Reforming music education in Indonesia
By A. Chaedar Alwasilah
BANDUNG (JP): Many believe that music is simply a form of entertainment that does not require any thoughtful consideration at all. This attitude emanating from sheer ignorance has pushed music into a corner, where it is perceived as unimportant. On the other hand, science, English and math are put in a better position on the school curriculum. This partial treatment has left students with a feeling of estrangement from music and art in general.
A features article by Deborah Hasting of Associated Press which was printed in The Jakarta Post on March 16 revealed that music lessons coupled with a special computer program significantly increased the math skills of elementary schoolchildren. The report further said that "the learning of music emphasizes thinking in space and time."
The national high school curriculum (1993) stipulates that art education is aimed at developing sensitivity toward art, skills in art works and in inculcating respect for and pride of Indonesian arts and cultures in general, This school subject comprising music, fine art, dance and drama is meant to develop on students an equilibrium between rational and emotional aspects. That is to say, high school students are expected to demonstrate aesthetic appreciation toward, as well as creativity in, producing artworks.
Unfortunately, this imposing curricular goal has encountered various hindrances. As an impact of globalization and industrialization, students are continuously bombarded with music programs from overseas. It is not unreasonable to infer that Indonesia's youth is more familiar with Mariah Carey, Guns 'N Roses, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, to mention just a few. One may immediately blame MTV as scapegoat. To our dismay, Indonesian traditional music such as kecapi suling, gamelan, angklung and Cianjuran continue to be forgotten especially among he youth in urban cities.
Another obstacle is the fact that, in general, schools do not have qualified music teachers. Professor Dieter Mach, ethnomusicologist and composer at School of Music in Freburg, Germany, in his book Pendidikan Music: Antara Harapan dan Kenyataan (Music Education: Between Hopes and Reality, 1996) criticized the current practice of music education here. In his observation, while the teaching of traditional music is hardly successful, music teachers do not have sufficient knowledge about Western music. Even worse, teachers oftentimes introduce misconceptions about Western music to students.
Students are provided with a history of Western music rather than an introduction to traditional music. It is a pity that many teachers are fascinated by the delusion that Western music is the only model for music education. No wonder most high school students are crazy about pop music, although without educated consciousness, understanding and appreciation. A knowledge of music theory may be helpful, notwithstanding that such rational competence does not in itself disclose aesthetic meaning at all.
Strong and disheartening though Mach's assessment may sound to us, there must be some wisdom in it. A theory exists that long colonialism in the past and present globalization account for students' failing to appreciate traditional music. Meanwhile, efforts to improve the education system in the country are hindered by abject facilities and lack of understanding among policymakers. However, the most lamentable thing is teachers' fallacious perception that Western music is superior to Indonesian traditional music.
By way of comparison, in most American schools, music is part of extracurricular activities. In schools, relatively few hours and activities are allocated for teaching music. In this respect, like in Indonesia, music lessons do not contribute significantly to general education. It is in the extracurricular program that music, along with sports, is promoted most.
American schools are very much characterized by the "melting pot" philosophy, by which teachers are inspired to expose students to virtually any form of music available. Each work is invited to speak its own message and to stand on its own merits. Students are conditioned to be familiar with and appreciative of music reflecting different living cultures. Through this mode of aesthetical negotiation, students' creativity is fostered and their appreciation is ascertained. Thus, students are provided with an opportunity to appreciate music as part of their general education, and talented students are promoted to develop to the full.
In German schools, music education in early years is aimed at exploring and developing sensitivity toward sounds in general. Perhaps, this is what composer Igor Stravinsky meant when he asserted: "My music is best understood by children and animals." That is to say, enrichment of experience of music depends upon openness to the boundless variety of possible music ideas.
At later stages, music education is aimed at developing appreciation and cognition. It is never meant to train students to be musicians. Like in the U.S., music training is generally part of extracurricular programs. According to Mach, in 1986 in Germany there were 750 private music schools with 589,616 students. Students pay approximately a half of the cost, while the other half is paid by the local government.
Dwelling upon the practice of music education in both the U.S and Germany, as illustrated above, it is a certainty that our music education is still far from satisfactory. A survey (conducted by the writer in 1996) with undergraduate music majors at Bandung's Teachers Training Institute as the respondents revealed statistics as follows:
More than a half of students, 51 percent, did not play any musical instrument in their elementary years. Most respondents, 77 percent, reported learning Sundanese (traditional West Javanese) songs in elementary schools, although they, 68 percent, reported that their schools did not have facilities for learning Sundanese music. And 89 percent reported enjoying no facilities to learn Western music.
At junior high school levels, situations are slightly better, where 83 percent of the respondents played an instrument, and 74 percent learned Sundanese songs. At senior high school levels, 66 percent of respondents learned Sundanese songs. It was also found that in their high school years, most respondents, 91 percent, did not take any music courses outside schools.
The statistics above suggest many things, and three major observations follow. First, our elementary schools, so far, have neglected music, which is, in fact, part of general or basic education. Students are already introduced to traditional music. It does not mean, though, that they really learn music. Despite the fact that traditional flutes made of bamboo are inexpensive and easy to get, most students are not familiar with them. It is no exaggeration to say that elementary schools are not staffed with qualified music teachers. They simply make bricks without straw.
Second, music education in secondary schools seems to be relatively better in terms of hours. This is not an ideal situation though. As German and American schools demonstrate, early years of schooling are highly influential, constituting an ideal period of exploring and developing students' sensitivity of musical sounds. There is a common attitude among educational bureaucrats here: the lower an educational institution, the less attention it is paid to. To improve music education in elementary school, music -- along with sports and English -- should be taught by subject teachers rather than grade teachers.
Third, music education is not unreasonably perceived as a luxury in this country. The continued growing of private music schools attracting schoolchildren of various ages is a sound indicator of improved music education. It would be relatively long time before this indicator comes into reality in this country.
Reforming music education does not necessarily entail additional hours at schools. The way to a genuine appreciation of music is through a right and informed form of education. The crucial things to do are: (1) priority should be given to local traditional music before introducing Western music and other forms of music; (2) music appreciation should take precedence over history and theoretical aspects of music; (3) music should be taught by professional music teachers rather than grade teachers; and (4) talented students should be furnished with opportunities to develop their potentials in extracurricular programs.
The writer is a lecturer at Graduate School of Bandung Teachers Training Institute, West Java.