Customized and non-customized Mandarin children songs: A comparison of musical characteristic and educational values
List of Authors
  • Phang Kong-Chien , Yuan Yue

Keyword
  • Children Songs, Customized and Non-Customized, Musical Characteristic, Educational Values

Abstract
  • Three composers, Wu Songjin (吴颂今), Yu Shan (羽善), Peng Mei (彭玫), specialized in children song productions were interviewed to discuss musical characteristics and values imparted in modern Mandarin songs. Face-to-face discussion were carried out in two cities in China, Guangzhou (广州) and Quzhou (衢州), in 2023. In these paper, the authors’ contribution in categorizing children’s songs as customized and non-customized remains among the earliest academic discourses. Here, the authors concluded that customized songs are usually consumed commercially and created based on the growth background, personality, and language habits of specific children from different regions, locales and cultures; whereas non-customized songs are closely associated with governmental policies and cultural projects, with the musical characteristics more flexibly crafted by the composers. In terms of educational values, mainly reflected in the song texts, the authors found fundamental differences between these two categories. The lyrics of customized songs are usually created to meet the needs of specific individuals or specific occasions, projecting personalized emotions and stories; while for non-customized songs, they focus more on common cultural awareness and are committed in promoting social responsibilities.

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