The consensus was reached as delegates from 17 schools engaged in musical education met to hear performances and lectures at a forum on Higher Musical Education in the 21st Century.

Guo Shulan, head of China's Central Conservatory of Music, said music, as a special teaching method, played an important role in improving the whole nation.

Combining artistic education with quality education had become an issue of wide concern to teaching staff, she added.

Fan Zheming, assistant to the president of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, said college students at musical institutes were the professional musicians of the future and they should spare no effort in popularizing music for the public.

China has nine higher musical education institutes in big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Participants also made suggestions to festival organizers. Liu Xiaogeng, president of Yunnan Artistic Training School, said the festival should add a thesis selection and composing competition, to further connect with European and American musical festivals.

Expert: Classroom for Classical Music Open to All

The goal of musical education is to let more people see the beauty of music and find strengthen therein, Guo Shulan, head of the Central Conservatory of Music (CCM), said at the first China College Student's Music Festival in Xiamen Friday.

She said college students would be creators and consumers of music in the future, and enlarging their musical knowledge was a duty of music professionals.

The CCM, founded in 1950, is known as "a cradle for Chinese musicians". So far, the institute has won more than 1,000 prizes in various international competitions and bred generations of world-renowned Chinese musicians.

Since China adopted the opening-up policies in 1978, the CCM has readjusted its teaching methods, giving more opportunities to people wanting to study music.

"The reform of the teaching system is driving colleges and universities engaged in music education," Guo said.

The CCM, for the first time, had launched a musical education department, which enhanced the quality of Chinese music teaching staff.

A teaching method was specifically designed for the musical education department, which included fundamental subjects and the advanced methods of Kodaly and Orff, which were quite different from those at normal universities.

People applying for adult education should take professional tests and have experience in organizing cultural activities, because "China needs more people dedicating to spreading music".

Statistics show that since 1999, more and more people have realized the importance of music study.

Meanwhile, grades have become very competitive. The CCM has invited experts to comment on candidates' musical theory and performance skills.

"We should treat musical teaching in a serious way, as many Chinese people are learning classical music by themselves," added Guo.

The CCM launched its remote education classrooms in 33 places throughout China, and offered teacher training courses to 35 colleges and universities.

(Edited from Xinhua News Agency, July 20, 2002)