Recently, the 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Primary and Secondary School Students Music Festival, themed “Bay Area Youth · Harmony of Mountains and Seas”, staged a splendid show in Futian, Shenzhen. Hosted by the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, this aesthetic education gala attracted nearly 3,000 teachers and students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to gather in the City of Pengcheng (Shenzhen). Taking music as a bridge to build a cultural exchange platform, the three-day event presented an audio-visual feast that combines artistic standards with educational warmth, and injected strong impetus into the integrated development of aesthetic education in the Greater Bay Area through innovative practices.
Opening Ceremony: AI Empowers Aesthetic Education, Youth from Three Regions Compete for Excellence
At the opening ceremony, the core concept of “AI Empowering Music Education Innovation” ran through the entire event. The four-chapter performance progressed layer by layer with numerous highlights. Primary and secondary school students from 56 schools in the three regions used diverse forms such as chorus, instrumental ensemble, singing and dancing performances to interpret works with both regional characteristics and contemporary appeal, deeply integrating poetry recitation, modern music arrangement and “AI + Aesthetic Education” displays.
On the stage, traditional folk music collided and blended with modern symphony, and classic Cantonese songs complemented original pieces. The performances not only demonstrated solid artistic skills, but also conveyed the younger generation’s beautiful vision for the development of the Greater Bay Area, vividly interpreting the profound transformation of aesthetic education from “skill training” to “literacy shaping”, which won rounds of applause from the audience. Chen Jiansheng, Second-level Inspector of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, Qiu Chengyu, Deputy Director of the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Education, and other leaders and guests attended the opening ceremony to jointly witness this grand event of aesthetic education.
Multidimensional Exchanges: Integrating Performance, Research, Learning and Training to Explore New Paths for Aesthetic Education
In addition to the wonderful art performances, the music festival simultaneously built a four-in-one exchange system of “performance, research, learning and training”. At the thematic seminar, Professor Liang Baohua from the Education University of Hong Kong and Professor Dai Baisheng from the Macao Polytechnic University delivered special reports. 15 teachers from the three regions shared practical achievements around themes such as “Aesthetic Education for All” and “AI Empowerment”. In inter-school interactions, teachers and students from the Tibet Class of Leliu Jiangyi Junior High School in Shunde District, Foshan City walked into the campuses in Futian, participated in fun sports and seal engraving experience activities, deepening ethnic emotions and cultural identity. In the teaching case demonstration session, teachers from the three regions presented music classes for different stages including primary school, junior high school and senior high school, with expert comments pointing directly at the core of teaching. Three teacher workshops focused on “Integration of Technology and Humanities” and “Upholding Integrity and Innovation”, promoting the cross-regional flow of aesthetic education experience and providing valuable reference for frontline teachers.
Futian Practice: Building a Comprehensive Aesthetic Education Pattern to Empower Growth for the Future
As the host district of this music festival, Futian District has always regarded aesthetic education as an important carrier for moral education and cultivating people. With the core of “Whole-region Immersion, Full Participation and Whole-process Empowerment”, it has built a unique comprehensive aesthetic education pattern. In recent years, Futian District has thoroughly implemented the action plan of “One Matter for Aesthetic Education” in Shenzhen, innovatively launched the brand of “Meizhizi Youth Program”, put forward teaching propositions of “Perceptual and Creative Music” and “Childlike Art”, established 21 characteristic study tour communities and alliances, and formed a four-level integrated education system of “Curriculum – Club – Alliance – Performance”. By taking the lead in realizing the full coverage of “Small Musical Instruments Entering Classrooms” in the district, Futian has created a vivid situation where “Every Class Has a Chorus, Everyone Can Play an Instrument, and All Step onto the Stage”, enabling every child to enjoy high-quality aesthetic education resources.
“The music festival has built a platform for young people from the three regions to showcase their talents and learn from each other, allowing children to enhance their cultural confidence and sense of identity with the Greater Bay Area in the artistic edification.” A relevant person in charge of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province stated that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Primary and Secondary School Students Music Festival has been held for five consecutive sessions, becoming an important brand promoting the integrated development of regional aesthetic education. In the future, it will continue to deepen educational exchanges and cooperation among the three regions, allowing the flowers of aesthetic education to bloom continuously across the Greater Bay Area.
At the closing ceremony, students from the three regions sang “Tomorrow Will Be Better” together, and the melodious singing echoed in the venue, drawing a successful conclusion to the music festival. The successful holding of this grand event is not only a solid practice of implementing the Outline of the Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also an in-depth construction of the regional aesthetic education ecosystem. Taking this event as an opportunity, Futian District will continue to deepen the reform and innovation of aesthetic education, escort the all-round development of young people in the Greater Bay Area, and contribute more “Futian Strength” and “Futian Solutions” to the integrated development of culture and education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
