
MyWebSearch.com

The Advantages of Introducing Asian Music in the School Curriculum

By Bethwinst, eHow Contributor

updated: November 17, 2010

gamelan image by Bruno Bernier from Fotolia.com
The gamelan, from Indonesia, is just one instrument students may learn about.
Traditionally, music education in public schools has been based on Western art music and folk music. Students learn traditional songs, and the works of classical composers from Europe and America. But this approach leaves out entire cultures whose music has a lot to offer U.S. students. The music of Asia, including India, Pakistan, China and Japan, is slowly starting to be appreciated for the huge educational resource that it is.

Inclusiveness

In many schools, Asian students, or those of Asian origin, make up an increasingly large proportion of the student body. It can be of great benefit to allow these students to celebrate and explore their native culture, and to share it with other students. As schools become more diverse it makes less sense to center music education solely on Western cultural norms.

The National Commission on Asia in the Schools reports that most Americans lack even a basic knowledge of Asia, despite the fact that the continent is an important trading partner with the U.S. The acquisition of skills and repertoire in Asian music can lead students with no previous knowledge of the region to explore other aspects of Asian life and culture. Playing and learning Asian music in class can be broadened into a discussion of traditional instruments, musicians and the circumstances of life in the country of origin.

Many forms of Asian music are based on musical structures that are completely distinct from Western scales and modes. For instance, much of Chinese traditional music is based on a pentatonic scale, rather than the octave system. Rhythmic structures may be very different, and Asian music also utilizes hundreds of instruments that may not be familiar to students. Music students can benefit greatly from broadening their musical perspectives to include these new theories and skills.