Official representatives of Penza State University – Sergey Vasin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, and Tatiana Shepilkina, Head of the Music and Methods of Teaching Music department – are currently visiting universities in China.

The focus of meetings and discussions is the development of joint bachelor programmes in Teaching Music. On 24th-25th of May they were guests at Gannan Teachers University. During the meetings with the university President and Vice-Rector for International Relations, the parties talked in general about the Jiangxi  province with 41 million people, the  Gannan district and the city of Ganzhou, about university life and studies in Gannan Teachers’ University. At the moment the university trains more than 20 thousand students, with around 600 studying music and teaching music, and has more than 1400 professors.

  The demand for teachers in China is exceptionally high: they are needed at all stages of general and specialist education – pre-school, primary and secondary schools, universities. That is why a lot of young  people have ambitions to receive the education of music teacher. Russian musical training is valued high by Chinese professionals. A lot of people wish to study in Russia, even considering the higher price of education as compared with China. University administrative leaders – Director of the Institute of Music and Dance, Director of the Department of International Education – as well as teaching professionals and specialist of international relations discussed the possible relations with Penza State University.

The Institute of Music and Dance has everything needed for quality training of music specialists – special classrooms and concert halls, a big collection of musical instruments, from classical pianos to rarer instruments, unique for the region. The teachers are all specialist with high qualifications and experience. The students demonstrated their skills in a concert that was organized specially for guests from Penza State University.

  During the talks attention was given to details of cooperation, including adaptation of study programmes so as to build an integrated educational programmes that answers the demands of government standards of education both in the Russian Federation and the Peoples’ Republic of China. The planned programme will be built on the basis of the scheme: the bachelor level will include 3 years of study in China + 1 year of study in Russia, followed by master-level studies full-time in Penza State University. The maximum number of students for joint studies will not exceed 40 people per year. During the programme, teacher of music and Russian language professionals from Penza State University will have regular teaching visits to China.

Guests from Gannan Teachers University are to visit our university in September, 2016.

The representatives of Penza State University went on with their visit to China and flew to Lianyungang, Jiangsu  for further talks and discussions.