Nationalism and globalisation in Chinese music education: an analysis through Lucy Green’s musical meanings

This paper examines the application of Lucy Green’s concepts of ‘intersonic’ (previously called ‘inherent’) and ‘delineated’ musical meanings within contemporary Chinese music education, focusing on the interplay between nationalism and globalisation. Green’s framework distinguishes the meanings constructed by listeners’ perceptions of their relationships to musical materials (intersonic meanings) from the broader cultural and ideological associations attached to music (delineated meanings). For the current study, this distinction provided a valuable lens for understanding how music education in China navigates the dual imperatives of fostering national identity while engaging with global cultural flows. Drawing on an analysis of official curriculum documents and state-approved music textbooks, this study explored how intersonic and delineated meanings are mobilised within curricular materials to address the sociopolitical complexities of contemporary China. In doing so, the study applied Green’s model to illustrate how Chinese music education simultaneously aims to cultivate stylistic competence, reinforce narratives of national cohesion, and position students within an increasingly globalised cultural landscape.