Rudolf Steiner´s music education for India
Atul Chatterjee
May 31, 2010
Rudolf Steiner´s music education for India
At a friend Asit´s place I witnessed a peculiar problem. Their son's flute teacher had left town for a job elsewhere. When the next one came he was unable to provide music sheets in the same pattern the first one did. I examined two specimens and even to my untrained eye they were different.
Indian music has its sheets and western music has its notation, I don´t know anything about the completeness of the Indian system but know that students don´t rely so much on it, as on listening.
Asit my friend expounded his views. He wanted his son to learn the flute, it would give him a hobby to pursue through the rest of his life. I asked if it were better that he be exposed to more instruments and given a choice, after all 11 is a little young unless you are planning to create a professional. " They only monkey around with many instruments. In the west some schools start to teach children when they are 8 years old, at least there is one group a Rudolph Steiner which does it," Asit informed me. "Look at the cost, only vocal music is cheaper. They should make it compulsory even in government schools. Those schools don´t have music at all. In the west they teach with standard music sheets, here each teacher has his own methods. If standard sheets were available students could at least play tunes on their own and teachers could come in once in a while. These gurus don´t want students to learn on their own," he ended almost snarling.
I went through the net and found what he said was true. Children as young as 8 are introduced to the flute in the West. I saw the Rudolph Steiner schools seem to have a well developed progression. RS is present in India in a small way. Even if they do not provide their full range of education they can impart music education to create teachers and assist other schools. If competencies are raised in one instrument say the flute it will have spin off benefits as peer learning can take place. Even in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan there is virtually no place for music, there are only some rhythmic poems.
Music can change the outlook of a piece of society as also an individual. Zubin Mehta the brilliant US based conductor is also known for his connection with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, what is lesser known is that he has in collaboration launched projects to promote music amongst the Israeli Arabs.
In Japan more than one hundred and fifty years ago flute players from temples wore huge hats which resembled conical tents and they could only see about 1 meter ahead down below and they walked at a very slow pace. Through the mesh of the hat they could see vague outlines ahead. Their flute weighed more than a kilogram and easily 8 centimeters in diameter. It could thus be used for self defence. Another use for the flute.
At a friend Asit´s place I witnessed a peculiar problem. Their son's flute teacher had left town for a job elsewhere. When the next one came he was unable to provide music sheets in the same pattern the first one did. I examined two specimens and even to my untrained eye they were different.
Indian music has its sheets and western music has its notation, I don´t know anything about the completeness of the Indian system but know that students don´t rely so much on it, as on listening.
Asit my friend expounded his views. He wanted his son to learn the flute, it would give him a hobby to pursue through the rest of his life. I asked if it were better that he be exposed to more instruments and given a choice, after all 11 is a little young unless you are planning to create a professional. " They only monkey around with many instruments. In the west some schools start to teach children when they are 8 years old, at least there is one group a Rudolph Steiner which does it," Asit informed me. "Look at the cost, only vocal music is cheaper. They should make it compulsory even in government schools. Those schools don´t have music at all. In the west they teach with standard music sheets, here each teacher has his own methods. If standard sheets were available students could at least play tunes on their own and teachers could come in once in a while. These gurus don´t want students to learn on their own," he ended almost snarling.
I went through the net and found what he said was true. Children as young as 8 are introduced to the flute in the West. I saw the Rudolph Steiner schools seem to have a well developed progression. RS is present in India in a small way. Even if they do not provide their full range of education they can impart music education to create teachers and assist other schools. If competencies are raised in one instrument say the flute it will have spin off benefits as peer learning can take place. Even in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan there is virtually no place for music, there are only some rhythmic poems.
Music can change the outlook of a piece of society as also an individual. Zubin Mehta the brilliant US based conductor is also known for his connection with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, what is lesser known is that he has in collaboration launched projects to promote music amongst the Israeli Arabs.
In Japan more than one hundred and fifty years ago flute players from temples wore huge hats which resembled conical tents and they could only see about 1 meter ahead down below and they walked at a very slow pace. Through the mesh of the hat they could see vague outlines ahead. Their flute weighed more than a kilogram and easily 8 centimeters in diameter. It could thus be used for self defence. Another use for the flute.
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