THE ROLES OF THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION BY JOHN LAH BOH YONG A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not be successful without the advice and assistance from a group of special people. The constructive comments and guidance of my supervisory committee members, Dr. Camille Smith and Dr. Jennifer Thomas, were greatly appreciated. They provided encouragement and valuable suggestions throughout the course of my study. Furthermore, I am especially grateful to my wife and son, Dolly and Kyrie, who endlessly and unselfishly provide inspiration and motivation to my studies at the University of Florida. i i TABLES OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 Purpose and Value of the Study....................................................................................1 Need for the Study........................................................................................................1 2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY............................................................................3 The History of Malaysia...............................................................................................3 The Geographical Position of Malaysia.......................................................................7 The Demographic Position of Malaysia.......................................................................8 The Socio-Economic Conditions in Malaysia............................................................12 The Educational System in Malaysia.........................................................................13 The Music Education in Malaysia..............................................................................19 3 THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT POLICY MAKING-GOVERNMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.........................................................25 A Unified System.......................................................................................................25 Policy Changes Since 1970's.…………………………………………………...…..27 The Implementation of National Economic Policy (NEP).........................................29 The Implementation of Look East Policy...................................................................31 The Implementation of Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020)...............................................32 The Implementation of National Cultural Policy.......................................................34 4 THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC MUSIC EDUCATION ............................................................................................................36 The Role of the Ministry of Education in Music Education.......................................36 The Establishment and Functions of Curriculum Development Center..............37 Malaysian Public Education................................................................................38 Primary School System.......................................................................................39 Lower and Upper Secondary School System......................................................41 iii Post-Secondary School System...........................................................................44 Tertiary Education...............................................................................................45 Teacher Training Colleges..................................................................................47 Music Education in the Public School System....................................................48 Universiti of Malaya (UM)..................................................................................50 Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)........................................................................52 Universiti Teknologi MARA (UTM)..................................................................54 Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).......................................................................56 Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNAMAS)..........................................................57 Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)......................................................................58 The Role of the Ministry of Information in Music Education....................................59 The Role of the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Tourism in Music Education............64 The Istana Budaya (National Theater)................................................................64 The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)..........................................................66 The National Choir (NC).....................................................................................67 Composers Forum of ASEAN.............................................................................68 5 THE ROLE OF PRIVATE EXTERNAL MUSIC EXAMINATION BOARDS IN MUSIC EDUCATION...............................................................................................69 The Emergence of Private Music External Examination Boards in Malaysia...........69 The Role of Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in Malaysia's Music Education...........................................................................................70 The History of ABRSM.......................................................................................70 The Curricula of ABRSM...................................................................................72 The Syllabi for Music Performance: Pieces........................................................73 Scales and Arpeggios..........................................................................................73 Aural Tests...........................................................................................................74 Sight-Reading......................................................................................................74 Theory of Music..................................................................................................75 Yamaha Music Education System (YMES)...............................................................75 The History of YMES.........................................................................................75 The Teaching Concepts of YMES.......................................................................76 Courses Offered by YMES..................................................................................77 The Graded Examinations of YMES...................................................................78 6 THE ROLE OF PRIVATE COLLEGES IN MUSIC EDUCATION.......................80 Government's Policies Toward Private Education.....................................................80 The History of Private Education...............................................................................81 The Twinning Program...............................................................................................82 Sedaya College....................................................................................................84 International College of Music (ICOM...............................................................86 Yamaha Academy of Arts and Music ................................................................86 Other Private Music Colleges..............................................................................88 The Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) of PETRONAS.................................88 iv 7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .............................................................................91 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................93 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................................98 v Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of master of Music THE ROLES OF THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION By John Lah Boh Yong May 2003 Chairman: Camille M. Smith. Major Department: Music This study examines music education in Malaysia. It traces its historical roots from the Eighteenth Century to the present, and illustrates the roles the Malaysian government and private sectors play in the development of music education. It further examines the influence of Western music on contemporary curriculum practices. vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose and Value of the Study This study illustrates the role of the various Malaysian government organizations in shaping public school music education. The study also includes the recent progress developed by the private sectors in assisting the Malaysian government to make music education more affordable and accessible among the public. The Malaysian government plays an active role, initiating policies in music education; the private sectors follow and implement the policies in their educational system. The joint effort of both parties enables music education to become a more essential area of study, rather than a leisure activity. This study focuses on the past and recent developments achieved by both the Malaysian government and private sectors that make Malaysia able to fulfill its Vision 2020 as a developing country. Need for the Study Throughout the development of music education in Malaysia, the country experienced a series of transformations in its implementation of educational policies and reforms and a rapidly booming economic growth during the process of privatization. As one of the leading nations in ASEAN and Southeast Asia, both the Malaysian government and private sectors' efforts deserve a place of prominence in the discussion of music in this study. This study demonstrates how the government can work closely with 1 2 the private sectors to promote the concepts of music education in a multi-plural and racial society. CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The History of Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, formerly known as the Federation of Malaya, became an independent sovereign nation on August 31, 1957. On that day, the Malayan Federation became independent under an Alliance government headed by the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) leader Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister. Malaysia was later established formally on September 16, 1963, through the union of the federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah.1 On August 9, 1965, Singapore left Malaysia to become an independent country.2 Historically, Malaysia had continuous interaction with traders from China and India. During the early centuries A.D., Indian contact with the Peninsula was mainly confined to trade visits. It was through these encounters that North Malaya was drawn into the complex of "Indianized" Kingdoms established in Southeast Asia in the fourth century. The centralized position in Asia and abundant resources of produces and spices had attracted sailors, traders, settlers and rulers from various parts of Asia for several thousand years.3 1 Officially, Malaysia still celebrates its Independence Day on August 31st every year. 2 Europa Publications Limited, “Malaysia,” in Europa World Year Book, Vol.11 (Old Woking: Gresham Press, 1998). 3 Craig A. Lockard, Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998) , 209. 3 4 There seems to have been a desire to extend Chinese prestige in other parts of Asia by offering protection against Siam. It is probable that the Chinese government wished to investigate the use of sea routes4 as an alternative to the overland route to the West, especially for merchants importing luxuries and spices. The influence of the Chinese and Indians was especially strong during the rule of Prince Parameswara5 in the kingdom of Malacca. During his reign, the trade of Malacca benefited greatly from the oversea traders from China and India who used Malacca as a trading port.6 The important economic and political influence of Malacca also enhanced the spread of both the Malay language and Islam, which gradually became the main religion in the Malay region.7 The spice trade in the Malay archipelagos eventually attracted Portuguese, Dutch and British to monopolize the territory as their colonies. In the sixteenth century, the Westerners participated in the spice business in the region and gradually planned for a strategy to conquer the region. The history of colonization in Malaysia started with the Portuguese invasion in 1511 and ended in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation from the British. As defined by Naimah Ishak in his dissertation, “Colonization and Higher Education: The Impact of Participation in Western Universities on Malaysian Graduates Who have Returned to their Academic and Professional Lives”: Colonialism refers to capture and control of one country by another country through political domination, economic exploitation and religious proselytism. It represents subjugation of the colonies to the colonizer in the dynamics of superiority-inferiority and oppressor-oppressed; through the colonizer's 4 China was the leading nation in the maritime navigation in Asia during that century. 5 Parameswara was the prince from Palembang, on the island of Sumatra, who fled to Malacca to establish his kingdom. 6 N. J. Ryan, A History of Malaysia and Singapore (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976), 20. 7 Lockard, 209.