The Development of Teaching Method for Chamber Music Courses in Chinese Comprehensive Universities

This study investigates an innovative chamber music pedagogy integrating Project-Based Learning (PBL), Collaborative Learning, and Musical Intelligence Theory to enhance performance education. Employing a three-phase mixed-methods design, the research first identified pedagogical needs through interviews and literature review, then implemented the integrated approach with 17 music majors at South China Normal University, and finally assessed outcomes through comprehensive pre-post testing. Quantitative results demonstrated significant improvements across all measured dimensions: technical proficiency increased from 3.79 to 4.35 (p<0.01), artistic expression reached 87.6%, and ensemble skills achieved 84.6%. The findings validate this multidimensional framework as an effective model for chamber music instruction, offering both theoretical insights and practical strategies for music education reform. The result showed that: 1. Current chamber music education in higher music institutions has established a relatively comprehensive curriculum system, yet still faces several structural issues including an imbalance between technical training and artistic expression, limited repertoire diversity, traditional teaching methods, and insufficient resources, all of which constrain the holistic development of students' comprehensive musicianship. 2.This study innovatively integrates Musical Intelligence Theory, Project-Based Learning, and Collaborative Learning to construct a multidimensional pedagogical framework, with empirical results demonstrating significant improvements in students' technical proficiency (average scores increased from 3.79 to 4.35), artistic expression (87.6%), and ensemble skills (84.6%), while successfully achieving cross-cultural integration of Western classical and Chinese musical traditions, thereby providing both theoretical and practical paradigms for music education reform. 3. Through paired t-test analysis, the p-values for all dimensions were less than 0.05.The significant t-values further validate the effectiveness of the course in enhancing students' technical skills and artistic expression. This result indicates that the course has achieved notable success in comprehensively enhancing students' overall musical literacy and performance abilities.