Research problem: Ethnic cultural traditions take an important role in the process of formation of a well-rounded and spiritually developed personality. Diverse types of folklore creativity, holidays, customs, rituals determine the moral and aesthetic potential of each ethnic group, being an integral component of not only national, but also universal culture. Therefore, it is particularly important to use a multicultural approach for education, that allows to person to learn the culture of their people, and successfully interact with other ethnic cultures.

Multicultural education had become an important trend in from the late 1970`s in American teacher education and in other countries include Russia. Multicultural approach in education is a trend of preparation for the social, political and economic realities that individuals experience in culturally diverse and complex human encounters.

Currently, one of the priority directions in the implementation of the ethno-cultural approach is the use of digital technologies in the educational process. A significant factor of information resources is public availability, which significantly expands the possibilities of the educational process. Computer equipment and software allow for the collection, storage, processing and transmission of information, digital technologies provide interactive methodological support for the learning process and the activities of educational institutions. An important part of the use of digital technologies is online education, which is free of time and location frames.

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the pedagogical potential of a multicultural approach in the process of educating a teacher-musician by means of an online course.

Methods:

- analysis and synthesis of philosophical, methodological, pedagogical, psychological, historical, scientific and methodological, ethnopedagogic, ethnographic, art history, musical and pedagogical, archival literature;

- generalization and study of educational software and pedagogical documentation;

- pedagogical analysis of ethnocultural traditions;

- observation, questioning, conversations, testing, surveys, interviewing;

- study and generalization of pedagogical experience;

- quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results obtained using statistical methods, digital and information technologies.

Theoretical and empirical methods allow to analysis of the state of development of the problem, theoretically substantiate the basic concepts of research, lead to the accumulation of theoretical and factual material, the definition of research methodology based on analysis, theoretical understanding, systematization and generalization of materials on the selected problem, the development and implementation of specific scientific, methodological and practical recommendations.

Results. In the course of the research, the principles of a multicultural approach in the education of a teacher-musician were studied:

• Deep learning of own culture through others;

• Comparing of different musical cultures for getting new knowledge.

It also revealed the pedagogical potential of a multicultural approach in the process of the teacher-musicians` education by means of the online course " Volga region peoples` music ", which consists in forming a set of knowledge, performing skills and skills in the field of vocal folklore traditions aimed at educating the moral and spiritual qualities of a person by comparing different cultures by exchanging experience between them.

Conclusions: The expansion of knowledge about the development of ethno-cultural traditions in pedagogical and cultural aspects based on the use of online courses, allows us to talk about the broad possibilities of studying ethno-cultural traditions based on the use of modern digital technologies.

Recommendations: it is possible to identify the main areas of application of digital technologies:

- access to reference resources and electronic libraries containing information about different cultures and traditions;

- visualization of information using multimedia equipment and programs for creating presentations;

- modeling of objects and situations in order to study them;

- organization of online communication between users;

- creation of educational and methodological tools for the educational process (electronic textbooks, training programs).