Composer worried about new children's songs

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Millions of Indonesian children are familiar with the modest yet touching song Pelangi (Rainbow). Even now, this composition still echoes in homes, in schools and other places. This song is about a beautiful rainbow in a blue sky and teaches children to praise its creator, God.

However, many people do not recognize the man who composed this evergreen children's song.

It was Abdullah Totong Mahmud, popularly known as A.T. Mahmud, who wrote this song more than 30 years ago. It was inspired by the curiosity of one of his daughters about the natural phenomenon of rainbows.

For almost 40 years, A.T. Mahmud has written about 800 children's songs, including Pelangi, Amelia, Main Ayunan (Playing on a Swing) and Ambilkan Bulan (Get Me The Moon). Together with the late Ibu Sud (popular name for Saridjah Niung Bintang Soedibjo), Pak Kasur (Soerjono) Daldiyono and Ki Suratman, A.T. Mahmud has enriched the lives of many Indonesian children with beautiful compositions.

Born in Palembang, South Sumatra, in l930, he has been active in the world of education. After graduating from the Teachers' Training College in Jakarta, he continued his study at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Between 1968 and l988, A.T. Mahmud hosted music programs for children: Lagu Pilihanku (My Requested Song) and Ayo Menyanyi (Let's Sing), at the state-owned TVRI. The programs were halted by the station in l988, one year before the emergence of private television stations.

A.T. Mahmud is as prolific as ever. He is also an avid observer of the development of children's songs and the country's junior entertainment world. He has great concerned about the quality of today's children's song and the condition of young singers. The following is an excerpt from an interview with The Jakarta Post.

Question: Why are so many people, including you, so worried about the quality of current children's songs?

Answer: It's really pathetic. If we talk about children's songs, we have to first understand the definition.

For me, a song is a means of artistic expression, and children are human beings who are still in a growing process both mentally and physically.

A good children's song is a composition that reveals imagination, feelings and artistic expression, seen from the children's point of view, that can stimulate their mental and physical progress. In my opinion, most of today's songs are not appropriate for children.

Q: How can you come to such conclusion?

A: It is not a conclusion, it is a long and meticulous observation. Listen to popular children songs. Their lyrics lack educative and moral values and are often burdened with a pack of messages which are hardly understood by the singers. I'll show you an example.

In a song called Aku Cinta Rupiah (I Love the Rupiah), the singer urges people to use their Indonesian currency, the rupiah, instead of U.S. dollars when they purchase goods or save their money. That is a campaign launched by adults to boost the declining rupiah value against the dollar. How can a six- or seven-year-old singer understand the meaning of its content?

The appearance of young performers are also incredible. They appear in a style only suitable for grown-ups. They are just miniatures of adult singers.

Q: How important are lyrics in a song?

A: Lyrics in children's songs are very substantial.

Children, especially the under five-year-olds, are excellent learners and observers. In these formative years, they can easily absorb everything from their surroundings, including songs and music.

Ideally, a song should contain lyrics that help children develop verbal skills and vocabulary as well their knowledge and moral values. If a child frequently hears bad songs with vulgar lyrics, he or she will absorb values from the songs that will persist forever in their minds.

Q: Who is responsible for the current situation of our children's music world?

A: We are all responsible. Parents, teachers, songwriters, the government and other parties, including TV stations and music producers.

Q: Is there any effort being made to improve the quality of our children's songs?

A: Child experts, including psychologists, educators, senior songwriters and musicians, have been voicing their concern over this problem since l989.

There was a series of seminars, workshops and discussions to formulate "genuine" children's songs. There were also songwriting contests to seek new talent and good songs but there was no follow-up action.

These experts have also met with people from television stations, producers and other parties involved in the music industry.

Q: Was there any positive response from music producers or related groups?

A: I think older songwriters, experts and people from the music industry have different perceptions toward children's songs.

The late Ibu Sud and Pak Kasur, for example, wrote a song out of their affection for children. They were educators who lived among children and who understood their feelings. I am very sure they never thought about making money from their writings.

Now, many people earn money from writing children's songs and sell their works to producers at very high prices.

I asked one music producer whether he had set up a special team to pick children's songs if he wanted to produce an album. He honestly said he always let his workers and even servants hear the songs offered to his studio. If they liked the songs, then he would produce them and he was sure the songs would sell.

Q: What should we do now to prevent our children from hearing low-quality songs?

A: We cannot prevent people from producing market-oriented children's songs because it is their right. But don't forget, children also have the right to hear good songs.

What we should do now is to encourage the government, child experts and people from the music industry to give alternative facilities for children to learn and to enjoy educative and entertaining music activities. They deserve to live in a harmonious and innocent world which is free from commercialism and exploitation.