Teaching Cantonese Opera in Schools: In-depth Case Studies in Hong Kong

Cantonese opera is recognized as one of the most representative inter-disciplinary arts in Hong Kong and has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Humanity. The transmission of Cantonese opera in education has been facing different challenges, including but not limited to audience building, audience education, teacher training and development and limited teaching and learning resources in this genre. Although Education Bureau has organized various workshops and courses regarding the training on teaching this genre, many music teachers may not be confident nor competent regarding teaching the genre and thus may influence the teaching practices and effectiveness. This study aims to understand how in-service music teachers who have received relevant training in Cantonese opera in dealing with teaching the genre, in the forms of class observations and in-depth interviews. The research team will observe the classes over the semester in each participating school and interview teachers for their feedback and reflection in terms of teaching and learning of the genre, which might provide insights for the future development in teaching the genre in primary and secondary schools. This study will provide insights of what problems Hong Kong music teachers would encounter when they teach Cantonese opera in music lessons, and how they would deal with the problems. In addition, good practices may be dug out for other teachers’ reference.

Funding Source: UGC - Research Matching Grant (RMG)