed analysis of the performance; 3) the use of specialized software (e.g., PiaScore, Simply Piano) to develop sight-reading skills; 4) elements of music information systems that ensure an effective educational process in a distance learning format; 5) the description of contemporary music and computer technologies that ensure a high-quality and effective professionally oriented educational process. The authors analyse problems that teachers may encounter when introducing innovative technologies and give recommendations for solving them. The authors conclude that it is vital to develop a reliable IT support system for music universities to overcome the significant digital divide between students and teachers. The paper may be useful to musicologists and art historians working on the development of a transdisciplinary approach to the study of musical phenomena, as well as to educators working in distance and blended learning contexts.
Keywords: art history, piano performance, piano pedagogy, distance learning technologies, People’s Republic of China, Chinese piano students, music computer technologies (MCT), digitalization of education.
Gorbunova I.B.: Doctor of Pedagogy, Full Professor, Head of the Music and Computer Technologies Laboratory of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia, https://doi.org/00000000000000/00000, e-mail: gorbunovaib@rgpu.spb.ru
Liu Ganfeng: PhD-student. Department of Methods of Musical Education and Upbringing of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, e-mail: liuganfeng124@gmail.com
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For citations:
Gorbunova Irina B., Liu Ganfeng. Piano Performance and Distance Technologies in Student Training in the People’s Republic of China as a Problem of Contemporary Art Studies // Arts in Cultural Dialogue. 2026. №1 (1). Р. 70-90. https://doi.org/10.67019/3033-8298.2026.1.1.004