Music education in third-world countries

This entry was written by Ali Farahani

Music education in third-world countries is facing many problems that limit access to it and it’s full of challenges. These rising and falling obstacles are made of the socioeconomic, cultural educational systems, etc.
Here we will inspect some of the most important challenges which make difficult the progress of music education in this area.

1- Limited references
Usually, in many third-world countries, education institutions, particularly, those that focus on the dissemination of art disciplines, don’t have enough resources. The lack of financial resources for the provision of music education tools as well as musical instruments, and the lack of experienced teachers and suitable facilities, reduce the quality of music education provided especially to children.

2- socioeconomic factors.
High levels of poverty in third-world countries may prevent children from following music education.
Families may put their priorities on basic needs over cultural activities such as learning music. This limits the number of students participating in the music program.

3- cultural standpoints deterrent
Cultural attitudes toward music education are different and sometimes it may reduce value or misunderstand its validity and importance. Generally, in the development and growth of music especially among children, the culture’s domination of society and lack of artistic recognition create a kind of predestined view that affects the fate of this art. In a society where cultural beliefs marginalise music and trap it in a corner, so, art can not be active and remains passive and has no fans or it goes astray and finds quiddity like the heart in an underground movement.  Certainly, this cultural disconnect led to a lack of support for music education initiatives.

4- Gender discrimination
Gender discrimination can cause problems in music education, in some societies old beliefs and traditions may prevent girls from participating in art activities, particularly, music. Patriarchal societies can keep half of the society limited and lead to limited representation of certain groups in the field of musical talent development. Although third world societies are so Sick that boys and girls are confined in this area.

5- Lack of experienced teachers
The lack of skilled music teachers is an important issue that it caught the collar of promotion and dissemination of this art for a long time. Without experienced teachers, the quality of music education, what is transmitted is incomplete and infirm, even if it may even cause ، escape the art students to cut off their connection with art education and destroy their talent.

6- Disconnected from the world and isolation
Though limited to a certain number of music genres may lead to a reduction in the variety of music fields and disconnection of world music. The limited program prevents the development of music education as universal. Cooperation with international organizations can provide more opportunities for music education in the third world.

7-  Infrastructure challenges
Inadequate infrastructure, including, a lack of education spaces, schools, conservatories, music venues,  lack of suitable facilities for holding concerts, all of them are high obstacles in front of music. A prominent example of this is that there is only two music conservatory in the capital of a big country like Iran.

8- religious beliefs
Religion can have various effects on music education.
For instance, in some cultures, music may be compatible with values and religious principles and it enhances the power of music as a booster element, like, the influence of different religions in Indian music.
On the contrary, in some societies, music may conflict with religious principles and some religious opinions may be made circumscription for music activities.

In Iran, the influence of Islam on music has created different historical periods. In the primitive Islamic periods, music faced limitations and sometimes masters of music were killed, sometimes rejected and exiled and sometimes isolated and in some periods completely reciprocal movement was going on.

Post a Comment

Required fields are marked *
*
*
Your email is never shared.

Leading the Charge in Censorship

Davoud Pirnia, writer and musicologist was the founder of “Golha” (Flowers of Persian Song and Music) programs on Tehran Radio (1956-1966). He received his early education from his father, Hassan Pirnia (Moshir al-Douleh), and several tutors of the time (Taraghi, interview, July 1989) and continued his studies at Saint Louis School in Tehran and then in Switzerland and graduated in law. While studying law, Pirnia got acquainted with European classical music. Upon returning to Iran, he was employed by the Ministry of Justice and founded the Lawyers’ Guild. Then he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and established the Department of Statistics in this ministry. Later, he became the head of the state inspection office at the Prime Ministry; he was, then, promoted to the position of the Deputy Prime Minister (Navab Safa, interview, August 1999)

The Legacy of Khosrow Jafarzadeh

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of Khosrow Jafarzadeh (Khosrow Djafar-Zadeh), a distinguished architect and pioneering researcher of Iranian music, whose contributions to the magazine “Harmony Talk” have left an indelible mark on the field. The absence of this remarkable individual has significantly impacted the expansion and advancement of his theories, which are heralded as some of the most progressive in the history of Iranian music

From Past Days…

Farshad Sanjari, Forgotten Iranian Conductor Met His Tragic End

Farshad Sanjari, one of the most renowned Iranian conductors in the 1970s in Iran died after fire broke in his apartment in Vienna on November 22, 2019. Farshad Sanjari was not involved in politics; however, he was one of the victims of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, his name was never seen as the conductor of any programmes.

Ali Rahbari’s collaboration with Naxos as a Composer

Concertino for Violin and Orchestra entitled Nohe Khan was composed by Ali (Alexander) Rahbari while he was studying music in Vienna in 1972. This piece was composed having in mind the Ashoura events and inspired by the music which is used during the Ashoura ceremonies. The piece was first performed and recorded by Bijan Khadem…
Read More »

Harmony in the Iranian Music (I)

Translated by Mahboube Khalvati The article you are about to read was written by Rouhollah Khaleqi (1906-1965), composer, and conductor of Golha Orchestra (established in 1956). Khaleqi was one of the most prominent promoters of polyphony for the Iranian music and is one of the best representatives of the school of Ali Naghi Vaziri. In…
Read More »

“Symphonic Poems from Persia” Released in Germany

While the name “Persia” (Western historical name of Iran) has attracted tens of thousands of people from around the world to London’s British Museum to visit ancient Persian artifacts, the Nuremberg-based music company, Colosseum, invites Europeans to listen to eight masterpieces of Persian symphonic music.

Music education in third-world countries

Music education in third-world countries is facing many problems that limit access to it and it’s full of challenges. These rising and falling obstacles are made of the socioeconomic, cultural educational systems, etc.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (VI)

Researcher: Mohammad Tarighat Translator: Fatemeh Alimohammadi Hooks and attached rings: The junction of the ring to the arch is about 3 centimeters from the skin.  The ring with its side rings should be as far as the diameter of a ring (about one and a half to one and eight centimeters) to make a proper…
Read More »

Interview with the Makers of the New Qeychak (I)

On occasion of the 8th anniversary of launching HarmonyTalk Online Journal on 6 April 2012, Reza Ziaei, master luthier and researcher on classical music instruments (violin family), announced that the first phase of the project to improve Qeychak has borne fruit. The new instrument would feature a bowl of ribs and the material used for the surface would be wooden. Carrying out the second phase of the project took more than 7 years engaging the new members of Reza Ziaei’s Workshop. In this phase, new researches were conducted from different aspects on the Qeychak and the modern versions of the instrument which were introduced previously by other instrument makers. The available versions of the instrument were studied in terms of their weak and strong technical features.

Banan: the Artist of the Age

Gholam Hossein Banan was born in 1911 in Tehran. He was born in an affluent art-loving family who were Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896)’s relative. The Qajar King was his mother’s uncle on her father’s side. He learnt his first lessons in music while his father sang Iranian avaz (improvised rhythmic-free singing), he then attended classes by the renowned Iranian composer, Morteza Neydavoud (1900-1990) along with his sisters; the composer is, therefore, considered as his first teacher. He then learnt Iranian avaz under the supervision of Mirza Taher Zia Resaee (Zia-o Zakerin) and Naser Seif in an oral manner.

A year without Mohsen Ghanebasiri

The year 1396 (21 March 2017-20 March 2018) was the most sorrowful year for HarmonyTalk journal. One month after holding HarmonyTalk’s 13th establishment anniversary in Mohsen Ghanebasiri’s house in Tehran in April 2017, he untimely passed away. Mohsen Ghanebasiri was the prominent HarmonyTalk author.

Principles of Violin Playing (IX)

4.3.1. To practice playing of doubles of notes involving two different fingers, each note is played at separate bows with slow tempo, each note is played perfectly regarding its bass and tenor sounds and then the considered double is played at another bow while considering the resulted sound of the double.