Music Education in India

Music is the eternal, limitless language of the universe. It is something which is appreciated in one
form or the other by all human beings. Prof. Srinivas Reddys class on Indian Classical music
portrayed why Indian classical music is unique and left several thought provoking questions
regarding the glaring deficiencies in music education in Modern India.
Indian classical music is highly evolved and scientific in nature. It needs fine tuning of the senses to
properly comprehend and relish the nuances in a rendition of classical music. This makes the masses
shy away from properly appreciating our heritage in music. It was shocking to know that in a class
with more than 60 students, less than 5 students know how to play a musical instrument. This kind of
statistics shows that we have a long way to go regarding the impartation of musical education. Basic
education in any form of music encourages the students to explore more avenues in music and
appreciate diverse kinds of music. I think common argument against encouraging music education in
India is that it parents have a fear that it may harmfully affect the academic achievements of their
children which is true according to my personal experience.
It has been scientifically proven that musical education helps in improving the cognitive, affective
and spatial reasoning skill of students. It is interesting to note that many renowned scientists have an
active involvement with music .For instance; it is well known that Albert Einstein loved playing the
violin.These are the words of this famous scientist: If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a
musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of
music. Studying music helps us to be closer to our culture and values.
Music must be made as a compulsory subject from the kindergarten to graduate level study. This will
make the students more appreciative of our classical heritage. Moreover Music advocacy need to
gather momentum in order to attract masses towards Indian classical music. Classical Music scenario
in India is now dominated by a certain communities. Classical music in modern India has acquired
an elitist image; something which can be understood and appreciate only by a minority in the upper
class. In order for Musical education to thrive in India, the masses must be educated first so that they
are encouraged to send their kids to study music. This requires concentrated efforts from musicians,
civil society and academicians.