Malay Traditional Folk Songs In Ulu Tembeling: Its Potential For A Comprehensive Study

The aim of this research is to discover the potential of music in Ulu Tembeling for a comprehensive study, as well as to increase the repertoire of Malay songs for music education purposes. A fieldwork had been carried out in the five main villages in Ulu Tembeling where the songs of the villagers were recorded as many as possible. The sound data had been transcribed to notation and analyzed. Around ten types of songs were found in Ulu Tembeling. Among them are: Indung; Saba; Lagu Dodoi; Lagu Bercerita; Lagu Permainan; songs for Tarian Lukah,Tarian Mayang, Tarian Limbung; and Dikir Rebana. The analysis showed the variety of tunes and they have specific characteristics, such as asymmetrical time, the flexibility between down beat and up beat, etc. The result demonstrated that there were more repertoires of Malay melodies, and the original musical characteristics of Malay music may be different from those well known in the urban society. The conclusion of the research is that there is a need to document and study the traditional folk songs of Ulu Tembeling comprehensively

Stress in music teaching: identifying the level and source of stress in the context of Malaysian primary schools.

This study was designed to examine the level of stress according to selected stressors experienced by primary school music teachers. The stressors undertaken in this study were categorized into six sub-scales which are ‘student characteristics’, ‘teacher characteristics’, administrative procedures’, ‘social support’, ‘facilities and equipment’ and ‘music syllabus contents’. Respondents for this study consisted of 326 trained and untrained music teachers in Selangor. Music Teacher Stress Inventory was developed based on problems faced by Malaysian music teachers, with 44 stressors extracted from 99 sources of stress, collected from various sources. Findings of the present research indicate that music teachers in this study were generally experiencing mild stress in teaching music. Among particular item of stressors, ‘lack of trained music teacher’, ‘lack of music resources and books’, ‘lack of skill in playing musical instrument’, ‘inadequate allocation to buy costumes for music performance’ and ‘lack of recognition for music education’ were rated by the teachers as the main sources of their stress

Implementation of music in government preschools in Malaysia: music activities, teachers' perceptions and teachers' self-efficacy.

In this paper, the implementation of music in government preschools is studied from three aspects, namely music activities, teachers' perception of the role of music in preschool education, and teachers' self efficacy in music teaching. A questionnaire, which was designed according to the local curriculum syllabus, as well as adapted parts of Wu's (1999) and Oreck's (2001) research instruments, was distributed to 138 preschool teachers in various districts in the state of Selangor, from which 96 valid responses were gathered. The findings revealed that the music activities carried out in preschool, from the order of the most frequently conducted, are group singing, music and movement, listening, sound exploration, and instrument playing. Meanwhile, 95.8% of the respondents conducted group singing daily, and only 28.1% conducted music and movement daily. More than 70% seldom or had never conducted sound exploration activities. Majority of the respondents perceived that music plays a role in personal and social development, music skills and knowledge development, classroom management, and other benefits. There are however disagreements by few on the aspects related to the importance of music in child development. The findings on teachers' self efficacy revealed that one-third of the respondents were not confident to conduct music activities in school. These findings reflected the background of the respondents, whereby 31.3% were untrained in preschool education and 92.7% others did not possess any relevant qualification for instrumental proficiency

Different yet similar: a study on Mongindong performed by diris, gustimin, pariama and tulai from Murok Village and Baba Village on the Labuk River, Sabah

The oral traditions of the Dusun Labuk include tangon, runsai, mongindong, mansuak, and kurilang. Mongindong [cradle song] is typologically informal yet functionally important in the traditional daily life of the Dusun Labuk. Seven mongindong were collected from four Dusun Labuk community members in Beluran, located in the east part of Sabah, Malaysia. It is important to note that the informants were reluctant to perform more than one mongindong for documentation purpose because they perceive that each of them owns only one mongindong, and therefore, two mongindong, although different in musical structure, are perceived as “sama” [the same] when they are performed by one informant. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, the informants perceive the mongindong performed by one person is “sama” [the same] as the mongindong which is performed by the other person. However, by viewing the tune and text of each collected mongindong, the researcher perceives each mongindong to be different from one another. Taking this into consideration, this paper describes the mongindong of the Dusun Labuk and suggests a possible way to analyse them. Findings from the analysis lead to an understanding of the similarity between the mongindong held by the informants. Nevertheless, further study on the culture of Dusun Labuk and the community members’ knowledge of oral traditions is necessary for a deeper understanding of mongindong

Noise exposure in the Malaysian living environment from a music education perspective

The objective of this paper is to determine if the present state of noise exposure in the Malaysian living environment can be both a research and practical problem from the perspective of music education, by looking into the quality of the noise and its implications on the growth of a person. An impression of noise exposure level formed by using sound level meter reveals that social venues for Malaysians in their daily life could be noisier than industrial areas, many of which exceeded the recommended noise level set by the Department of Environment of Malaysia. An impression of the sound texture formed by analysing the recorded soundscape reveals a sharp contrast between the rural and urban areas in Malaysia in terms of quantities and varieties of sound source. Reflecting the findings of sound survey upon the Music Educationist’s Framework to Approach Noise/Sound in Living Environment, it is found that the noise exposure in the Malaysian living environment may pose threats to the quality of life of students, including their learning efficiency. Hence, it is a valid problem for music educationists to deal with both in their research and practical teaching

The quest for 'newness' in jazz: implications of Cage's relationship with jazz

Scott Simon (2008) describes jazz improvisation as an act of ‘reproduction of music’, ‘reinterpretation of compositions’, and ‘quotations of melodies’, while Paul Berliner (1994) puts it as ‘reworking precomposed material’. In contrast, Lee Brown highlights the spirit of ‘non conformism’ embedded in jazz playing, so that the musical outcome of jazz is ‘unanticipated’, and ‘nondeterministic’ (Brown, 2000). In 2012, I proposed ‘heteronomy’ as one of the defining features of jazz. How would these characters of jazz appear in the light of John Cage’s thoughts? If jazz is an art of quoting rather than creating, then that it was a genre of ‘distaste’ to Cage becomes understandable. Cage’s relationship to jazz and/or improvisation is more than a mild rejection. Sabine Feisst (2009) refers to it as an ‘unresolved relationship’, while for Rebecca Kim (2012) there is a ‘separate togetherness’ between Cage and jazz. In coaching Malaysian students to embrace jazz, needs arise for a clear understanding of what is the nature of jazz. In this paper, I discuss the meaning of ‘newness’ in jazz, by tracing several issues that crisscross over Cage’s thoughts about jazz. Do musicians seek ‘newness’ in jazz? I argue that ‘newness’ is more relevant in the process of a jazz performance compared to its outcome. Nevertheless, Cage’s thoughts could inspire further pondering of what jazz is (not), and what jazz can (not) become

Application of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in studying the intercultural experience of learning jazz improvisation

Jazz studies and tertiary education in music are a “new culture” to Southeast Asian countries, however common they may appear to be. Low readiness for learning, knowledge and skill gap, lack of appreciation of subject learned, low self esteem, and unrefined pedagogy have been commonplace in music colleges in the past two decades in Malaysia. The need to examine and support the local students’ jouney into the intercultural process of professional music training in a still developing music-social environment is urgent. Using Søren Kierkegaard’s (year?) notion on subjectivity as a base, an application of Jonathan Smith style IPA were utilised to study the learning process of jazz major tertiary students in a Southeast Asian country. This paper elaborated the concepts and considerations made in the construct of this new methodological application with some early results obtained from the semi structured interview. Anything perceived within an individual was found to influence or determine by the particularity of the individual’s background, and the perception of the object also cultivated an understanding of self. From these, the three parts of the methodological frame of phenomenology were laid, which were the object (which was the subject of study, i.e., jazz), Perceptions (the way the object was being grasped by the learners), and Self-image (the understanding of self, the evaluative aspect). The result revealed the student’s particular views on the meaning of being a student, and her basis for value judgement and decision making along the learning process, which were insights that may enable a connection into her prior experiences and an explanation of the present outlook of her learning problems

Pengajaran yang ditonton: kesan tayangan instruksi audio visual terhadap pembelajaran caklempong di sekolah menengah

Apakah bahan rakaman audio visual akan membawa posibiliti atau kekangan yang baru kepada pendidikan muzik tradisional di negara ini yang sedang mengalami masalah kekurangan tenaga pengajar? Untuk meneliti kesan instruksi audio visual, kajian ini telah menggunakan pendekatan kuasi eksperimental yang melibatkan eksperimen pengajaran, analisis bunyi, soal selidik serta diskripsi kelakuan. Seramai 20 orang pelajar untuk Kumpulan Eksperimen dan 20 orang pelajar lagi untuk Kumpulan Kawalan telah menyertai sesi eksperimen untuk mempelajari cara bermain melodi lagu Dikir Putri pada gereteh. Walaupun tiada perbezaan yang ketara antara corak kesalahan, kumpulan pelajar yang belajar melalui audio visual didapati melakukan lebih banyak kesalahan dari segi penguasaan nada. Namun mereka adalah lebih seimbang dari segi penguasaan masa; dan ini mencerminkan keperluan seseorang pelajar untuk menyesuaikan diri terhadap pengajaran yang ditayang. Kumpulan yang tidak menonton tayangan mendahului kumpulan yang menonton dalam penerapan nilai-nilai murni seperti bekerjasama dan saling membantu. Namun begitu, kumpulan audio visual menunjukkan perubahan minat yang amat ketara, yang menunjukkan tayangan audio visual adalah berkesan dalam menarik perhatian serta memupuk minat pelajar. Akhirnya, satu konsep yang dinamakan ‘pembingkaian’ (framing) isi pengajaran dibangkitkan. Apabila suatu isi pengajaran muzik itu diubah bentuk atau dibingkaikan ke dalam audio visual, cara pembelajaran yang berubah mempunyai kekuatan dan kekurangan yang tertentu. Kajian lanjut dalam topik yang sama amat diperlukan supaya mekanisme pengajaran muzik secara audio visual boleh dikenalpasti dengan lebih komprehensif

Acoustic control, noise measurement and performance ambition: issues surrounding noise exposure for musicians

Unlike manufacturing industries, assessing noise exposure in the performing arts scene is complicated by the fact that sound is the intended product in the work field. Despite existing studies on noise exposure and risk of hearing impairment among musicians (Russo F.A. 2012, Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska M. 2011, Emmerich E. 2008, Lee J. 2005), there is yet an account that approaches the topic from a music performer’s/producer’s perspective. Notwithstanding the known facts of musicians being endangered by the sounds they produce, the mechanism of how sounds travel ‘geographically’ in a rehearsal and performance venue, and from which directions and who is affected, has not been included in research designs until now. More intriguing is the fact that a sound produced musically, even at the intensity of 95 dB and above, is frequently favored by musicians in action on stage. This paper explores potential issues that affect health preventive solutions for musicians. The acoustic control of a performance event, Jazz Live in Music House, is analyzed using the concept of sound map, and sound level measured across the event time. In addition, the psychological dimension of musicians in handling sound in their professional work environment will be explored in the terms of ‘performance ambition’