Provocative Operation

Today was the best day for all of us in Universiti Teknologi Petronas. Not that there was a special function or anything, but it was because of its lovely weather. At around 10.00 a.m. it rained very heavily, and the result of the rain was that the whole day generally was cooling. There was at one point when the weather was as cool as that at Cameron Highlands, with strong winds. It was certainly very comfortable, especially for me. It is in such weather that I’ve chosen to post up a blog entry.

The title of my blog entry today has got something to do with a comment by Arlo Muttrie in my Deja Vu post. I had stated in that post the reason that I didn’t choose to be a performer; and I had also stated about the reason (something to do about Classical music that will induce people to sleep).

Arlo Muttrie stated that being a musician gives experience that a doctor or an engineer cannot provide. That is true. However, I must emphasise that in Malaysia, being a musician equals to working towards starvation, especially if you choose to be a performer with a base in Malaysia.

Currently, I would say that a musician has got no future in Malaysia (unless you join the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra). You see, music education is not made compulsory in this country and not many people like music, unlike other countries especially in Europe, America and China. In China, students who excel academically and have a good musical background are given the priority when it comes to university recruitment. Such government policies encourage the people to appreciate music. When I mention about music, I don’t refer to those such as Eminem or Fort Minor and the like, however I’m giving special emphasis on Traditional and Classical music.

While there is appreciation for such music, there is virtually none in Malaysia. Get 10 people from the crowd and you might find that only one or two learn music and know how to play an instrument. When I say that one knows how to play an instrument, it’s not just knowing how to play chords on a guitar; you must go for lessons and really learn how to handle and play the instrument.

The Malaysian society does not find music (mark: Classical music) entertaining. Movies, or cinemas are much more attractive. In many people’s context, Classical music is for “old” people who are far behind time. Today’s music simply refer to Rap, Pop, Rock and the like; music which is, sad to say, an ear-sore to me.

With such an apathetic attitude towards Classical music shown by the majority of the people, even a prominent musician in Europe wouldn’t be able to secure any long-term audience. So, what is the probability that I would be able to make a successful debut here in my country?

While people in other countries start their musical education when they are five or six, and make their debuts when they are twelve or thirteen years old, most musicians here in Malaysia would only have completed their Grade 8 examination when they are fifteen or sixteen years old. Once they have obtained their Grade 8, getting a diploma is out of the question already, because they quit. And with such mentality that they are taking up music just as a hobby, musical development is even more limited.

I have worked in a music school during my university break, and this is what the principal of that school had to say, “There are two types of music students today. One is the serious learners, the other just takes music as a hobby. Therefore, we have to come up with two different courses, namely the Study Course for serious learners and the Hobby Course. And more than 75% of our students take the Hobby Course.” A Hobby Course simply means that the student learns music just for the sake of knowing how to play an instrument. Once he or she knows how to play the instrument and a few pieces, that would be the end of the course. No examination is taken and no qualification is given. Parents are easily appeased and would frown if the teacher proposes that the student be examined.

So, what is the future that lies for the music industry in Malaysia? How many would accept the idea that the education make music education compulsory? How many would accept the idea that a minimum Grade 5 qualification is needed for university after completing secondary school? Why would some prominent Malaysian musicians such as Dennis Lee (a Penangite working for ABRSM currently; my Grade 3 examiner) develop their musical interest elsewhere?

Will the music (mark: Classical music) industry be extinct in Malaysia? Will the negative Malaysian mentality towards Classical music change? Only time will tell.

A special postscript to Arlo Muttrie: To show you how apathetic most Malaysians can be regarding music (again, mark: Classical music), you can just go around in the streets of Malaysia, select a few people and ask them if they know any of the musicians:

1. Ludwig van Beethoven
2. Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Frederic Chopin
4. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
5. Claude Debussy
6. Antonio Vivaldi
7. Johann Strauss II
8. Johannes Brahms
9. Franz Liszt
10. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Believe me, most of those you ask would know, at most, three of the above-mentioned musicians, namely Beethoven, Bach and Mozart (if you’re lucky, maybe even Strauss), when all the above-mentioned musicians are some of the most famous ones.