Music education in third-world countries

1 January 2024 – 1:29 pm Posted in Articles' List, General Information

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.

This entry was written by HarmonyTalk
Tagged: Music education.

Five Major Myths About Mozart’s Life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the renowned Austrian composer, is undoubtedly one of the greatest geniuses in the history of classical music. However, his life is surrounded by numerous myths and legends, some of which are not based on facts. This article explores five of the most common misconceptions about Mozart’s life.

Bahma Rajabi Passed Away!

Bahman Rajabi, the renowned tonbak (Persian goblet drum) player and educator, passed away at his home at the age of 86 due to a heart condition. He was the founder of a distinctive school of tonbak playing, and his teaching methods have been widely used by instructors of the instrument for decades..

Latest posts

From Past Days…

Illusion or Ingenuity?

Mohsen Renani in the preface of his book entitled “The Political Economy of nuclear conflict; an introduction to traversing the civilizations” writes:

Polyphony in Iranian Music (II)

With regard to each polyphonic form, only one specific and distinguished example is analyzed. These polyphonic forms are as follows:

Polyphony in Iranian Music (V)

In addition to the above-mentioned, polyphony can be also formed when a melody is performed by several singers in different ambiances or different sound registers according to their physiologic abilities. An example of this has been performed in rituals of Khanqah of Ghaderi darawish of Mahabad[i].

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets (4)

The collaboration between Mozart and Haydn blossomed during the late 18th century in Vienna, a city that served as the epicenter of musical innovation. Amidst this vibrant cultural milieu, the two composers developed a profound friendship that extended beyond mere professional admiration. This connection is reflected in the six string quartets dedicated by Mozart to Haydn, aptly known as the “Haydn Quartets.”

Parviz Meshkatian’s Heart Beat for People (II)

As such, the young Meshkatian reached the position of a great maestro in the Iranian music. Up until 1997, Meshkatian remained prolific and composed many pieces which were characterized by progressiveness while drawing on the music of the past Iranian musicians. In some of Meshkatian’s works, one can trace the influence of maestros such as Faramarz Payvar; however, this influence is so balanced that one can neither say that Meshkatian is a progressive and deconstructionist composer nor does he use cliché forms in his compositions.

Iranian Fallacies: Iranian Chords

Finding a way to harmonize the Iranian music has been the subject of controversy among Iranian musicians for a long time. Some believe in the creation of harmonies for Iranian music based on a method which is similar to the tierce harmony; while others have either selected or invented some other methods. There are also some musicians who do not basically agree with the harmonization of the Iranian music.

Is the Iranian National Anthem a Copy? (II)

In response, it should be said that it is better for the national anthem of a country to use the musical material exclusive to that country; however, some problems might come up in doing so the most important of which include: lack of familiarity of other countries’ music performer with the concerned country’s specific music intervals and special musical technique; and secondly, the strangeness of that music to the foreign listener.

A Note on the Occasion of Houshang Zarif’s Demise

No introduction is needed when talking about the position of the late Houshang Zarif (1938-2020) in the Iranian music. His character and personality are so well-known among musicians that his name per se is a symbol and role model for the Iranian youth. “Becoming Houshang Zarif” is the dream of many young people who enter the world of music in Iran and many of whom retire regretting the realisation of this dream.

Principles of Playing Violin (V)

3/1/2/5: When the first finger lands next to the nut, continuation of first phalange of this finger, on back of the hand, should be in line with continuation of the back of the wrist and the left hand; moreover, it should not pass them and bend at knuckles. Otherwise, an uncommon stretch is created in first finger’s knuckle also reducing the freedom of other fingers (especially the fourth finger) in finger placement.

History’s Impact on Evaluating a Work of Art

With this description, we have automatically included a criterion called “History”, Until we know the time of the creation of a work of art, we cannot judge whether it has been easy to create or not. Suppose that, in a historical study, we find a musical work that is similar in compositional techniques (including form, melody, context, and orchestration) to a minor work of the nineteenth century; however, our research proves that, this work dates back to 200 years prior to that date. Can we still consider this work insignificant? Definitely not! So this is where the first use of history-based judgment comes into play.