Abstract—The position taken in this paper is that the China National K-12 Music Teacher Licensure Examinations enable to provide a comprehensive assessment for Chinese pre-service music teachers. Despite some studies criticizing this pre-service music teacher assessment, it remains well-aligned with the current social trends and music education landscape in China. The rigorous nature of the system and its rich content not only assesses the competencies of Chinese pre-service music teachers, but also serves as a guide for their future career paths. As a touchstone for evaluating pre-service music teachers, this assessment should be continually refined and optimized to maintain its forward-thinking edge, enabling the identification of more exceptional Chinese K-12 music teachers for the progression of art education. For future enhancements, I recommended that administrator should proceed from the following aspects: focusing on the assessment of playing skills on diverse instruments, diversifying the forms of licensure, amplifying consideration of teaching beliefs and teaching motivation, and optimizing music teacher education programs. 
 

Keywords—assessment, music education, K-12 music, pre-service music teacher, Chinese music teacher

Cite: Zaiyang Xu, "The National K-12 Music Teacher Licensure Examinations in China: A Touchstone for Comprehensive Assessment of Chinese Pre-service Music Teachers," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 79-84, 2025.

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