Keeping Music Alive
Music is the art of expression in sounds, in melody and in harmony. Music has no boundaries, no religion and no nationality. Music is universal. Today we are threatened by divisive forces in the name of region, religion, language, etc. To face this challenge, I think, music is the best weapon. Only music has the power of bringing all men and women together from any quarters of the world. Therefore, it should be our priority to teach music to our children.
During the Portuguese rule, way back in the middle of the 19th century, the then Portuguese Government, introduced Parochial Schools or Church schools in Goa. These schools taught the 3 Rs and music to the students The aim of these schools was to equip the students to deal with day to day problems and make them capable of singing and playimg music in the church. The teacher was known as Mestri. The Mestri, being a musician himself took a lot of interest in the teaching of music. This resulted in producing hundreds of great musicians who excelled not only in Goa but throughout India and in the world too.
During the last twenty years, this beautiful tradition of teaching music in the churches has totally stopped. This is mainly because there is a dearth of music teachers. Although today we see musicians and musical groups mushrooming in Goa, the unfortunate part is that most of them cannot read and write music. The few surviving musicians, who have proper knowledge of music, hesitate to take the assignment of teaching because the payment is meagre. Concrete efforts are needed in this direction. By neglecting this aspect we are neglecting our own culture and everything that is associated with it.
The Government of Goa introduced a very good scheme in the schools in order to revive the musical heritage of Goa through the Art and Culture Department
According to this scheme, each school was given a grant of Rs. 20,000/- to purchase musical instruments. A provision of Rs. 4,500/- for every month was made to pay the salary of two teachers from the date of the beginning of the musical classes. According to the need of the schools, some schools started teaching Indian music only, some Western music only and some Indian as well as Western music. Those schools which opted for Indian music or Western music only, used the services of both the teachers to teach that stream. The schools which opted for Indian as well as Western music used the services of one of the teachers for Indian Music and the other for Western music.
Surprisingly, the Department of Art & Culture issued a Circular in March 2005 stating that both types of music i.e. Indian as well as Western cannot be taught under this scheme and that the school has to opt either for Indian Music only or Western Music only. The circular threatened the school managements that the salary of the teachers will not be paid if the instructions are not obeyed. I felt that the very purpose of providing opportunity for the students to learn music is defeated by this circular.
If one analyses the situation, one finds that (a) there is no mention of teaching Indian music only or Western music only in the scheme. (b) The Government has made provision for two teachers hence there is no extra financial burden on the part of the Government. Then where was the need to issue such a circular?
We should know that the school is the centre of all types of activities. Different parents have different likes and dislikes. Accordingly a school will have parents who would like their children to learn Indian music while there can be parents in the same school who would encourage their children to learn Western music. The circular sent by the Art & Culture Department will satisfy one set of parents and disappoint others. The circular will become the cause of creating ill feelings in some parents which can adversely affect the school. Hence there is an immediate need to withdraw the said circular and allow the schools to conduct music classes as per their needs. Let the art of expression in sound, in melody and in harmony prevail in the school campus in the true sense of the word.
Tomazinho Cardozo Candolim, Goa