268 foreign students from China are studying at Penza State University. Of these, 231 students came from China to Penza to connect their lives and future profession with music. Here, at PSU, professionals in their field - teachers at the department "Music and Methods of Teaching Music" are teaching Chinese students vocals and how to play musical instruments. In addition, international students are introduced to the rich cultural history of Russia, combining the study of specialized disciplines with attending concerts at the Philharmonic, excursions, and workshops.

Last week, the academic group 22 НПМм1 of the department "Music and Methods of Teaching Music" of the Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Sciences of the Institute of Teacher Education continued to join cultural life.

Chinese students were invited to take part in the workshop of the Lel folklore ensemble of the Penza College of Music (headed by Tatyana Nazarova). Students from China enjoyed wonderful vocals, got acquainted with the ensemble's repertoire, which includes a huge number of songs that fascinate with their originality of performance. The students were able to feel the color of folk art and study ethno-cultural traditions, following how they are displayed in the songs and music of the Russian people.

The next place that hospitably opened its doors to our students was the Penza Center for Russian Choral and Vocal Culture, where master’s degree students from the People's Republic of China continued to master the academic discipline "Ethnocultural Traditions in Music Education".

The performers of the Stargorod ensemble introduced the students to the origin of Russian musical instruments, and also performed works from their concert repertoire for them.

At the end of the meeting, the students performed several songs in their native language, which had been previously learned with the vocal teachers of the Department “Music and Methods of Teaching Music”. The song “Oh, roads”, prepared in the choir class by senior teacher Elena Gulyaeva, was particularly moving.

The teaching staff of the department "Music and Methods of Teaching Music" does everything to make the student years of Chinese young people rich and varied. They not only teach them musical skills, but also introduce them to Russian culture and music. Such work will continue, with plans to visit the museum-reserve of S.V. Rachmaninov "Ivanovka" in the Uvarovsky district, the Tambov region.