PART A

TOWARDS BETTER MUSIC EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS FOR A BETTER MUSICAL

CULTURE IN MALAYSIA
AUTHOR
JOHAMI ABDULLAH, D.N.S., A.N.S., PJK,
PRESIDENT,
MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
AUTHOR'S CONTACT DETAILS

232, JALAN ANGSANA 5/2

TAMAN PINGGIRAN GOLF
70400 SEREMBAN
PHONE: 06 6771850 / 019 6609427
FAX: 06 6771845
EMAIL: njec@tm.net.my

THE AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND

Johami bin Abdullah @ Joe Chelliah is a now retired music educator. He was born in Serom
Estate, Tangkak, Muar, Johor on 28.1.1944. His primary and secondary education was in
the Government English School in Muar. He finished his schooling in 1959 and started
teaching straightaway in 1960 as a temporary teacher.
He has taught at the primary, secondary and teachers' college levels between 1960 and 1996. In
1984 he was awarded a governmental scholarship to study music at the University of
Iowa in USA and returned with his MA in music education in 1987. He taught at The
Specialist Teachers College in Cheras since 1980 and retired as its Head of the Music
Department in 1996.
Johami has written a book in Malay titled "Pendidikan Muzik Semasa" published in 1993 by
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. He has also written about music and music education that
were published both locally and overseas.
He manages his own business as a music and events consultant now and performs occasionally.
He is also currently a music activist through bodies such as MAHKOTA, Majlis Muzik
Malaysia, MACP, Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia, MASEVE and MAME of which he has
been president since 2002.

ABSTRACT
TOWARDS A MORE HEALTHY MUSICAL CULTURE IN MALAYSIA THROUGH BETTER
MUSIC EDUCATION
Keywords
Music, Music Education, Malaysia

ABSTARCT OF PAPER
The author laments about many things that he has perceived as wrong in the Malaysian
music scene and music education since 1987 and outlines them. Poor music education,
he says, is the main cause for the music industry's woes and lack of better music
aesthetics amongst Malaysians.
Traditional music forms and patriotic songs are not appreciated anymore by younger
Malaysians who cannot not sing or appreciate such music. Prominent composers of today
shy away from composing patriotic songs unlike in the early years of Merdeka.
The music industry had made in roads into Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore at one time.
There was also a healthy pop music concert culture which has since declined and is in the
doldrums for some time now. Musical piracy, poor musical tastes together with the lack
of respect for intellectual property and copyrights are mentioned. Governmental support
and legislation in copyright laws have helped somewhat.
Despite great advances in many other fields, the Malaysian music industry and music
education is lagging behind and this must be addressed. Most innovative and/or remedial
attempts in the Malaysian music education system appear to have failed and appear to be
moving backwards.
Educational policy-making and management are still in the hands of non-music educators
or very junior music educators who may not be as familiar with the realities of music
education philosophies and pedagogies as they should be. Poor music educator

recruitment requirements and procedures have also resulted in a lack of basic musical
competencies for effective music instruction in classrooms and lecture halls alike. Many
reasons are offered as to why music is just as important as other subjects.
The positive situations that exist in advanced countries like Japan and Germany for a better
overall musical culture are also mentioned in comparison to Malaysia. Much money is spent by
the government on music but not effectively channeled or used.
The author concludes that there has to be a genuine rethinking process and initiatives by the
government in collaboration with all concerned in music education in Malaysia needs to be done
immediately. These efforts must consider music education as a basic right of the child to develop
skills and talent and to also appreciate our cultural heritage.

PART B
THE ROLE OF MUSIC EDUCATION TOWARDS A BETTER MUSICAL CULTURE IN
MALAYSIA

INTRODUCTION

Ladies and Gentlemen and fellow musicians and music educators. Assalamualaikum and Selamat
Sejahtera.
It gives me great pleasure today to be able to present a paper before such an esteemed audience at
this landmark occasion. I thank the National Arts Culture and Heritage Academy
(Aswara), the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage (KPKKWA), The Johore
State Government and of course MAHKOTA from the bottom of my heart for inviting me
to present my views on how a sound music education program in schools and higher
institutions can help improve the many problems in the music industry and develop an
overall better musical culture and tradition in Malaysia today. More such forums on
music in Malaysia are very badly needed to improve matters related to the prevailing
musical culture in Malaysia today. However, mere forums can do nothing much unless
the government itself initiates remedies and does something concrete about it. I must add
here that our friends in the mass media too can play a truly big part in this matter to
inform the masses.
I have been somewhat of a "voice in the wilderness" complaining about this or that in relation to
the various facets of music and music education in Malaysia ever since 1987 when I
returned from my music studies in USA where I was shocked to see how backward we
were in music, particularly in music education. Many failed to see what I was

complaining about but today many are beginning to see the light. Since then, I had
written many articles of lamentation in the local English newspapers (NST and the Star)
besides a book in Malay titled "Pendidikan Muzik Semasa" which is widely used in
Malaysian IPTs till today. That's what I am told. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka has found
no need to re-publish this book since the 2nd edition in 1995 nor to call me to discuss a
new edition. They are too busy I suppose. As such the book is thoroughly photo copied
by music students.
THE PROBLEMS
Poor music education for our young at all levels of the education process to my mind is the main
cause for the many ills that we see in the music scene in Malaysia. Music fans these days
have begun to appreciate the artistes themselves more than the music that they deliver.
This is actually more of a cult culture wrongly identified with music appreciation. There
is hardly any appreciation left for almost all forms of other music except pop music. TV
programs of the past that featured traditional musics regularly such as keroncong, dikir
barat, boria, ghazal, asli and dondang sayang over RTM are now history. Some of you
may not remember this simply because you were either too young or were not born yet.
An entirely new generation of radio and TV producers and deejays has cropped up who
may not have themselves experienced the joys of music when they were in school and are
one principal cause for this no traditional music situation to exist. Increasing
commercialism in broadcasting has not helped either. No one in the corporate world in
his or her "right mind" rushes to sponsor any traditional or arts music program on TV in
spite of much talk from them about corporate social responsibility.
Most Malaysians cannot sing the national or state anthem well today. Way back in the 1960's and
70's, we used to stand and sing the national anthem played at movie theatres, stadiums
and even at the end of social functions. What has happened to such aspects of the musical
culture of the early Merdeka years? Why are the prominent composers of today steering
clearly away from composing traditional, folk and patriotic songs? In the 1950's and
1960's the musical greats of the period like Jimmy Boyle, Alfonso Soliano, Dato Ahmad
Merican, Johar Bahar, Dato Johari Salleh, Tony Fonseka and of course Tan Sri P. Ramlee
himself all composed nationalistic flavored songs with hardly any financial incentives in
mind. One such last patriotic effort was when Michael Veerapen and Paul Ponnudurai
composed "One Thousand Million Smiles" for Sudirman to sing at the Royal Albert Hall

in London way back in 1989. How many of us today can today confidently sing our
beautiful patriotic songs like Putra Puteri, Tanah Pusaka, Cendering, Sg. Pahang,
Titiwangsa, Gunung Kinabalu, Setangkai Mawar, Tanjung Bunga, Gunung Jerai and so
on.
Music teachers from my generation taught such songs in the sixties and seventies. These songs
were also aired through programs like Siaran ke Sekolah-Sekolah by RTM. There was a
Pesta Muzik religiously held in every state annually. There were many national song
writing contests organized as late as the 1990's. Such non-formal efforts to advance
music and music education should have, logically speaking, progressed but developments
in Malaysia especially since the KBSR era have, sad to say, almost totally negated such
early efforts and advancements.
By the 1980's our musicians and recording artistes had also made headway overseas including
Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei and were able to compete on par commercially. One
artiste organization (not from MAHKOTA) even organized a picket lately in knee-jerk
fashion to protest against Indonesian songs played over the radio stations instead of
getting our people to produce more quality music like the Indonesians who have
overtaken us.
Yes, there was a more healthy culture of music consumption and music making with concerts
held almost everyday in some part of Malaysia back then. We had band contests on radio
and TV that were judged by real professionals. Concert promoters abounded in the
1980's and 1990's. We even introduced a new brand of commercially viable religious
Islamic music to the world - the Raihan brand of Nasyid music. Warner Music headed by
Dato Tony Fernandes at that time had the vision to okay the first recordings of such
music. Yes, we were on the right path and moving ahead. This is not so today. Where
have we gone wrong? I believe that this situation has come about, as I mentioned,
because of no meaningful music education being given to our young at all levels of the
Malaysian education process from kindergartens to colleges and universities.
SO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION
Focused research is needed to answer such questions validly. It could come from the sociology
and music departments in our own universities. I am yet to be enlightened by any such

research published locally. Academics in the Malaysian government's think tank who
advise the government could also do the same if they are not already doing it. They
should be as that is part of their job. Anyway, I doubt that there is anyone in the
Malaysian think tank sufficiently qualified in arts and music to do a valid job. In any
case, a few academics like Professor Dr. Tan Sooi Beng of USM and Dr. Minnie Ang
have done some ethno-musical or music technology related writings that have been
published mainly overseas. I understand that certain divisions of the Ministry of
Education such as The Educational Planning and Research Division (EPRD) too have
conducted some research but never had it published and had instead cloaked it in secrecy.
Why should this be so? Any worthy research should rightfully be in the public domain for
scrutiny.
Highly regarded universities in developed countries are noted mainly for their never ending
research and publications. We have questions in Malaysia that need researched answers
and not mere opinions of legislators or education managers. If necessary, we should
resort to expatriate academic investigation into this matter. There is nothing to be shy
about it if we do not have enough local scholars to do so.
We have brought in foreign expertise in other areas have we not? We have done so for
developing sports in our country or improving our economics. A German consultant was
brought in to assess the damage to our MRR2 just about two weeks ago. I can only think
of one instance where an experienced Russian music professor was brought in to conduct
the newly formed orchestra at University Putra Malaysia. Within a very short time, the
students were performing even a Beethovenian piano concerto very satisfactorily and for
a student orchestra at that. It shows that our students are capable but lack proper musical
leadership. Sadly, his contract was terminated too soon and the orchestra, though still
existing, is no where what it was under the Russian maestro's baton.
Of course we must not forget that we have brought in foreigners to man "our" Malaysian
Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) that is costing us a bomb to maintain since its formation
in 1989. It is maintained by PETRONAS. But the MPO comprises almost entirely of
foreign musicians and has least benefitted our own classical music performers since its
inception. Many of us are still questioning its existence and relevance in Malaysia today.
At best it perpetuates an elitist approach to music appreciation and benefits only a small
concert audience who are mostly from the Klang Valley.

Perhaps it would be a lot wiser to spend such money by bringing in music professors worth their
salt from musically developed countries like Germany, Russia, Japan, UK or the USA to
plan our music programs at all levels and also teach our students, teachers and lecturers.
Such people can lead and inspire our locals to do a better job eventually with the spillover
of their expertise. Such expatriates can also head the various levels of top educational
management in music education in Malaysia for at least ten years while the locals shadow
them and eventually take over. Let us not be like Idi Amin who promoted himself from
being a corporal to a five star general in his army when he kicked out all foreigners in his
frenzied nationalistic mood. Today Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world
with a per capita income of RM 300 in spite of its rich natural resources.
When we started music education in the local universities we needed lecturers, faculty heads and
deans. To solve the problem, we did an Idi Amin and placed very junior music educators
who have had no more than a year's experience after getting their MAs or Phd. to fill
such positions and life went on. What we had needed were experienced music educators
and professors who could inspire students with their knowledge and research. They
could have even brought in expatriate help even then.
I also wish to draw a parallel here. In the 1950's, experienced graduates from Kerala in India
were brought in to teach pure science and additional mathematics when such subjects
were introduced. I was taught by them. We did not do an Idi Amin then. So today we
have our own pool of well qualified math and science teachers at all levels of the
education process. The same thing was done in the 1970's again when we wanted to
introduce pure science and additional mathematics but in the national language. What
did we do? We brought in experienced and senior Indonesian math and science teachers
to do the job in the Malaysian schools and institutions like the MARA colleges. But in
music education we have definitely started on the wrong foot. But it is never too late to
rectify this, I must add.
WOES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
More and more people have started complaining openly about the sad state of affairs in the music
industry too. Recording companies, singers and composers complain because of their
economic loss and deprivation. Music piracy which continues unabated is one such
grouse. Original recordings get poorer sales. Some recording companies have stopped

recording new albums and play around with compilation albums instead and have now
resorted to the internet downloads to increase their annual gross sales figures. Some have
simply shut down their operations. Leading music industry players have moved on to
greener pastures including the aviation industry.
Composers are accused of churning out low quality music with predictable melodies and lyrics.
They in return argue that it is what the general Malaysian public wants. It is a "chicken
and egg situation". Which comes first? The music industry players also argue that what
the public wants the public gets. Can we blame them? Music is a business to them and
commercial motives by far outweigh almost all other considerations such as musical
literacy, aesthetics, diversified musical styles, nationalistic feelings and most importantly
quality in music. As such the overall quality control is poor and a musically illiterate
audience swallows everything "hook, line and sinker".
Advances in music recording and reproduction have been very significant. With digital
technology, pirated music sounds as good as the originals which are cloned and sold for a
fraction of the cost for the originals. There have been accusations of over pricing for
original albums for music piracy to flourish. Prices were somewhat brought down with
governmental intervention of the market forces but with no noticeable or significant
results.
There are still complaints that only one or two good songs can be found in an album while the
rest of the songs are mere fillers. So why do we have to pay RM 20 or so for such
albums argue consumers. Music pirates simply compile about twenty such "killer" hit
songs and pack them into one album and sell them off at the rate of RM 10 for three CDs
which the public then rush to buy. This is because the general Malaysian public clearly
does not respect intellectual property nor quality conscious. So where does the fault lie?
One reason, I believe, is that such values are not being taught or inculcated in Malaysian
schools, colleges and universities.
Toady, we see today better and more physical infrastructures in just about every facet of
Malaysian life. Yes, in the commercial music sector, we have the latest state of the art
digital equipment at broadcasting stations, commercial recording studios and for live
entertainment. Yes we have better musical instruments. Yes, we have professional audio
(PA) equipment in Malaysia that is world class and suited to even the world's top artistes.

10

However, most public utility halls including those in schools and hotels have out-of-date
sound equipment that had been installed with equally outdated specs and no one knows
enough to complain about it. We have all attended wedding functions where the band
and the sound system can drive us nuts and make us want to leave early. So much money
is spent at such weddings for food, invitation cards, bridal attires and the bedroom dcor.
But when it comes to musical entertainment the cheapest band and sound system in town
are employed without a blink of the eye. This badly affects the sales and rentals industry
too which is often forgotten as being part of the music industry too. I believe it's because
we have failed to educate Malaysians on what quality in music is all about.
How can we change this sort of mindset? I am sorry to say this bluntly but the KBSR & KBSM
programs have failed to do so. Today, most Malaysians:
1. Are equally uninformed about almost all aspects of music except perhaps the
personal details of their favorite singers through the mainly gossip based reports
in the dailies and the broadcasting media. This is very obvious in the Malay pop music
scenario.
2. Are incapable of serious or intelligent thought / discussion on any kind of
music including their preferred variety. This can include music journalists too.
3. Think of music as purely serving a hedonistic or sensuous function and often associate
it only with such concomitant modes of behaviors such as drinking, dancing,
free sex and drugs and are most of the time totally ignorant of the many nobler
outcomes that music can
provide.
4. Have very narrow musical tastes with usually a distinct preference for the pop variety.
5. Increasingly give more priority to music as a visual art rather than an aural one.
6. Love Hindi songs passionately mainly because of the pretty / handsome faces who
deliver the songs on the screen but fail to truly appreciate the brilliant
manipulation of
western musical instruments and harmonies that are made
subservient to Indian ragas
and talas by brilliant Indian composers like A.R.
Rehman.
7. Look down on any non-European music especially if they happen to come from
English
speaking homes with a misguided notion that the only music worth
studying
or listening
to should be music from the West - both from the present
or from the past.
8. Are not bothered about copyrights and intellectual property resulting in widespread
musical
piracy.

11

9. Have not heard of patriotic songs such as Pahlawan Ku unless a pop singer like
Siti Nurhaliza sings it a Merdeka Day programme.
10. Cannot identify any musical instrument by its name - be it a Western or a nonWestern one including Malay, Chinese or Indian instruments.
11. Are incapable of singing the national anthem or respective state anthem accurately.
12. Look upon formal musical notation as both cumbersome as well as not worth
learning even if they happen to be professional musicians or singers preferring
instead to play / sing by heart (by rote).
I could go on and on but surely the aforesaid should be sufficient to illustrate my point.
BETTER MUSIC EDUCATION IS DEFINITELY THE ANSWER
Prominent people are also beginning to notice the educational imbalance in Malaysia. The good
and learned Raja Muda of Perak, DYMM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah, remarked on this
problem directly when he said that that a system of evaluation in education which was
overly inclined towards academic performance was contrary to the principles of nature
and subjected educators to a blurred or short-sighted view, which made them fail to
interpret the wider and more comprehensive educational philosophies. ('Recognize Nonacademic talent - NST 29.6.08). Dr. Azly Rahman, who now teaches in the University
of Columbia in the USA, is a respected Malay intellectual. In one of his articles, he
warns us of the dangers of demonic music and suggests that its time for PETRONAS to
help finance bands and orchestras in our public schools.
Believe me when I say that I have seen all kinds of educational reforms and innovative attempts
since the 1950s. Music education too has had its fair share of changes. The school goers
from the 1950's and 60's generation (now mostly senior citizens) will remember some
form of fun music activity in the classroom as well as choirs and marching bands which
they had as co-curricular activity. From the early 1970s specialist teachers in music
were trained for this purpose at the Music Department of the Specialist Teacher Training
Institute (STTI) now known as Institut Perguruan Ilmu Khas. The teachers chosen for the
one year music course were not only qualified teachers in other subjects but also had
clear musical abilities. Then came the compulsory label attached to music education with
the introduction of Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) in all primary schools in
1983. We were overjoyed and welcomed this move.

12

The status of music and what actually went on in the classrooms since 1983 with the introduction
of KBSR music can even be said to have taken a backward step. The government per se
on its part has spent perhaps billions by now to develop music and to be fair, has been
quite consistent in this matter. However, something has gone seriously wrong in the
implementation process though. Why?
I have several reasons to state here.
1. Till now, the higher levels of music education planning and management have always
been in the hands of local non-music educators who are rarely in touch with reality.
2. An overall misunderstanding of what constitutes quality music education especially by
such educational planners.
3. No meaningful expatriate expertise has been sought in the field of music education
planning till now.
4. Poor or no meaningful coordination between the various divisions of the Ministry of
Education.
5. Music educators in the lower rungs of education management tend to give a wrong
impression of what is really happening to their superiors and even may hide weaknesses
in the system to make everything and everybody look good.
6. Valid ideas from trained music educators are shot down by higher ranking educational
managers and/or policy makers.
7. Poor quality control in the recruitment of music teachers resulting in non-musically
inclined persons with "not so good" academic credentials being selected as trainee music
teachers especially since the early KBSR days.
8. Non-music trained teachers are asked to teach music in the primary schools while music
graduates in secondary schools are forced to teach non-music subjects.
9. Lack of basic musical competency among most music educators at all levels.
10. Some major misconceptions among the higher echelons of educational planning and
management must include the following:

13

Music education is not that important.

Anyone can be trained to teach music - even the non-musical ones

That Math and Science from the computational intelligence domain of the
intellect are not important for a music teacher to function well.

THE SITUATION IN DEVELOPED NATIONS CAN BE OUR MODEL

It may be of interest to note that in developed countries like Germany and Japan it is mandated by
the Ministry of Education that every child Grade 1-9 receives two hours (120 minutes) a week of
sequential music instructions from a music specialist. This instruction takes place in all
elementary and all junior high schools from its inception to its completion and is centered on the:
1.

Appreciation of Music.

2.

Expression or making music

Every school in Japan, for instance, is equipped with the instructional materials and instruments
needed to enable the teachers to do their job thoroughly. These materials and equipments include
song books, rhythm instruments, and a piano, a desk top keyboard for each student and many
other supplementary teaching and learning aids. Each school building has a room exclusively
dedicated to music instruction. Thus music is part of the school facility and not treated like an
orphaned anak angkat as is the case in most Malaysian schools. Music is an integral part of
basic education curriculum for the first nine years of schooling. In addition, optional music
instruction for such as ensembles, choruses, band and orchestra are given at school after formal
school hours. This preoccupation with music as centre and essential part of a young person school
day is not exclusive to Japan. It exists in Germany too where each student receives a minimum of
90 minutes class periods per week in music from Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Norway and
of course the USA would be other good examples amongst many of the countries with a major
commitment to music in the public schools.
Only the Chinese medium schools in Malaysia can come anywhere near this type of educational
approach because the philosophies of Confucius are held in high esteem in these institutions. The
most famous saying of Confucius on music education might be:

14

To educate somebody, you should start from poems, emphasize on ceremonies,

and finish with music."
In other words, one cannot expect to become educated without learning music. However, I heard
recently that our educational planners in the Ministry of Education are considering cutting down
on the time allocation for music in the primary school from 120 minutes to a mere 30 minutes and
combining music with the arts at that. I hope this remains a rumor for if it is true we are
definitely going the wrong way.

SO WHAT CONSTITUTES A QUALITY GENERAL MUSIC EDUCATION

PROGRAM FOR THE SCHOOLS?
A quality music education programme must be one that has a positive impact in educating
a child holistically. This must be seen as observable behavior in all children irrespective
of whether they are from the Arts or Science stream. Not everyone is born with music
making capability but can be trained to appreciate and treasure music. Some outcomes of
a quality general music education program therefore must have school leavers who can:
1. Sing with a reasonable sense of accuracy in rhythm and pitch.
2. Appreciate different kinds of music and styles.
3. Talk intelligently about music
4. Know that a great diversity of music and musical styles exist in the world both from the
as well as the present.
5. Use music as an essential tool for the wise use of leisure time throughout their entire
lives.
6. Have some very basic understanding of different:

Musical styles - traditional, ethnic, modern, world music etc.

Musical Instruments - ethnic, orchestral as well as modern.

Music notational systems

15

Clearly, music education provides the young child with another strong avenue for true overall
success in the varied education process. The impact of a school music education
curriculum can only be strong if there is real teaching and learning taking place. For this
we need music teachers with at least basic musical competencies. Such is not the
situation now.
Please allow me to quote from The School Music Program: Description and Standards Music
Educators National Conference, 2nd Ed, 1987 - USA as to why music is very important
from the very early stages of formal education itself.
1. Music is just worth knowing as in music for musics sake.
2. Music is one of the most important manifestations of our cultural heritage.
3. Music is a potential in every individual and like all other potentials should be developed
to its fullest.
4. Music provides an outlet for creativity, self-expression and individual uniqueness.
5. It enables us to express our noblest thoughts and feelings.
6. Music teaches students about unique aspects of their relationships with other human
beings and with the world around them, in their own as well as other cultures
7. Music opens avenues of success for students who may have problems in other areas of
the curriculum.
8. Studying Music increases the satisfaction students derive from music by sharpening
sensitivity, raising their level of appreciation and also expanding their musical horizons.
9. Music is one of the most powerful and profound symbol systems that exist.
10. Music helps students learn a significant lesson-that not all aspects of life are quantifiable
11. Music exalts the human spirit.
12. Music encourages analytical and divergent thinking.

16

Recent educational research on the nature of intelligence and brain function too gives promising
indications that could change the face of education. Will listening to music make you smarter?
Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal? Questions
like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years and not just in
scientific journals either. Scientists have discovered that music training has significant influences
on the brain development of young children leading to improved memory over the course of a
year. The fact that musical training changes the way the brain reacts to music might not be very
surprising, but researchers also found that the musically trained children performed better in a
memory test that is correlated with other skills such as literacy, verbal memory, Visio-spatial
processing and Mathematics. All such research suggests that music may act as a catalyst for
cognitive abilities in other disciplines but more longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these
findings. It is sad that in Malaysia educational planners seldom follow such innovations in
educational thought. The ultimate goal of public music education should not be just to produce
students capable of concert or popular music performances but one that will allow young people
to participate and interact intelligently with music for their entire lives.
Nothing much has moved forward either since the KBSM music program was introduced for
secondary schools. Despite having a significant increase in the number of graduate music
teachers posted to schools graduating from the local universities in recent years, it is sad that any
secondary school aspiring to introduce this new KBSM curriculum has to come up with its own
funds. So if the school decides not to have a KBSM music program, trained music graduate
teachers posted there are then asked to teach non-music subjects. What a waste and
mismanagement of human capital. I believe that such teachers should be sent to the primary
schools where there is a critical shortage of trained music teachers. The notion that graduates
should teach only in secondary schools or higher institutions is also an outdated one. My son had
a music educator with a Phd. teaching him at the kindergarten level in the USA in 1984. This is
how backward our thinking has been all these years.
It is abundantly clear that as the nation develops rapidly in other areas not enough parallel
development is happening in the domain of the fine arts especially in the schools. The
two Ministries of Education in Malaysia may want to seek "outside" help in such matters.
Locally they can turn to MAHKOTA and other NGOs for the arts.
There is no doubt in my mind that music can play a pivotal role in society. Malaysian legislators
and educators must themselves be first convinced that music education must have a core

17

place in a reformed curriculum. In a multi ethnic, culture and religion country such as
Malaysia where the population base is relatively young it is imperative that we reexamine the role of music education in the context of social development and also as an
avenue for the wiser use of leisure time. The general Malaysian perception towards music
education seems to be the main cause of all our problems and dissatisfaction in public
and private music education. In this matter, I would like to put forth some views of the
world renowned and eminent music educator Paul R. Lehman who is a Professor
Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in USA.
He says that the greatest threat to school music programs today comes from principals and other
decision-makers who did not experience challenging and rewarding music programs
themselves while in school. They dont realize what a good music program can do for a
child, for a school, and for a community. He also believes that it is not the central purpose
of education, for example, to help the student to get a job. Professor Lehman also says
that a nation is judged by posterity not by the strength of its army, or by its trade
surpluses and deficits, nor by its students scores on standardized tests, but principally by
its contributions to the arts and humanities. It is, according to him, the achievements of a
civilization in the arts and humanities that remain when everything else is swept away by
time. Music is not merely an adornment of life; it is a basic manifestation of being
human.
It may surprise many of us that a holistic approach towards education is indeed the main intent
and purpose of our National Education Philosophy (NEP). There have been no changes
made to this philosophy. As a direct result of the NEP, music was formally introduced in
the Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) back in 1983. But 25 years down the line,
the situation appears to have worsened. The working curriculum (i.e. the actual
educational experiences children undergo at the school) has not been in congruence with
this particular aspect of the NEP. The main problem clearly lies in the over-emphasis that
has been placed upon children to achieve exemplary results in the public examinations by
parents. Teachers have, over time, become accommodative of this trend and must also
bear some blame.
In January 2007, The National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 was launched by the Prime
Minister to lay the foundation for educational reformation to take place by identifying six thrusts
nation-building, developing human capital, strengthening national schools, narrowing the

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education gap, improving the teaching profession and accelerating excellence at educational
institutions. Sadly, except for a mere mention of music in association with cluster schools, the
role of music education is totally absent in all the six areas of thrust mentioned. Unlike
KPKKWA which consulted a host of people including activists and NGOs concerned about
music, theatre and drama before it came out with its Dasar Pembangunan Industri Muzik the
National Education Blueprint did nothing of the sort and went on their own. So the arts are
significantly absent in this blueprint.
Professor Emeritus Dato' Dr. Khoo Kay Kim, the highly regarded and renowned academic had
this to say of The National Education Blueprint.
"We do not need this blueprint to produce excellent students. What we need is a
revival of the old education system... meaning the education system we had
before 1957. That was when we saw dedication from the teachers. The Malaysian
education system then was second to none in Asia. We did not have sports
schools but we produced citizens who were Asian class, if not world class."
Maybe going back to 1957 may have been exaggerated a little for effect but a better and holistic
education in the actual school situation delivered by talented and dedicated teachers is
definitely what the young need. Achieving academic results by merely regurgitating facts
in parrot fashion is not what constitutes good education. An immediate national long term
strategy needs to be formulated to arrest this problem. To my mind, this can only be done
by first reviewing the way in which our present education system itself is packed,
administered and delivered.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion let me briefly state what I think needs to be done immediately. The present situation
warrants a call for open discussion on the role of Music Education in the National
Agenda which, in Malaysia, the government alone can prioritize and initiate. We need
policy makers and educational planners to sit together with advisors from relevant
Ministries such as KPKWA, arts activists and music associations as one body and redefine the function and role of music in society much beyond the entertainment level as a
national policy and have it approved by the cabinet. Here are some basic guidelines that
should help.

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1. Music Education should never be elitist and considered relevant only for the affluent or
musically gifted.
2. Music education must be seen as a basic right of every child to be given equal
opportunity to develop skills and talents in the wide field of music.
3. Music should be viewed an aspect of our cultural heritage and it should be enjoyed and
appreciated by every member of the community.
4. Music Education should be also promoted as catalyst for national integration in view of
the multi-racial population in Malaysia.
5. Music Education should also be considered as part and parcel of the total integrated
social development plan for the entire population.
Let me end with these wise words from that great Greek philosopher Plato.
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to
the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything . "
Thank you for your kind attention.

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