Courses strike a chord with Mozarts in training

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Maybe the deafening MTV message -- it's ultra-cool to sing, be in a band and feast on the trappings of success -- is hitting home.

Or perhaps people are just more aware of the importance of a musical education in shaping an intellectually well-rounded individual.

Whatever the reason, the capital is now home to an ever increasing number of music courses. With very few actual music schools, courses (most identify themselves as "schools") in playing an instrument or voice meet the demand from members of the public with musical ambitions.

Along Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda, South Jakarta, for instance, there are three music courses occupying a spacious area. In the Kebayoran Lama area, a two-story building housing the Basic Music School.

Signboards advertising music courses are everywhere, from upmarket enclaves to packed neighborhoods throughout Greater Jakarta.

Musician and Twilite Orchestra conductor Addie MS considers the phenomenon part of a growing appreciation of music.

"I've seen this for a while. There used to be just a Yamaha (music course) or YPM music school, now there are so many places," he told The Jakarta Post.

Young people today are so into music, he added, that a school can have dozens of bands, compared to a couple during his teenage years.

Research published beginning in the 1990s, showing a positive correlation between classical music and brain growth, also helped stimulate public awareness of the art's value, he said.

"Rich families once wanted to show their sophistication by getting their children to play music. But now, it has shifted. They want their children to be smarter by learning how to play music," said 40-something Addie, adding that the development proved a blessing for the classic music industry.

Parents also consider a musical career as providing a potentially good living today, almost impossible 20 years ago.

Housewife Anti, 32, has enrolled her three-year-old son Radhi in a guitar course.

"My son is very musical, his talent is already evident. He was nagging me to learn to play the guitar, so I sent him. I didn't force him to do it."

Two years from now, however, Anti plans to have her son take piano lessons. "Who knows if he can be a famous musician."

It is a lucrative business indeed. The Basic Music School, for instance, has already attracted over 50 students in less than six months. Farabi music institute in South Jakarta has a long waiting list of prospective students.

"We have two branches, with around 800 students. Still more people have come to us, so we've had to put them on a waiting list," said Farabi's owner Dwiki Dharmawan, a noted musician in his own right.

Dwiki, who took over the institute, founded in 1978, seven years ago, said another branch would open in Bali soon.

Addie said two parties asked him to set up music courses "to capitalize on my image", but he refused.

"Before I turn 50, I don't want to do something formal," he said.

As often happens in this country, quantity is no guarantee of quality. Both Addie and Dwiki think many of the music courses are more focused on commercial gains than fulfilling artistic aspirations.

"There are three challenges faced by a music course: To compensate for a lack of musical activity in school, to facilitate one's hobby and to produce musicians," Dwiki said.

Existing music courses barely accommodate the first two, let alone the third.

"The system is not balanced between theory and practice. Students should also be taught how to interpret and eventually compose music, not just play it," Dwiki said.

People should not only learn classical music, because by studying contemporary music, Dwiki said, people would learn how to compose as well.

With the lack of quality music courses, the mediocre result is people who can only play or sing a few songs -- and not do it that well.

Another reason is undiscriminating parents whose main aim is to have their kids quickly learn to play music.

"As both the clients and supplier are not demanding, then don't blame the music course for emphasizing instant programs. Most of the course owner are just investors who don't know anything about music. They don't even know the difference between a course and school!" Addie said.

Students with musical dreams must also reconsider if they have what it takes to reach the top, he said.

"They only see the success, like Sheila on 7 who are now perhaps millionaires, as they can sell millions of copies. But there are dozens of others who failed."

The important thing is to become an excellent musician, which often entails the hard slog of many hours of solitary practice.

In the long run, half-baked musicians will be cast aside amid intense global competition, with the possibility of foreign musicians eventually finding a receptive audience here.

"Other countries will be overflowing with good musicians who can no longer find gigs. It's not impossible that they will turn to our country," Addie said.

"If you can only play music, you'd better watch out."