Educating Through Music From an "Initiation into Classical Music" for Children to Confucian "Self-Cultivation" for University Students

Confucian discourse in contemporary China simultaneously permeates the intertwined fields of politics and education. The current Confucian revival associates the "sacred", power and knowledge whereas modernity is characterized by a differentiation between institutions and values. The paradoxical situation of Confucianism in modern society constitutes the background of the present article that explores the case of a private company involved in promoting classical Chinese music to children and "self-cultivation" to students. Its original conception of "education through music" paves the way for a new "ethical and aesthetic" teaching method that leaves aside the traditional associations of ethics with politics. By the same token, it opens the possibility for a non-political Confucianism to provide a relevant contribution in the field of education today.