Visions of Research in Music Education Visions of Research in Music Education

Volume 16 Special Volume: Historical Reprint of The Quarterly Journal for Music Teaching and Learning

Article 43

2021

Music Education in Malaysia: An Overview Music Education in Malaysia: An Overview

Johami Abdullah Specialist Teachers Training College

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Abdullah, Johami (2021) "Music Education in Malaysia: An Overview," Visions of Research in Music Education: Vol. 16 , Article 43. Available at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol16/iss1/43

                     Title:  Music  Education  in  Malaysia:  An  Overview    Author(s):  Johami  Abdullah    Source:  Abdullah,  J.  (1990,  Winter).  Music  education  in  Malaysia:  An  overview.  The  Quarterly,  1(4),  pp.  44-­‐53.  (Reprinted  with  permission  in  Visions  of  Research  in  Music  Education,  16(1),  Summer,  2010).  Retrieved  from  http://www-­usr.rider.edu/~vrme/      

It   is   with   pleasure   that   we   inaugurate   the   reprint   of   the   entire   seven   volumes   of   The  

Quarterly   Journal   of   Music   Teaching   and   Learning.     The   journal   began   in   1990   as   The  

Quarterly.     In   1992,  with   volume  3,   the  name   changed   to  The  Quarterly   Journal   of  Music  

Teaching  and  Learning  and  continued  until  1997.    The  journal  contained  articles  on  issues  

that  were  timely  when  they  appeared  and  are  now  important  for  their  historical  relevance.    

For   many   authors,   it   was   their   first   major   publication.     Visions   of   Research   in   Music  

Education  will  publish  facsimiles  of  each  issue  as  it  originally  appeared.    Each  article  will  be  

a  separate  pdf  file.    Jason  D.  Vodicka  has  accepted  my  invitation  to  serve  as  guest  editor  for  

the   reprint   project   and   will   compose   a   new   editorial   to   introduce   each   volume.     Chad  

Keilman  is  the  production  manager.    I  express  deepest  thanks  to  Richard  Colwell  for  granting  

VRME  permission  to  re-­publish  The  Quarterly  in  online  format.    He  has  graciously  prepared  

an  introduction  to  the  reprint  series.  

 

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Music Education in Malaysia:An Overview

By Johami AbdullahSpecialist Teachers Training College

Abstract: This article acquaints Ameri-can music educators with the generalstatus of music education in Malaysia,' afast-developing Southeast Asian coun-try. Most of Malaysian music educationremains strongly influenced by thecolonial legacy of the British, but manychanges are occurring as more andmore Malaysian music educatorstrained in America and elsewherebegin to update the formal musiceducation process.

Malaysiais a nation involved in find-ing its own culture and traditionsafter over 400 years of varying

degrees of European influence and domina-tion. Known as Malaya prior to its independ-ence in 1957, this fast-growing Indonesiancountry includes in its population a numberof distinct ethnic subcultures as well as themajority indigenous Malaysians, and eachgroup traditionally has provided schools atvarious levels. Yet, although there is a longand rich tradition of education in Malaysia,formal music education in the Malaysianschools is a fairly recent development.

Some of the reasons for this may be foundin our recent history. The chief function ofeducation during the British rule was toprovide a work force of English-speakinglocals to fill submanagerial and other super-visory posts in both the public and privatesectors. Thus, a balanced education with anequal emphasis in the arts and the scienceswas not traditionally a concern of theMalaysian schools. Moreover, the Malaysianpopulace was systematically indoctrinatedwith the notion that English ideas weresecond to none in many important spheres

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of Malaysian life, including education, law,medicine, civil administration, and politics.

Such British endeavors have been success-ful in keeping a sizeable portion of Malay-sians tied psychologically to the UnitedKingdom, although this situation is slowlychanging. These older Malaysians, quiteunderstandably, have been apprehensive,wary, and even pejorative of approaches andideas that are not perceived to be fromEngland. Non-English ideas on musiceducation have also been considered inferior,unsuitable, or without standards. For peoplewho think along these lines, England remainsthe Mecca of music education.

Expectations of music educators have alsobeen influenced by perceptions of Britishtraditions, and music education has seldombeen considered a specialized subdisciplineof music study. Many believe that anyonewho has acquired some formal qualificationsin Western music, and can playa standardWestern instrument in the classical tradition,is fully qualified as a music educator. Evenpracticing music educators do not regard asimportant the knowledge of subdisciplinessuch as music psychology, musicology,music therapy, and ethnomusicology.

Formal music education became a compul-sory subject in all elementary schools inMalaysia only in 1983-some 26 years afterindependence from the British. Much of thecurricular content in these courses is basedon the colonial British system of education,or at least patterned along similar ideas.Unfortunately, Malaysian traditional musicand the music of other non-Europeancultures receive inconsequential attention,even in the present curriculum.

Music has yet to enter the formal curricu-

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lum in Malaysian high schools and universi-ties, where it is treated only as an educa-tional frill. Also, issues in music educationlike "utilitarian function" and "aestheticeducation," which have been debated anddiscussed in the United States, are unknownin Malaysia.'

Overseas Training for MalaysianMusic Educators

The Malaysian government, especiallyunder the leadership of our present primeminister, began in the late 1970s to counterMalaysian overdependence on Britain. Todiversify educational exposure for Malaysiansin all fields, the government began sendingstudents to study in countries such as theUnited States, Japan, Korea, Germany, andIndia. Selected music educators in thegovernment service were offered scholar-ships to study music education at the post-secondary level in the United States. Severalof music educators in Malaysia have earnedmasters degrees from American universitiesnoted for quality music education programslike Northwestern University, Indiana Univer-sity, and the University of Iowa.

Earlier, all significant music educators inMalaysia had been trained in England in aperformance-oriented system of music studyat music conservatories. These Malaysianswere rigorously trained for a period of aboutfour years to sing or to playa classicalinstrument to required proficiency levels.This musical training was coupled with theusual ensemble requirements, ear training,sight singing, Western music theory, andEuropean music history. Diploma-leveldegrees in music were then earned fromprestigious music schools like the RoyalCollege of Music, the Trinity College ofMusic, or the Birmingham School of Music.

The focus of this system of musical educa-tion was, of course, on exacting standards ofperformance. Pedagogical concerns in musiceducation like curriculum development,teaching methods and strategies, musicpsychology, evaluation procedures, andfoundations of music education appear tohave received little or no focus. Also, musicappreciation courses covering ethnic musicand the music of non-European musical

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cultures were excluded, as were researchprocedures in music study. Some of theseteachers went on to acquire music-teachingcertificates, which were primarily gearedtoward individualized teaching of Europeanart music and not for teaching music inschools. The aforesaid, however, in no waymeans that such pedagogically orientedsubjects were not available for study atBritish universities. It is simply that, amongMalaysians studying music in Britain, themain focus leaned towards performancerather than other areas.

Music Education in Colonial TimesMalaysia attained independence on August

31, 1957, after having been under varying de-grees of colonial dominion, influence, or ruleby several European maritime powers since1511: Portugal, the Netherlands, the UnitedKingdom, and Japan. The British firstestablished formal public schools in Malayaduring the early part of the nineteenthcentury. The English language was themedium of instruction in these publicschools. The chief function of educationduring the British era, as mentioned earlier,was to equip the Malayan civil service withEnglish-speaking locals primarily to serveBritish political and economic interests.

The Penang Free School, established bythe British in 1816, was the first publicschool in Malaya. Musical activities, if any,"in these early English schools were on avery modest scale and in the form of singingEnglish folk and/or light classical songs,usually outside the formal curriculum. Anysuch activity very often depended onwhether any member of the staff played thepiano or had any other formal musicalbackground.'? These musical activities werethen presented at some auspicious schoolevent such as the Speech Day, the AnnualSports Day, or at an official visit of a digni-tary. This utilitarian tradition of musicremains strong in almost all educationalinstitutions and official ceremonies.

Music was seldom taught for its own sake.If any musical activity were conducted in theclassroom, it was often part of the languageprogram in the earlier grades; children sangstandard nursery rhymes and folk songs in

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the English language. It was not uncommonto include some accompanying movement orfingerplay activities in efforts to dramatize thelyrical content of the songs. Educators feltthat these musical activities helped thechildren to acquire a better "feel" of theEnglish language and reduced the degree ofstress and unfamiliarity usually associatedwith the process of learning a new or foreignlanguage. Many of the larger urban schoolsincluded some additional measure of musicin extracurricular activities such as marchingbands, recorder ensembles, and choirs usingBritish musical literature. When the Japaneseoccupied Malaya 0941-1945), they promotedthe singing of folk songs as a method ofassisting students to learn the Japaneselanguage, but this occupation left no observ-able impact on Malaysian music education.

Music education in Malaya after World WarII improved to a degree. At school assem-blies, children sang the school song, therespective state anthems, and "God Save TheQueen." Musical activities were still mostlyvocal with the modest addition of children'spercussion instruments. Children alsolistened to school broadcasts of musiclessons over the radio station, Radio Malaya.During this time, the larger and betterequipped English schools often organizedchoirs and marching bands that helped todistinguish them as "exceptional." Militaryband personnel, mostly retired, instructedand drilled the British-style marching bandsin such schools. This is still a prevalentpractice, as Malaysian music educators arenot yet trained in marching-band techniques.Christian missionary schools in Malaysia alsoplaced a strong emphasis on European-stylechoral singing and continue their strongtraditions and leadership in this field.

Vernacular SchoolsIn addition to the prestigious British

schools, three other types of primary schoolswere also available during the colonialperiod: the Malay, Chinese, and Indian(Tamil) schools. In each, the medium ofinstruction was the respective vernaculartongue; consequently, they are called ver-nacular schools. About 58 percent of thecurrent Malaysian population of 17 million is

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made up of the indigenous Malay races, withthe Chinese and the Indians constituting theother two major "minority" groups.'

The vernacular schools of colonial timeswere attended mostly by the children of thelower socioeconomic classes, who usuallysought employment after six years of primaryeducation. Very few were able to attend theurban English schools to continue theireducation through the high school level, andthe educational elitism almost always associ-ated with the English schools by the localinhabitants caused many to believe that thevernacular schools were inferior.

Music education in the colonial vernacularschools was quite different from that in theBritish schools. In many Malay and Tamilschools, traditional and religious songs weresung, as were other songs containing moral-oriented lyrics. Monophonic singing wascarried out in association with the languagearts or religious programs, but there werefew opportunities for public performance.

Malay schools of colonial times had lessonsin Qu'ranic recitation coupled with thesinging of the nasyid (the generic Malay termfor Islamic religious songs). Such activities,were never termed "music" nor thought of assuch, because the term "music" usuallyevokes a secular association in the traditionalMalay Muslim's mind. (In Malaysia, everyMalay is also a Muslim, and thus the twowords were often used synonymously.)

The late and noted ethnomusicologist LoisIbsen al Faruqi has described Qu'ranicrecitation as cantillation combined with"improvised monophonic melody andparlando rubato durational texture.'? In anycase, sufficient musical elements exist inQu'ranic recitation and nasyid for them to beconsidered musical activities. Thus, someforms of musical activity existed in Malayschools, but they were limited in nature andscope. As in the English schools, no "formal"music programs existed.

In the Chinese schools, there was muchmore vocal activity, coupled with a fairmeasure of small-scale instrumental musicmaking. Music reading was combined withthe Cheve system of musical notation thatcombines numbers and certain symbols.Solfege singing was an integral part of music

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programs in Chinese schools. These twotrends probably paralleled developments inmainland China and Taiwan-at that time acommon practice of the Chinese communityin Malaya. These Chinese schools placedgreater emphasis on singing (though notnecessarily in the European bel canto style)than most of the other vernacular schools.The Chinese community was very supportiveof these schools, both morally and finan-cially, and such support allowed many of theChinese schools to organize prestigious andcostly choirs and marching bands. Thistradition continues in many Chinese schools.

Today, these vernacular schools exist at theprimary level but have been very muchhomogenized and integrated under thepurview of the Ministry of Education. Songbooks containing Chinese lyrics and theCheve system of musical notation are readilyavailable to the general public, therebybearing continued testimony to the successof the sight singing music programs in theChinese schools.

In the 70s, English was removed as themedium of instruction and the Malay lan-guage, Bahasa Malaysia, which is also ournational language, became the norm atnearly all levels of Malaysian education.However, English is still taught as a compul-sory second language in all educationalinstitutions, and Malaysians who are conver-sant in the English language are looked up toand are much sought after for employment inmany fields, particularly in the private sector.

Private Music InstructionPersonal instruction at the piano and other

European musical instruments has beenavailable outside the public schools since thebeginning of this century. In the early 1900s,musicians from India and the Philippineswho were trained in Western musical nota-tion and theory were brought to Malaysia toboost the manpower needed for military-styled marching bands that were beingformed in Malaya by the British." Thesebands were used in the ceremonial functionsfor which the British are very well known. Itis believed that these imported musicians,particularly those from Goa, initiated thetradition of providing private and individual-

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ized instruction in European classical music.Today, the piano has become the most

popular classical instrument in Malaysia. A1983 estimate by piano teachers "puts thefigure of between 5,000 and 10,000 studentswho sit for the Associated Board of the RoyalSchools of Music (ABRSM,London) externalexaminations for the piano each year."?Probably as many or more sit for musictheory examinations which are conducted,supervised, and evaluated by ABRSMperson-nel in Malaysia and England. The rudimentsof western musical notation, theory, andliterature from about the time of Bach andBeethoven constitute the main content of theABRSMsyllabus, which is sequentiallygraded for children from grade I to grade 8;children usually study about eight years toachieve a grade 8 certificate. Some rudimen-tary ear training and sight reading is alsodone in this system. The highest qualifica-tion that may be acquired locally after grade8 is the licentiate diploma from the ABRSM.The ABRSMqualifications, which are highlyprized and respected in Malaysia, are ac-quired mostly through private study that isoffered by literally thousands of ABRSM-trained music teachers and hundreds ofprivate music "schools" in the country. Formany, particularly women, private musicinstruction is a lucrative vocation.

The ABRSMsystem has produced a shareof positive influence in Malaysia. It has keptsome Malaysians continually acquainted withand highly appreciative of European classicalmusic and increased the number of classicalpiano players in this country. A few havegone on to excel in music studies overseasand have "become successful classicalmusicians in Europe and the United States."

The ABRSMinfluence has also broughtabout a significant negative influence.Because of the high costs involved, thissystem of music education has almost alwaysexcluded children from the rural populationand most of those from the lower socioeco-nomic classes. It has also encouraged aconservative and narrow musical outlook, inthat some ABRSM-trained Malaysians tend toview all music worth knowing as a homoge-neous, monolithic, European structure.

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The ABRSM influence has also broughtabout another significant negative result forsome Malaysian parents who aspire to thepoint of obsession to obtain ABRSMcertifi-cates for their children. This parentalpressure, coupled with the rigorous training,competitive testing, and narrow scope of theABRSMsystem of musical study, may have"turned off" many musically inclined andtalented children. This much-undesiredoutcome can also be attributed to the factthat many key concepts in music educationlike creativity, improvisation, and otherstudent-centered activities are consideredunimportant in the present ABRSMsystem.Many Malaysians do not seem to realize thatthe ABRSMapproach to music educationmay not be totally suited to the contempo-rary Malaysian context, for the ABRSMsystem essentially functions with rationalesand objectives that are designed to perpetu-ate only European classical music traditions.

Other music examinations with certificationhave also been conducted locally by privatemusic schools, primarily for the organ andthe guitar. Most of these local music schoolsand establishments are peripheral develop-ments of highly successful marketing strate-gies employed by international corporationsto boost the sale of musical instruments suchas pianos and electronic organs for thehome. Although the motives of theseschools may prove to be suspect, in allfairness they have demonstrated moreinterest in innovative teaching strategies andapproaches than can be found in the ABRSMschool of thought. The musical content inthis system includes popular music and jazzand has therefore successfully attracted anappreciable number of students, includingthose from middle-class homes.

Curricular Content in MalaysianSchools Since 1983

Content and methods in education areclosely tied to national aspirations, ideology,and philosophy. Music education wasintroduced as a regular subject in the primaryschools' curriculum in 1983. The goals andobjectives for music education at this embry-onic stage are based on what the govern-ment, in consultation with Malaysian educa-tors, deems beneficial for the people."

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The current Malaysian national philosophyfor education aspires to produce citizenswho are not only well-educated, united,patriotic, and progressive in their thinking,but who also possess good morals and a firmbelief in the Almighty." Music education inMalaysian public schools has been patternedto support these and other ancillary goals.

Through improved music education, it isanticipated that students will make wiser useof their leisure time and become better ableto enjoy music both now and in the future.It is also expected that musical potential inthe young will be detected early, and thatparticipation in musical activities will providechildren with another healthy avenue fortheir creativity and enjoyment. Music is alsoexpected to enhance students' academicperformance in other subjects through theinclusion of some interdisciplinary material inthe music program. Thus music serves autilitarian purpose in Malaysian education.

The main vehicle for the delivery of formalmusic education in Malaysian public schoolscontinues to be the vocal medium. "Rotebefore note" is the rule rather than theexception through grade 3. Some effort ismade to acquaint children with musicalnotation from grades 4 through 6, but thishas met with only minimal success. Some-times students play the recorder and percus-sion instruments. Performance opportunitiesarise mainly through annual interschoolcompetitions at the district and state levels orduring an important school event. Studentachievement in music is evaluated withcognitive tests and other cumulative assess-ments throughout the six years of primaryeducation, but these scores are not taken intoconsideration when the student's overallacademic progress is determined.

At the secondary level, music education isnot compulsory but is offered as an electiveat two of the national-level examinationswhich all Malaysians take in the ninth andeleventh years of schooling. The syllabi forthese examinations are patterned along thelines of the ABRSMcontent, with some tracesof Malaysian traditional music added on tothe music appreciation areas. The syllabi forthese examinations are centrally regulatedand prepared by the Ministry of Education.

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Basic Music Teacher EducationFrom 1957, when Malaysia attained inde-

pendence from the British, music wasintroduced in teacher training institutions asa self-enrichment program. All studentteachers were required to sing and play therecorder as well as to learn the rudiments oftraditional Western music theory.

Beginning in the early 1960s, studentteachers were trained to teach music at theMaktab Perguruan Lembah Pantai (LembahPantai Teachers' College) in the capital cityof Kuala Lumpur, although music was stillnot included in the formal curriculum ofpublic schools. The content of this newcourse was a slightly modified form of theself-enrichment program first introduced inteacher training institutions in 1957. Inaddition to basic singing, recorder, andtheory, there was also some choral workincluded. During this period, an Englishman,Harold Ashcroft, was quite prominent inMalaysian music education. Many ofAshcroft's students speak of the passion andlove that he had for music-Europeanclassical music-and the rigorous work thathe required of them.

The leaders in music education throughoutthe 1970s, however, were all Malaysianstrained in Britain or in the ABRSMschool ofthought. The key figures were Khoo SoonTeong, Basil ]ayatilaka, Ranji Knight, andNazri Ahmad. They were centrally involvedin planning the curricular content for musiceducation programs in the public schoolsand teacher training colleges through the 70s,and may be credited for the earliest attemptsto include Malaysian music, such as patrioticand traditional songs, as part of the reper-toire taught in the schools.

In 1970, the role of providing basic teachertraining for music teachers was taken over bythe Maktab Perguruan Ilmu Khas in KualaLumpur. The curricular content for the basicmusic teacher education program remainedstatic until 1980, when guitar study becamecompulsory for all student music teachers.Nazri Ahmad, who headed the Music Depart-ment of the Maktab Perguruan Hum Khasbetween 1979 and 1987, was largely respon-sible for this innovation. He had graduatedfrom the Royal College of Music in London

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in the early 70s and then studied musiceducation at Northwestern University inEvanston, Illinois, where he earned his M.A.in 1977. Thus, he also became the firstMalaysian music educator to study musiceducation in the United States.

Major curricular changes in teacher educa-tion were made in 1988, when keyboardskills, music appreciation, music pedagogy,and music history were added to the existingareas in the teacher-training program in thecolleges. This writer sat on the Ministry'scommittee to revise the music syllabus forteacher-education colleges in February 1988.There was some disagreement about thechanges, particularly from music lecturerstrained in the ABRSMsystem, and anothercommittee continued work on the syllabus inMay 1989. The final syllabus is a version ofthe original syllabus of February 1988, inwhich the new areas are retained, as thereseemed no convincing reason to removethem. It appears that the new areas are hereto stay, and the curricular innovations madein February 1988 will result in a major shiftaway from the traditional ABRSM-basedapproach to music education in Malaysia.

In Malaysia there are many teachers whomay be considered pioneers in the teachingof music as a formal subject in the schools.Some had taken music only as an electivesubject in their basic teacher-training pro-grams, and others were regular classroomteachers who could playa musical instru-ment and were consequently looked upon asmusic educators by their school principalsand required to teach music in the schools.Together, these teachers played an importantrole in efforts to establish music in the publicschool curriculum.

The rapid increase of the school popula-tion is challenging these teachers, as well asthe teacher training institutions, to keep upwith students' needs for music education.The school population has more thanquadrupled since independence, from870,362 in 1956 to 3,414,175 in the mid1980s.11 The enrollment of music studentsinto teacher training colleges has steadilyincreased also: In 1980, there were fewerthan 80 music students enrolled in basicteacher training. Today, there are about 550.

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This increase has primarily been a conse-quence of music entering the formal primaryschool curriculum in 1983.

Specialized Music TeacherEducation

A major development in the history ofMalaysian teacher education was the estab-lishment of the Maktab Perguruan Ilmu Khasin Kuala Lumpur in 1959. This college wasestablished to train specialized teachers invarious areas such as physical education, arteducation, and special education (counsel-ing, remedial, teaching the handicapped.. Aone-year music education course for certifiedteachers who have had at least five yearsgeneral teaching experience was added tothe program in 1971; teachers must have anABRSMqualification or other proven musicalskill to be eligible. Since 1983, anotherteacher college, the Maktab PerguruanPerseketuan in Pulau Pinang, has also beeninvolved in the task of training both basicand specialist music teachers.

The syllabus for this one-year musiceducation course, first designed in 1970,includes singing, music theory, recorder,children's percussion ensemble, scoring,composition, and music appreciation. In1980, the guitar was introduced as a compul-sory instrument for all specialist musicteacher-trainees.

An average of 20 specialist music teachersare trained annually at the Maktab PerguranIlmu Khas. Most of the graduates haveserved as itinerant music teachers in schools,music lecturers in teacher-training institu-tions, and as music administrators in stateeducation departments. Thus, the collegehas become known as a leader in Malaysianmusic education.

Music in the Formal CurriculumThe growing size of the Malaysian middle

class and the general well-being of thepeople in the 1970s signaled the establish-ment of music as a regular subject in theschool curriculum. In 1972, music wasintroduced as an elective subject for theLower Certificate of Education and theMalaysian Certificate of Education examina-tions, which are important public examina-tions taken by all Malaysian children in the

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ninth and eleventh years of their schooling.In the early 1970s, many educators and

parents spoke out against the old curriculum,which was criticized as being too rigid, tooacademic, and too examination-oriented.After some difficult planning and a numberof recommendations from the CabinetCommittee on Education, the New PrimarySchools Curriculum was tested in variousMalaysian schools in 1982 and implementedthroughout the country in 1983.

Of note, the new curriculum includedmusic as a compulsory subject at the primaryschool level for the first time. The inclusionof music as a regular subject in the NewPrimary School Curriculum may be viewed asa crucial milestone in the history of Malay-sian music education as every school-ageMalaysian child, irrespective of socioeco-nomic background, now has the opportunityto learn music as a matter of right rather thanof privilege.

Teaching MethodsBecause of a dire shortage of music

teachers, many general classroom teachershave been required to teach music since1983. The content for music classes isprovided to teachers in the form of sequen-tial lessons recorded on cassette tapes withaccompanying text books and work sheets;all are prepared, distributed, and regulatedby the Ministry of Education. While thispractice helps classroom teachers who areuntrained in music, those teachers who arecapable of teaching music find very littleopportunity to digress from these centrallyregulated materials.

Thus a significant number of classroomteachers have seldom done more in musicclasses than switch on and turn off thecassette player. This is an unfortunate resultof an enthusiastic effort to get music into thecurriculum, coupled with inattention to thelack of trained music teachers. To attempt toensure the success of the new music classes,many general classroom teachers attendedmusic courses lasting from three to fourweeks each over a period of three years atteacher training colleges throughout thecountry. About 5,000 such music teacherswere trained between 1982 and 1984 and

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given attendance certificates which broughtthem very little financial reward or academicrecognition. Some of these teachers recog-nized that they had neither musical aptitudenor the inclination to teach music but weremerely following directives of their superiors.Today, many of these teachers still use thepedagogical strategies they learned in thesecourses, for there has been no significanteffort to provide more complete courses forthem. The musical material first provided bythe Ministry in 1983 has not been revisedor updated.

Essentially, music teachers in Malaysia aretrained to teach singing with solfege andnotation. A typical lesson begins withbreathing exercises and solfege singing. Thetwo methods often used to teach a song arethe "patterning" method and the "whole"method. In the former, used in the lowergrades, the teacher models a phrase of thesong repeatedly. Children echo along untilthe phrase is satisfactorily learned and thenmove on to the next phrase. This processcontinues until the entire song is learned. Inthe whole method, the teacher sings (orplays the piano) through the whole songagain and again while the children sing alongwith increasing familiarity (and volume) untilthe song is deemed satisfactorily sung.

When the teacher determines that thechildren have learned the melodic line, theaction literally begins. Teachers are taughthow to make use of action songs (like "Skipto my Lou"), fingerplay songs (like "EencyWeency Spider"), and simple rounds andcanons. Actions and games also dramatizethe lyrical content of songs. Clapping therhythm of the song is a popular interpreta-tion of "action," and walking, running,skipping, or playing games to music are alsohighly recommended and encouraged.Other songs contain texts designed to teachchildren good morals and personal hygiene,stressing societal norms and values, and asense of patriotism.

Much of the classroom teaching, however,barely skims the cognitive aspects of musicallearning. This is glaringly apparent inMalaysian teaching methods, and the mainreason lies in the fact that musical literacy isnot among the stated goals or objectives.

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Because foreign-trained music educators areworking to emphasize it, however, it shouldnot be long before musical literacy becomesaccepted as a major goal.

Only since 1988 have student musicteachers been exposed to major approachesto music education like Kodaly and Orff.They are also being given more exposure topedagogical approaches that emphasizestudent-centered activities.

ConclusionsThe government and top educational

administrators have always shown positiveattitudes towards criticism and change,especially if such criticism came from musiceducators with tertiary qualifications. How-ever, such criticism has had to be madethrough the proper channels of governmentalbureaucracy, and sometimes valid ideas andsuggestions are "shot down" by middle-ranking supervisors who disagree with inno-vative suggestions. An ad hoc committeespearheaded by mostly American-trained'music educators, is now working on theconstitution of the yet-to-be registeredMalaysian Music Educators Association(MMEA).12 The MMEAaspires to addressmany professional problems in the arena ofmusic education as well as acting as a"watchdog" for the music education profes-sion in the country.

Another interesting development inMalaysian music education is the fact that anincreasing number of people are beginningto see the importance of our own folk andtraditional musics." The vast array ofMalaysian traditional music extant today,including the folk and traditional musics ofthe migrant races, certainly bears ampletestimony to the fact that the folk andtraditional musics of all Malaysians were verymuch kept alive throughout the years ofcolonial dominion in Malaysia. The govern-ment's "VisitMalaysia Year 1990" campaignalso indirectly revived local interest inMalaysian traditional music and other tradi-tions. Almost daily, traditional music andother cultural fare are presented in KualaLumpur and elsewhere, albeit for the benefitof tourists. Efforts are now underway toinclude the study of Malaysian traditional

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music in the formal music curriculum for allprimary schools.

It might well be that the many develop-ments that have occurred in the musiceducation scene in recent years augur wellfor the future of music education in Malaysia.The tide is certainly changing. However, itappears that solutions to problems pertainingto rationale and pedagogy for music educa-tion would, initially and to a great degree,rest primarily on the leadership of foreign-trained music educators and in their ability tointerpret realistically and pragmaticallyWestern ideas from a Malaysian perspective.To succeed, these efforts should respect thefinancial constraints, expectations, andsocietal values of Malaysians.

Many challenges are in store for the entiremusic education community in Malaysia inthe years ahead. A major concern is to getmusic education into all levels of Malaysianeducation, including the tertiary levels.There may be no drastic change in thenational educational philosophy, but mostcertainly innovations in teaching strategies,objectives, evaluation procedures, ap-proaches and curricular content can beexpected in the near future.

Notes1. See N. J. Ryan's The Making of Modern

Malaysia and Singapore, London: OxfordUniversity Press, 1970, for a comprehensivehistory of Malaysia. During the British reignprior to September 16, 1963, the Federationof Malaysia was generally known as Malayaand did not include the East Malaysian statesof Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo. Malayawas also known as the Federated MalayStates since 1896.

2. Observations of this nature are basedupon the personal experiences of this writeras an educator in Malaysia since 1960. Otherobservations are based upon informalresearch on the subject conducted by thewriter through interviews and conversationswith selected Malaysian educators, bothformer and current. As only scant literatureexists on the subject at hand, this writerbears complete responsibility for all suchobservations noted.

3. johami Abdullah. "A Philosophy and

52

Rationale for Music Education in MalaysianSchools from an Islamic Perspective." Un-published Independent Project ThesisC7E:193), School of Music, University of Iowa,Iowa City. Spring, 1987, 3.

4. See Fifth Malaysia Plan (1986 - 1990).Kuala Lumpur: National Printing Depart-ment, 129.

5. Lois Ibsen Al Faruqi. "The Status ofMusic in Muslim Nations: Evidence from theArab World," Asian Music, XII (1), 1979, 261.

6. James S. Chopyak, "Music in ModernMalaysia: A Survey of the Musics Affectingthe Development of Malaysian PopularMusic," Asian Music, XVIII 0), 1986, p. 132.

7. Ibid.8. Ibid.9. Johami Abdullah. "Returning Home: A

Malaysian Music Educator Leaves Iowa,"Iowa Music Educator, XLI (1), September1987, p. 34-35.

10. Taken from a speech made by theMalaysian Minister of Education, at thenational launching ceremony of "Teachers'Day" Celebrations at PWTC in Kuala Lumpuron June 8, 1990.

11. Figures quoted from Federation ofMalaya Annual Report, Kuala Lumpur: Govt.Press, 1936; and Malaysia: Yearbook ofStatistics, Kuala Lumpur: Govt. Publications,1984.

12. This writer is the chairperson of the adhoc committee currently working on theMMEA registration requirements. Most of theother members of this committee are alsomusic lecturers from the Maktab PerguruanIlmu Khas. MMEA membership will be opento all music educators in Malaysia.

13. A symposium on "Malaysian Tradi-tional Music" was organized by the MusicDepartment of the Maktab Perguruan IlmuKhas between February 23 and 25, 1990, inKuala Lumpur. It was jointly sponsored bythe Ministry of Education, the Ministry ofCulture and Tourism, and Radio TelevisionMalaysia. It was attended by music educa-tors from both public and private schools,academicians from the universities, andprofessional musicians and other representa-tives from the music industry. Some 400people from all over Malaysia participated inthe symposium. The three papers that were

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Visions of Research in Music Education, Vol. 16 [2021], Art. 43

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presented at the symposium were related toMalaysian traditional music and addressedhistorical, pedagogical, and curricularperspectives. A two-hour authentic tradi-tional music performance was presented inconjunction with the symposium. This showwas recorded and telecast nationally byRadio Television Malaysia. The symposium'sfindings have been sent to the relevantauthorities.

AcknowledgementsThe author wishes to thank his many

colleagues and friends who have patientlyread through this article. In particular, Ithank my immediate superior, Ms. Nik FaizahMustapha, the principal of the MaktabPerguruan Ilmu Khas, who also read the finaldraft of this article and offered some veryuseful suggestions. All their most valuedcomments, suggestions, and encouragementshave made this modest effort possible. ~

CALL FOR PAPERSThe American Orff-Schulwerk Association will sponsor research

poster sessions at its 1991 National Conference in San Diego, California,November 13-17,1991. Research reports dealing with any aspect ofmusiclearning through movement, speech, singing, playing, improvisation, orcomposition in general music or music therapy settings would be particu-larly appropriate.

A poster presentation format will be utilized, and the author(s) ofeach accepted paper will be expected to be present at the poster session inorder to discuss the project with interested music educators. The author(s)also will be asked to furnish 100 copies of a report summary of two pagesor less, as well as 10 copies of the complete report.

The following guidelines will be in effect for the paperselection process:

1. Submit seven copies of the completed study andseven copies of a 250-word abstract to:

Cindi Wobig, Executive SecretaryAmerican Orff-Schulwerk AssociationP.O. Box 391089Cleveland, Ohio 44139

Include both a self-addressed, stamped, letter-sizeenvelope and a self-addressed, stamped postcardwith the submission.

2. The author's name and institutional affiliation shouldappear only on a separate cover page for each copyof both the paper abstract.

3. Papers submitted for the conference must be complywith the "Code of Ethics" published in each issue ofthe Journal of Research in Music Education.

4. Submissions must be postmarked by May 1,1991,and received by May 15, 1991.

5. A qualified group of judges will screen the submittedreports, and notification letters will be mailed by June15, 1991. The abstracts and reports will not be returned.

Volume 1, Number 4

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Abdullah: Music Education in Malaysia

Published by OpenCommons@UConn, 2021