Musing: What is Real Education?

What is Real Education?

“Real education means that a human mind, your mind, not only is capable of being excellent in mathematics, geography and history, but also can never, under any circumstances, be drawn into the stream of society. Because that stream which we call living, is very corrupt. So, the question is how to bring about the right kind of education so that the mind can withstand all temptations, all influences, the bestiality of this civilization and this culture. We have come to a point in history where we have to create a new culture, a totally different kind of existence, not based on consumerism and industrialization, but a culture based upon a real quality of religion.”

[Krishnamurti, On Education (1974]

Embracing Music

Amrita & Samanta

Parents in general recognize the importance of music education for children. Music education has always assumed an important role in schools, especially in advanced countries like Europe, U.S. and Japan. And there are many reasons for it, from expanding one’s intelligence to enhancing the emotional experience of the child. There is a proliferation of music for young children available today, from the “Baby Mozart” series to the highly acclaimed “Little Einsteins” series. Music schools are also offering all kinds of methods to teach very young children the basics of music in a group setting.

Getting involved
Parents here have to take the extra initiative to provide a sound music education for their children as the schools here tend to place music education somewhere at the bottom of their list of priorities, which is quite unfortunate because the importance of music education in making the child’s education a more complete and fulfilling one cannot be over-emphasized enough. The theory of music encourages mathematical and logical thinking while the practicing of music instills discipline and emphasis on detail. And the appreciation of music promotes sensitivity to the beauty of tonal colors, musical forms and expressions. In time, music education, with good planning and proper execution, can make a difference to the wholesome development of the growing child, even if it may only mean making him or her a more sensitive and appreciative person to music, which is one of the highest forms of human expressions!

However, merely looking to schools and private music institutions to instill the love of music in children is not enough. It is like throwing kids into schools and expecting them to love learning, or shoving them into Sunday schools or religious institutions and hoping that they would turn into new leaves. Parents need to take the initiative to be interested in music and to learn more about the different styles and forms of music available. If we do not have a keen interest ourselves, we cannot expect our kids to have it, unless they are fortunate enough to be exposed to people who are passionate about it, and thus ignite the flame within them.

For very young children, their musical diet need not be confined to the usual nursery rhymes and songs. They can be introduced to other forms of music like classical, jazz and musicals. With the easy availability of CD’s and DVD’s, this can be done quite easily. And with more live performances available now, especially in KL and Penang, it is relatively easy to catch an orchestral performance or an acappella (singing without instrumental accompaniment) performance, instead of going for a mindless action movie! Teenagers, with good grounding in the appreciation of good music (which need not be limited to classical music alone but it should be a regular feature, nevertheless), will be able to become discerning music lovers.

Arian making music

Making music
Creating music is also an important feature in music education and this can be done even without much musical knowledge. I like the idea of making music with accessible equipment such as kitchen utensils. Forks and spoons make very nice sounds when done with thought and care. Glass, plates and bowls can be combined in this “cutlery orchestra” to make very unique and rhythmic music. And best of all, everyone has lots of fun doing it together as a family. This is the kind of music-making that can be done at home involving the whole family (with some ground rules of course, or else we would end up with crashing sounds of broken bowls and plates!)

Making simple instruments from paper plates or plastic bottles filled with rice of beans can be fun and includes the element of artistic creativity. What we do with them after we are done with them is just as important. To be able to create musical and rhythmical sounds with them either with singing or accompanying another musical performance makes it a more complete experience.

Making up songs and music (even if they may sound silly!) is a creative process that young children enjoy. They should be recorded and played to others, not unlike producing a music album! If we don’t, they would be lost forever! I have recorded my daughter’s music when she was 3 and even notated her music which she tinkered on the piano. When she listens to it later, she is going to be quite amazed and surprised that she could do that at that age! I have also over the years composed songs just because I felt the urge to, and when people say they are good, it is very encouraging. The next step is to have them recorded in an album to be shared with others. We can do this for our children if they have an inclination for composing. It would be a great motivation for them to pursue it with all their hearts.

Connecting with music
In short, music need not be put on a pedestal too high to be reached by the common folks. Instead, we can bring it down to our own level and work from there. Embracing music is like embracing spirituality – it can be a very powerful and personal thing, yet it can also be shared with others to make it even more meaningful. If we want to connect with our children, especially if they are teenagers, music is a good place to start. We may not totally agree with their choice of music (at that age, peer pressure takes control over parental approval) but we can try to understand and appreciate the music of their choice. Getting them to talk about the music and we in turn, give our unbiased input, is a good way to open up communication channels.

And when your kids are still young, it’s the best time to embrace music together so that music becomes a family activity. Get involved in the musical process, even if you do not consider yourself musical. Our kids may or may not aspire to be professional musicians in the future, it may be too early to tell at the moment, but it is never too early to expose them to different kinds of music to expand their experience of what music is available out there and to pursue the study of a musical instrument when they are ready for it.


Article first appeared in

Hitting rock bottom

I caught an Oprah Wimphrey episode where she interviewed an ex-convict turned celebrity chef and she asked him what made him turn to crime. He said that when he was growing up in the slum area, crime was rampant and he just went along with it. He also said that there was an absence of good role models in his community where the young could learn to emulate. So when he got out of prison, he made great effort to change his whole being – from the way he thinks and talks to the way he walks and moves. He worked his way up from way down – from dish-washer to master chef! He had become a role model for other kids in his community. It shows that when you hit rock bottom, you can still rise up and become a winner.

Our whole nation is currently in mourning - we are mourning the death of our national football team. After two decades of kicking the ball around with little aim and no goals, the national squad has finally hit rock bottom – you can’t get any lower than that unless you start digging underground! The interesting thing about this is the reaction it received from the ordinary citizens right up to the royalty – the entire nation has had enough of the horrendous football coming from our national team and is concerted (for the first time?) in its voice to demand positive change to the way the sport is being handled. And that entails no less than a total revamp in the entire process of nurturing young footballers – from the school fields to international pitch.

If we look at it rationally, we will be able to see that the football situation is just a stark reflection on what is happening in the other important area of our nation-building – our education system. It too, was once a force to be reckoned with, to be admired and emulated by other Asian nations. But after the glory days of yesteryears, it too started on its journey of decline and the international standing of our national university tumbled to an embarrassing position somewhere at the bottom of the list. That too, attracted a lot of reaction from the nation, many of whom called for a total revamp of the education system, and some even called for it to be reversed to the old ways of educating the young, especially to the missionary school system which was successful in nurturing a more complete student with sports, arts and drama, literature and other extra-curricular activities abundantly available for students to expand their talents in. There was also good racial balance where children and teachers of all races learnt, worked and played together. Most importantly, it had good and respectable teachers to nurture and inspire students to achieve their best. And it really showed in the way these students went on to become highly accomplished, world class and respectable individuals in all areas of the professional fields.

So what do we learn from this? We learn that football, as in the other sports and our education system, needs to hit it right from the very beginning, and that is, to appoint professionals who know exactly how and what to do with it, to manage the entire process, starting from the school fields. As in the education system, what it does not need is political intervention. We should leave it entirely to the pros who have only one thing on their minds – to win and to win big time!

In education, we should put the whole system on the shoulders of respected educationists who still possess the noble aim in education – to nurture and develop young minds so that they grow into wholesome individuals and responsible citizens. If we truly want to progress in these fields, we must honestly and bravely do one thing – throw politics out of the system and put in the professionals who have no political ambitions whatsoever.

If we can do that, there might be hope yet for us to regain the glory of yesteryears and our nation would have a brand new story to tell the world!