Music appreciation

I am writing in response to S. Harmono's letter (Jan. 30, 1997), which commented on my articles on classical music which appeared in The Sunday Post (Jan. 26, 1997).

Firstly, regarding S. Harmono's comment that I should "...enlighten us on the contents of an appreciation lesson for young music students". I believe I already did this in my original article for the Post. Using Yayasan Musik Jakarta (YMJ)'s music appreciation curriculum as an example, I mentioned a "Musical Instruments" CD-ROM, which teaches students every instrument's range of sound effects, its technical aspects, and its function in a larger context such as a chamber or a symphony orchestra.

Yayasan Musik Indonesia (YMI) has special CD-ROMs to aid students' appreciation beyond their chosen instruments. The International Music Foundation prioritizes chamber music. Most music schools now teach not only piano, but a range of other instruments too.

Given the limited space, however, this was not included in the published version. One of the reasons may be that the article on "Music Education" was primarily intended to inform people of the different schools in Jakarta and their general features. While I agree that knowledge of their teaching methods is essential to assess the level of improvement in music appreciation, the topic warrants another article to do it justice.

Secondly, in response to S. Harmono's question "Do music institutes quoted by Laksmi have a course on music appreciation?", please observe the last paragraph of the second article which read: "More recently, (music schools have) music appreciation classes for beginners." Thirdly, polarization and prejudice among musicians were mentioned in reference to different audiences all with an appreciation of music.

And concerning the lack of "good orchestral playing", I would like to direct S. Harmono to the obstacles faced by professional musicians in the first paragraph of my article. On top of less tangible issues such as prejudice and a narrow-minded mentality, all things hamper good orchestral playing.

But the fact that music education and performance have increased in the last decade is already an encouraging sign for the future of classical music. While high standard performances are still rare in the orchestral department, high-quality local instrumentalists and chamber music groups have started to assert themselves in the music scene and international musicians are increasingly making their way to Jakarta's concert halls.

LAKSMI PAMUNTJAK-DJOHAN

Jakarta