THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MUSICAL EDUCATION

IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION SUBJECTS AMONG PRIMARY ISLAMIC SCHOOL

AND YOUNGER CHILDREN

Prepared for:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adnan Abd Rashid

Prepared by:

Azlina Bte Mustaffa (G1211214)

Najihah Bte Abdullah (G1211346)

Nur Hafizah Bte Watib (G1210392)

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In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

Peace & Blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad His Family and Companions

1 Introduction

Music has a power of forming the character and should

therefore be introduced into the education of the young.

(Aristotle)

Nearly a millennium ago, one of Islam's most influential and renowned scholars of the

Golden Age has opined and emphasized the significance of incorporating music education in

the teaching of young children. This scholar is none other than the esteemed scholar,

Avicenna. It is interesting to note that Avicenna's educational aims do not only restrict on the

intellectual development, the amassing of knowledge, and the moral aspect alone, but it also

aims at the formation of a personality complete in body, mind and character.

For that, Avicenna suggested that a young child should be exposed to music in his tender age

in order to develop his taste and behavior. He simply believes and advocates that music and

rhyme could moderate children's sensation and heighten their feeling and emotion. He

considered it as imperative for the child to be exposed to music beginning from the cradle.

This will prepare him later on to learn music; and this education in taste will be further

refined in the next stage when he learns simple poetry with easy rhymes which will brings

much pleasure and in turn will motivate him to appreciate virtue.

Research done in the past decades have witnessed the truthfulness of this theory of Avicenna.

Indeed, music education has shown an impact in the development of the young child. Music

is seen as contributing to the total development of the child, including intellectual, emotional,

physical, social and aesthetic. ( Temmerman, 1998). Rauscher, Shaw and Ky (1997) research

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results informs that music has the ability to increase the spatial-temporal reasoning test of the

young children higher by 34%. Spatial-temporal reasoning has been said to involve higher

brain functions that are needed to solve complex math and science problems.

From this finding, it is hoped that Muslim educators will inculcate this teaching technique in

the process of educating the young child in order to enhance his learning abilities. It is known

that only a small percentage of Muslim educators today in Malaysia (as compared to the non-

Muslims) who actually utilized this technique in the teaching of young children. Probably,

this is due to the fact that music, which has been, and continues to be, a controversial subject

in Islam - with some Muslims claiming that music is forbidden from the legal point of view

of Islam.

2 Purpose of Study

This study hopes to explore further the educational theory of Avicenna which emphasized on

the importance of teaching music to young children and the impact and benefits it has on the

development of the young child. Apart from that, the purpose of this study also tries to

address the role 'music learning' plays during the Golden Age era and the reasons why the

Islamic scholars during that time, namely, Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Kindi and the others put

much emphasis on music learning. Lastly, the intention of this paper is to identify the

problems on why this technique is not utilized by most Muslim educators in Islamic schools,

in particular, Malaysia.

At the end of this paper, the writers hope to make known the problems why music education

is not popular among Malaysian Muslims teachers in Islamic schools in spite of its numerous

benefits. It will also discuss on suggestions of possible future implementations of music

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education in the curriculum of Islamic pre-schools and also for the lower primary levels in

Islamic schools in Malaysia.

3 Statement of Problem

Long ago, Avicenna, one of erudite scholars of Islam has exercised his concern towards the

development of a young child. He suggested music education as one of the effective teaching

method for the young minds in order to enhance his learning abilities. This infers that music

education is one of the most important components on education for the development of the

child.

After doing some thorough research, the writers find that research or studies on the problems

faced by Islamic educators to utilize music learning in the teaching process is scarce and is

largely understudied. Therefore this study hopes to investigate the problems why this music

method is not widely utilized by the teachers in pre-school or in lower primary school even

though numerous benefits can be reaped by the child.

4 Definition of terms

According to The International Encyclopedia of Curriculum, Music is an integral part of all

cultures and it is, therefore, society’s responsibility to pass on to future generations this

aspect of their heritage.

Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It

touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain (the development of

skills), the cognitive domain (the acquisition of knowledge), and, in particular and significant

ways, the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity. The incorporation

of music training from preschool to postsecondary education is common in most nations

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because involvement in music is considered a fundamental component of human culture and

behavior. Music, like language, is an accomplishment that distinguishes us as humans (Jean

Lee, 2011).

5 Literature Review

Introduction

This chapter will address the position music holds in Islam and the achievement or

development of musical learning by our Islamic scholars which occurred during the Golden

Age. Apart from that, this chapter will also address the Islamic rulings on music and will be

concluded with the benefits and impact music learning has on the brain development of the

young child.

5.1 Music in Islam

According to Al-Faruqi (1986), when discussing about music in Islam, it is first important to

distinguish that Muslims do not use the term "music" in the same manner that is understood

in the English language and in other Western languages. The Arabic term for "music,"

musiqa, does not apply to all types of artistic vocal and instrumental arrangements of sounds

or tones and rhythms; rather, the Muslims term this general cases "handasah al sawt," or "the

art of sound." Musiqa, or "music," applies rather "only to particular genres of sound art, and

for the most part it have been designated for only those that have a "somewhat questionable

or even disreputable status in Islamic culture".

"Handasah al sawt" is a recently coined term used by Muslims to distinguish between

Islamic conception of "music" and the term which is widely understood in the Western and

non-Islamic world.

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From history, we can see that music has been deeply rooted in the culture of the Arabs. They

celebrated festivals, namely; wedding, during 'Eid, circumcision, with music. They will

commence their ceremony with poems and songs. From this, it can be inferred that music

indeed has a role to play in facilitating human in worshipping God.

In the opinion of some scholars, including some Muslims, a number of Islamic rituals have

some musical relevance. The first of these is the call of prayer by the mu'azzin, the caller to

prayer. Scholars stress that the choice of a suitable mu’azzin is to be based on his musical

voice and its emotional impact. The second musical act is in reading the Quran where the

musical voice gained popularity, especially with the development of 'ilm al-qiráa (the science

of recitation)' and 'tarannum' (the rhythm of Quranic songs). The prevalence of the Qurra'

(the Quran recitors) such as Abdul Basit Abdul Samad, Sa'ad Sa'id Al-Ghamidy, and Mishary

Rashid El-Afasy, are good examples of the perfection of voice, pronunciation, and tune. The

chanting is evident in acts such as Talbiya in pilgrimage "Hajj" and Tasbeeh of Eid prayers.

The religious use of music including chanting or dzikr among the Sufis is also well

established and documented.

5.2 Muslim Musical Achievement in the early years

It was known that Arabs of pre-Islam spent their free time listening either to poetry or music.

These two were interconnected; the poetry composition could not be successful if it did not

follow a musical pattern in its verses while the music mode (nagham) or song (ghina') is

dependent on the type and form of poetry. Therefore, musical rhythm pervaded poetry adding

a new dimension extending beyond Fasaha. Historical records, especially "Kitab al-Aghani"

(10th century) of Al-Isfahani (897-967), showed the presence, during early years of the

Muslim Caliphate, of a number of musicians including Sa'ib Khathir (d.683), Tuwais

(d.c.710), Ibn Mijjah (d.c.705-714).

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The spread of Islam over Arabia, Persia, Turkey and India, regions known to have possessed

music traditions, brought this art into the Muslim Caliphate in its early days, reaching its

most successful point under the Abbassids. Muslims also translated a number of Greek

musical treatises, especially under the Caliph Al-Ma'mun, as part of Bait Al-Hikma project of

acquiring knowledge. This inherited musical knowledge was refined and adapted to Islam's

rules, as much of it was essentially secular or incorporated pagan practices. Under the

Abbasids, the courts of Caliphs sponsored regular poets; most of the Caliphs were themselves

poets and men of literature. It was under their rule that music gained greater respect due to

the works of the famous Ishaq Al-Mausili (767-850) who revived the Arabian theory.

During the early times of Islam, music was considered a branch of philosophy and

mathematics. In addition to his philosophical and mathematical brilliance, Al-Kindí (800-

877) was the first great theoretician of music. He suggested a detailed fretting for the 'ud, and

discussed the cosmological connotations of music. In using the alphabetical annotation for

one eighth he surpassed the achievement of the Greek musicians. Al-Kindí was also the first

to realise the therapeutic value of music. It was revealed that he tried to cure a quadriplegic

boy with musical therapy. He left fifteen treatises, but only five survived on music, in one of

which the word music "musiqí" was used for the first time, in a book title.

Al-Kindi's precedent was followed by his successors who dealt with music as a branch of

mathematics, or a philosophical discipline. Al-Farabí (870-950) was the next prominent

scholar in the chronology. His life at the court of Saif al-Dawla Al- Hamdaní of Aleppo, also

known for his love for poetry and music, gave him an opportunity to develop both his

musical skills and theory.

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It is thought that when Al-Farabí played the 'ud he would make his audience burst into

laughter or tears, or fall asleep depending on the mood of his tune. These same sources

suggest that he was the inventor of two instruments; the rabab and qanun. Al-Farabi also

wrote five books on music, one of which, Kitabu al-Musiqa to al-Kabir "the Great Book of

Music", is his magnum opus on the theory of music in Islam. In this work, he presented

various systems of pitch, including one diatonic tuning to which certain microtones, or

"neutral" intervals, were added. The influence of Al-Farabi continued to be felt up to the

sixteenth century. Kitab al-Musiqi of Al-Farabi was translated by Ibn Aqnin (1160-1226) into

Hebrew, while the Latin translation was made under the titles De Scientiis and the De Ortu

Scientiarum.

In addition to these great theorists of music one cannot ignore the works of Ibn Sina

(Avicena) whose works, especially al-Shifá ("the treatment") and al-Najat ("the Salvation"),

contained lengthy chapters on music. He treated the Greek theory of music and provided

detailed description of instruments (used then).

Ikhwan Al-Safaa' (the brothers of Purity), with their sufi and mystical approach, took music

into new dimension. Music became a means of contemplation helping both body and soul to

invoke the remembrance and worship of Allah (God). This view is highly advocated and

developed by Abu Hamid Al-Ghazzali who argued for the power of music in intensifying the

religious feeling and reaching the mystical experience. He distinguished between the sensual

perception of music and the spiritual one. His thesis was:"it is not possible to enter the human

heart without passing by the antechamber of the ears. The musical, measured subjects,

emphasise what there is in the heart and reveal their beauties and defects".

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Al-Ghazali devoted large sections of his books; Ihiá ' Ulum Al-Din (The revival of religious

sciences) and, Kitab adab al-samá ua al-uae’dh, to the good use of music and songs in the

spiritual life. In the former work, made at the beginning of twelfth century, he considers

music to be a means for reaching the mystical union with God. These meanings were further

developed by the famous Djalal Uddin Al-Rumi (1207-1273) and those who came after him.

To conclude, the popularity of music during that era can be felt by the description of Ribera

who says:

"... the pleasure of music had been diffused to such point that it was impossible in any

Andalusian city to find a quiet district, street or a corner in which a person could get rid of

the omnipresent sounds of musical instruments and songs".

5.3 Islamic Rulings on Music

The Qur'an does not, according to most interpretations, address the matter of music per se.

Interpretations and analogies of music are based on the shu'araa' (poets), which is also the

title of a surah in the Qur'an. Due the complexity of the subject matter, the primary source for

investigating the position of music in Islam is the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be

upon him).

The prophetic traditions which have been used to support the legality of music in Islam are;

1) Once, during a happy occasion, ladies among the Ansar were enjoying

song and music. A’isha (radiyallahu 'anha) reports that the Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him) walked past, but neither did he put his

fingers into his ears nor did he ask them to stop singing.

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2) On another occasion, A’isha (radiyallahu 'anha) was busy organizing the

marriage ceremony of an orphan Ansar girl called Fare'a, she was the

daughter of As’ad bin Zararah (radiyallahu 'anhu), who was the first

companion to organize Jumu’ah prayers in Madina before the migration of

the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). When the Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw this, he said to A’isha, “O A’isha,

don’t you have any instrument for amusement on this occasion? The

Ansar surely love amusement.” This tradition has been recorded in

Tabrani with the following addition, which elaborates the meaning of

‘amusement’: “Have you sent with her maid who would beat the daf and

sing songs?”

3) A’isha (radiyallahu 'anha) narrates that on the occasion of 'Eid, the

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered the house and found a

couple of maids singing ballad in memory of the Battle of Bu’ath. He lay

down on the bed and turned his face to other side. In the meantime, Abu

Bakr (radiyallahu 'anhu) entered and said to his daughter admonishingly,

“Flute of the devils in the presence of the Messenger of Allah?” Hearing

this, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) turned towards Abu

Bakr and said, “Leave the two alone”. In other words, he asked him not to

stop them from singing. In another narration, he (peace be upon him)

added, “Every nation has its festival of happiness, today is our ‘Eid.”

4) Rabi’ bint Mu’awwaz (radiyallahu 'anha) has narrated to Khalid bin

Zakwan (radiyallahu 'anhu), the story of her marriage. She said, “The

morning when I was being bid farewell, the Messenger of Allah (peace be

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upon him) was sitting on this bed just as you are sitting now. The girls in

our household were beating daf and singing ballads in memory of their

ancestors who were martyred at Badr. One of the girls recited a couplet

saying, “And in our midst is the Prophet, who knows what is going to

happen tomorrow.” When he heard this couplet, the Messenger of Allah

(peace be upon him) said, “Do not say that, but say the other things you

were saying”. He did not stop them from singing and beating daf.

5) ‘Amir bin Sa’d (radiyallahu 'anhu) says, “On the occasion of a marriage,

I went to Qurza bin Ka’b and Abu Mas’ud Ansari (radiyallahu 'anhuma) and

I saw girls singing there. I said, ‘Both of you are Companions of the

Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and both of you are veterans of

the Battle of Badr. What’s all this happening in your presence?’ Both of

them replied, ‘If you want to listen to the music, you may sit down with us

and listen, but if you want to go, you may go. We have been permitted

amusement (lahw) on the occasion of marriages.”

The following tradition from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

elaborates the concept of halal (lawful), haram (unlawful) and mubah

(acceptable):

"Allah the Most High has laid down religious duties, so do not

neglect them; He has set boundaries, so do not overstep them; He

has prohibited some things, so do not violate them; about some

things he was silent-out of compassion for you, not forgetfulness-so

seek not after them."

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View from Islamic scholars and jurists.

From Imam Al-Ghazali's (rahimahullah) point of view, there is no clear evidence

from the sunnah of the Prophet that prohibits the use of musical instruments. a musical

instrument with a good sound is not prohibited.

According to Imam As-Syafie (rahimahullah) as stated in his book Adab Al-Qada’,

he’s quoted that singing is makruh (detestable) and make people become heedless. He also

said that makruh to use the flute as he viewed that it will distract people from listening to the

Quran.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in his discussion of singing and music, considers

the implications of the previously mentioned traditions (as revealed in the

hadith literature) which support the position of music in Islam (al-

Qaradawi 1994). He concludes that singing and playing (music) are not

haram as these traditions were reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim in

their two Sahih, considered to be the most authoritative collections of

hadith in the Muslim world. He cautions, however, that singing is

permissible as long as “it is not any way obscene or harmful to Islamic

morals” (al-Qaradawi 1994). Singing may be used during joyous occasions

such as “ 'Eid, weddings, birth, or to celebrate the return of a traveller or a

loved one, in order to create an atmosphere of gaiety and happiness. The

hadith which report against singing, assert al-Qaradawi, “all weak and

have been shown by researchers to be unsound”.

Al-Qaradawi also argues music is not prohibited in Islam based on

the recognition that Allah has created human beings with need and

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desires for not only the basics in life such as food and drink, but also to

relax and to enjoy themselves. Permissibility or recreation and play is

based on a Hadith in which the Prophet (pbuh) is said to have told Abu

Bakar and Hanzalah al-Usaidi thrice that “there is a time for this and a

time for that” (al-Qaradawi 1994). While Islam does not prohibit the

pursuit of pleasure, it cautions Muslims against making it a goal that will

distract of them from their religious duties. Islam permits singing and

music that are not in conflict with its values and morals. Al-Qaradawi

mentions the following limitations to singing in Islam: the subject matter

of songs should be in accordance to the teachings of Islam; the manner in

which a song is presented or performed should abide by the teachings of

Islam; and, singing and listening music are allowed only in moderation as

Islam abhors extravagance and excess (at the expense of a neglected

duty).

Each individual is his own best judge in determining which music’s

draw the most temptation for him and thus should be avoided. Singing

which is done in conjunction with haram (prohibited activities) is also

deemed haram.

In a nutshell, as long as the music is aligned with Islamic principles and beliefs and it does

not make a person to become heedless and negligence of his obligations as a Muslim it is

permissible in Islam. Therefore, in order to be consonant with Islamic beliefs and principles,

music education in Malaysian schools should consist of a music curriculum that introduces

students to music within the contexts permitted in Islam and with the good intention of

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providing them with musical knowledge which will assist them in obtaining God's pleasure

and mercy.

5.4 Benefits of Music Education for Young Children

Recent research has shown that there is a significant relationship between music education

and the brain development of the young child. Children who are lucky enough to be exposed

to music lessons indeed reap many benefits. Music may actually develop and improve the

child's ability to learn and be successful at other disciplines, such as language, math and

science.

According to the experts, early musical training helps to develop brain areas which involved

language and reasoning. Recent studies have clearly demonstrates that musical training

physically develops the left side of the brain which is known to be involved with processing

language. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint information on

young minds.

Music can build vocabulary

Many educational researchers promote music as a way to increase vocabulary and

understanding, one of the ways to engage children in instruction (Fountas & Pinnell, 1999;

Miller & Coen, 1994; Page, 1995; Smith, 2000; Wiggins, 2007).

During the preschool years before children can read, children rely exclusively on the oral

language they listen to in order to acquire language. Even as children attend elementary

school, only a portion of the vocabulary words they learn are the result of explicit instruction

(Nagy & Herman, 1987). Research shows that stories read aloud are an effective source of

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new vocabulary for young children (Beck & McKeown, 2001). Researchers have suggested

that song lyrics could provide a source of new vocabulary.

Research support for the hypothesis that songs provide a source of incidental acquisition of

vocabulary comes from the field of second language acquisition. Medina (1993) studied the

effects of music upon the acquisition of English vocabulary in a group of 48 second-grade

children with limited English proficiency. Vocabulary gain scores were consistently higher

for the groups in which either music or illustration were used, and highest for the group in

which both were used.

Research also supports the use of direct vocabulary instruction, including the effectiveness of

having young children learn academic words that are “robust” (Beck, McKeown & Kucan,

2002). Authors argue that young children develop “word consciousness” and a love of words

through being playfully challenged with learning new word meanings.

Music Helps Build Listening Skills

“Learning to listen is a prerequisite to listening to learn,” stresses researcher Mayesky (1986).

Listening is the first language mode that children acquire, and it provides a foundation for all

aspects of language and reading development. Listening is a very large part of school

learning, with students spending an estimated 50 to 75 percent of classroom time listening to

the teacher, to other students, or to media (Smith, 1992).

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Despite the frequency of listening activity in classrooms, listening skills are not frequently

taught explicitly (Hyslop & Tone, 1988; Newton, 1990). “Most teachers teach, assuming that

because they are talking, their students are listening” (Swanson, 1996). As a result, many

children do not acquire the listening skills necessary to acquire new knowledge and

information. Too often listening is thought to be a natural skill that develops automatically,

but in fact developing good listening skills requires explicit instruction. “If we expect

children to become good listeners, … we need to teach them to become active listeners”

(Jalongo,1995).

Direct instruction in listening skills should include “lessons designed to specifically teach and

model the skills necessary for active listening” (Matheson, Moon & Winiecki, 2000). An

experimental study with young English language learners showed that focused listening

instruction can benefit listening comprehension for children learning a second language (Goh

& Taib, 2006). Musical activities are cited by researchers as effective experiences for

building listening skills in the classroom (Hirt-Mannheimer, 1995; Wolf, 1992), for both

mainstream classrooms and classrooms with children who have disabilities.(Humpal & Wolf,

2003).

Music participation provides an opportunity to prepare young children for literacy. Whether

by singing, playing an instrument or simply listening, teachers can direct students to listen

and hear in ways that exercise their auditory skill. When children learn to play simple

instruments, it introduces them to sequential learning which is key for proper reading

comprehension. Sequential learners tend to gain understanding of linear steps, which helps

them develop a logical brain.

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To summarise, music education is an extremely important part of child development, and

exposure to music can start even in the womb. Recent research has found that music uses

both sides of the brain, making it valuable to all areas of the growing mind. Music affects the

growth of a child’s mind intellectually, emotionally and physically. Music education in early

childhood has also been shown to lead to success in adult life.

6 Discussion

After thorough research and readings on the subject matter, the writers identify some of the

key problems that seem to act as hurdles which tend to deter educators from executing this

learning method in the sphere of Islamic pre-schools or in lower primary Islamic schools. The

writers will study the problem from different perspectives; that is of a layperson, parents,

educators, government and finally society.

First and foremost, there's a need to tackle the layperson's perception towards music

education. In a democratic society in Malaysia, significant majority of Malaysians seem to

share a view that music is not that important in education. Majority of them think of music as

purely serving a hedonistic function. This notion indeed stands to be corrected. Awareness on

the impact of music education on the development of the brain and spatial intelligence of the

young minds should be made known to the public.

Parents' mindset on the role of music education seriously needs a paradigm shift. According

to Johami Abdullah, former educationist in his book 'Pendidikan Muzik Kontemporari: Edisi

Kedua', he mentioned that a large number of parents nowadays do not regard music education

as pertinent in the context of a holistic education. They see a far lesser need for children to learn

music (and the other arts as well) than the science subjects. It seems that they do not know and do

not want to acknowledge the importance and the significance of music education. It is

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important for music education to be regarded and recognised as important as the rest of the

subjects in order to achieve a more holistic education.

In the perspective of music educators in Malaysia, sad to say, most of them perceived that

they are being '2nd-class' from the rest of the educators. . There are many complaints from

music teachers that music is relegated to a very unimportant role in the school curriculum.

Music, it seems, does not have a healthy connotation among the school administrators,

parents and the other teachers of different disciplines and consequently, the activities on

music education is not much supported. This is happening in public schools, and one could

not expect more from Islamic pre-schools and likewise, Islamic primary schools where music

educators are not 'welcomed' at all.

On the government side, it can be seen that Malaysian Ministry of Education has worked hard

for the past three decades to introduce music education after realizing the importance and the

benefits of inculcating it in the school curriculum. This is due to the fact that Malaysian

educationists such as the late Tan Sri Datuk Haji Murad backed by the then policy makers in

the 1980’s realized that the school curriculum had become too academic and wisely

introduced music as a compulsory subject in all primary schools to offset the imbalance. But

of course, this is not happening in the Islamic primary schools in Malaysia. Even if there are

Islamic schools who offer music education, it is very small in number and only regard the

subject as an elective or a part of co-curricular activity for their students.

Apart from all these problems listed, it is still known that there is a percentage of Muslims in

Malaysia who perceive music as 'haram' (not permissible) in Islam. The controvesy

surrounding music in Islam has necessarily had its effect on the situation of music education

in Malaysian schools, in particular the Islamic schools. Since Islam is the official religion of

the country, and is the religion of the majority of the population in Malaysia, it is not

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surprising that the controversial status of music would influence opinions about its role in the

education of the young.

According to Johami Abdullah, a former music educationist and the President of Malaysian

Association for Music Education (MAME), in his book, mentions on two occasions, that;

i- One of the main problems faced by music education in the schools (not to mention Islamic

schools) is the lack of acceptance (of music) by some members of the public due to their

religious beliefs, and that,

ii- The efforts to improve music education in the schools have been unsatisfactory as there

are still some who have not acknowledged music education as a permissible (halal) activity

(from the religious perspective) (1993). They include teachers, parents and school

administrators.

7 Conclusion

Most renowned educators have come to realize that the preschool years offer the most

optimal time for learning and developing musical abilities. Preschoolers love to play and are

not at all afraid of making mistakes. Giving young children the opportunity to experience a

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variety of musical activities can also assist them in improving language skills, self confidence

and independence.

It is hoped that curriculum developers in Islamic schools will examine the role of music

education at the kindergarten and primary school level and will also develop modules that

could integrate Islamic subjects and good moral values within music lesson in order to

enhance the children learning abilities and skills so that they will enjoy learning and do not

see learning as an arduous task. This is due to the fact that educational research on the nature

of intelligence and brain function gives promising indications that could change the face of

education.

Howard Gardner, the American developmental psychologist, has, for instance, counted music

as one of the major intelligences that a human being has. On top of that, music education also

offers the element of creativity which actually helps a child to think out of the box and train

him to develop divergent thinking, which is in contra of the convergent thinking that is being

emphasized in this examination oriented world.

For that, Ministry of Education must be actively propagate the importance and the impact

music education has on the curriculum via mediums such as the electronic and print media,

social media and forums that are organized at school levels.

Curriculum in the Islamic schools, in particular pre-schools and primary schools, for instance,

should explore the idea of integrating Islamic lessons with music education. It is also the task

and the job of the educators and school administrators, especially, to promote music

education to the parents, reassuring them that only music education program which seeks to

be consonant with Islamic beliefs will be utilized in the school curriculum and will not and

never include 'music-making' elements which are prohibited or felt by the religious authority

as negative.

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One good example is the technique of 'Al-Baghdadi', a method which integrates the use of

sound and rhythm and also the use of aided learning tool which resembles a musical

instrument who will produce rhythmic sounds to facilitate the learning of recitation of the

Quran which has been proven its efficacy.

It is important for us to conclude with a popular athar by one of the Sahabi which mentioned

the need to nurture and educate our children according to his time. And in this 21st century,

where hedonistic culture takes precedence and capture the hearts of many children, teenagers

and adults alike, Islamic educators should seize this opportunity to make full use of music

education as a tool to expedite the learning process of our young children and also to make

the learning of Islam more enjoyable for the young students.

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the

imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. "

-Plato

Reference

Abdurrahman al-Baghdadi. (2005). Seni dalam Islam : Vokal, muzik dan tari.Selangor: Synergymate.

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Arieh Lewy. (1991). The International Encyclopedia of Curriculum. England. Pergamon Press.

Johami, A. (2010). Pendidikan muzik kontemporari. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Mc Donald, D.B. (2009).Music and singing , Al-Ghazali. Petaling Jaya: Islamic Book trust.

M. S. Waheedi (1999), Vocal and Instrumental Music in Islam, The Islamic Academy, Cambrigde, U.K.

Ramona, M. T. (2006). Perspectives on music education in Malaysia. Shah Alam: University Publication Centre, Universiti Teknologi MARA .

http://www.yjl2642.pressible.org/yjl2642/ definition -of- music - education

Interview 1 : Guru tadika Islam :TADIKA HASANAH

R/

1

TEXT

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1 I Assalamualaikum ckgu….

2 R Waalaikum salam WBT

3 I Terima kasih kerana sudi ditemuramah pada harini.Jadi

saya nak tanya cikgu sikit..3 soalan je. ok, soalan pertama

…Adakah pendidikan muzik diterapkan dalam Tadika ini?

4 R aa..memang pendidikan muzik ada diterapkan dalam

suasana pembelajaran, aaa satu subjek tu sebelum kita nak

ngajar, kita akan ada…lagu….untuk menarik…menarik

perhatianlah…perhatian kanak-kanak…

5 I Aaa..

6 R Jadi ia sangat penting. sebab macam kanak-kanak ini

tertarik kalau ada macam …aa..nyanyianlah..diaorang akan

lebih beri tumpuan..

7 I Ok..Adakah guru menngunakan teknik nyanyian atau tarian

atau pembelajaran alat muzik..maksud saya ada instrumen

atau alat macam piano ke? ataupun nyanyian sahaja atau

tarian?

8 R aa..setakat ni kita hanya nyanyianlah, ada beberapa

lagulah yang kita ajar untuk budak-budak bagi satu satu

matapelajaran.

9 I Ok..maknanya ada bantuan daripada radio ke?

10 R Ada..radio pun kita guna jugaklah nak bagi lagi ..orang

kata…interaktif punya nilah kan……

11 I Dan ok…soalan yang terakhir…

12 R Apakah tanggapan guru terhadap penggunaan muzik,

adakah ianya perlu untuk subjek pendidikan islam?

13 I Bagi saya ia satu pendekatan yang baik, macam bila kita

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buat lagu atau nyanyian, macam rukun Islam kita buat

dalam …guna secara nyanyian…macam diaorang mudah

nak ingat…senang nak ingat…berbanding kalau kita ajar

macam cakap aja..kalau muzik ni, nyanyian diaorg lebih

cepat nak ingat..merangsang minda..ianya baguslah bagi

proses pembelajaran kanak-kanaklah….

14 R Maksudnya tiada masalah la…

15 I Ha….Kita boleh guna kaedah tu bagi kanak-kanak mudah

nak ingat..proses mengingat tula…

16 R Jadi saya rasaa..setakat itu sahaja, terima kasih atas

kerjasama yang diberikan.

17 I Ye sama-sama…

18 R Mudah-mudahan lebih cemerlang pada masa

hadapan..Assalamualaikum

19 I Waalaikum salam WBT

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Interview 2 : GURU / JURULATIH GURU DAERAH GOMBAK( SEKOLAH AGAMA KAFA AL-KHAIRIAH AU3, TMN KERAMAT , SELANGOR.)

NO I/R TEXT

1 I Assalamualaikum WBT

2 R Waalaikumsalam WBT

3 I Ustazah, terima kasih kerana sudi meluangkan masa

untuk ditemuramah pada petang ini, jadi..sudilah kiranya

kalau saya teruskan pada soalan ye…ok…soalan

pertama, aaa..nak tanya..adakah pendidikan muzik ni

diterapkan dalam kurikulum kat Sekolah Agama al-

khairiah AU3 ni?

4 R Ok baik…aa pendidikan muzik buat masa kini belum

diterapkan lagi dalam kurikulum sekolah agama, ye…

tetapi, menarik minat saya apabila ada satu teknik yang

di namakan teknik al-Baghdadi…mengaji dan belajar Al-

Quran secara teknik al-baghdadi ni…aaa…saya tengok,

murid-murid lebih berminat ye..sebab dia sambil belajar,

dia gunakan alat muzik mengikut harakat dengan

ketukan…

5 I oo..jadi, maknanya dia belum masuk dalam silibus

sekolah?

6 R Belum lagi, setakat ini belum lagi..

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7 I Tapi dia akan diperkenalkan di sekolah Ustazah ke?

8 R Aaa..sebabbnya ada ustaz maklumkan dia kata dah ke

jabatan agama Islam, untk masukkan benda ni ke

sekolah-sekolah kafa, tetapi belum mendapat kelulusan

lagi…

9 I Bagus…itu cadangan yang amat baik…pada masa

hadapan…ok jadi soalan seterusnya..adakah

ustazahmenggunakan teknik selain daripada teknik

nyanyian atau tarian atau pembelajaran menggunakan

alat muzik di sekolah ustazah? boleh bagi contoh tak?

10 R Ok ini menarik minat saya, kerana saya merupakan guru

jawi, guru matapelajaran jawi dan juga jurulatih untuk

guru-guru daerah gombak…aa…untuk mengajar

matapelajaran jawi..sebenarnya pelajaran jawi memang

perlulah untuk murid-murid tahap 1 dan murid-murid

kelas pemulihan ni, kita menggunakan teknik nyanyian…

11 I Macammana tu ustazah?

12 R Contohnya, macam kita nak perkenalkan huruf alif

sampai ya..kita buat dalam nyanyian…A..alif..B..ba…

(ustazah menyanyi)..macam tulah seterusnya sampai

ya…

13 I Jadi budak-budak pun suka ye?

14 R AA…murid-murid lagi berminat.sambil menyanyi sambil

dia belajar…

15 I Alhamdulillah…ok . jadi soalan yang terakhir…Apakah

tanggapan atau pandangan ustazah terhadap

penggunaan muzik dalam subjek pendidikan

islam..adakah ianya bagus atau tidak atau perlu

digunakan dalam subjek yang lain…

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16 R Pada pandangan saya,..penggunaan muzik dalam subjek

pendidikan Islam ni sesuai dan menarik minat murid-

murid kita yang beragama Islam suapaya mereka lebih

seronok untuk belajar pendidikan islam ni..

17 I Dia tak boring lah ye…

18 R aa..kalau sebelum ni kita kata, mari kita sama-sama

belajar sirah nabi..tapi, kalau ada dalam bentuk

nyanyian…murid tu lagi seronok kata nak baca nama-

nama nabi pun….adam, idris, nuh di buat dalam bentuk

nasyid…murid-murid senang untuk mengingati…dan

sifat-sifat wajib bagi Allah …wujud, qidam, baqa’..kita

buat dlm bentuk muzik, murid lebih minat dan diorang

lebih senang nak ingat. kemudian bukan sahajaa aa…

teknik muzik bukan dalam pendidikan islam, tapi dalam

bahasa Arab juga boleh digunakan….aaa..

19 I Maknanya guru-guru, ustaz, ustazah disekolah…adakah

mereka dilatih dan pergi kursus untuk muzik ni?atau

belum ada lagi kursus?

20 R Untuk kursus, setakat ni belum ada lagi. tetapi kita dah

ada masukkan dalam pengkaedahan guru

mengajar.aaa..jadi, benda ni dalam proses..sebab baru-

baru ni saya pergi kursus jawi…kami diajar teknik

nyanyian…supaya murid ni tak rasa bosan…belajarrrrr…

asyik-asyik…alif, ba, ta, tha sampaiii ya….boring..bila

nyanyi ni murid tahun empat…anak-anak yg 4 thn pun

boleh ingat..a….

21 I Budak-budak zaman sekarang kan….

22 R aa…zaman sekarang dengan macam-macam muzik,

rocknya, dengan …tapi apa salahnya kita terapkan

dengan muzik ni dalam pendidkan islam…kita buat dalam

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bentuk islamic lah..ha….

23 I Mungkin kita kena buat modul…atau tambah lirik dalam

buku teks…

24 R Boleh..boleh..saya setuju, bukan setakat buku teks, kalau

boleh dibekalkan sekali dengan cd muzik.contoh kalau

ada tajuk ni…dalam buku teks tu kita ni…cd pun ada. jadi

murid-murid dengar cd tu..kita rujuk buku teks…

25 I Jadi..terima kasih atas cadangan dan komen ustazah.

semoga sekolah dan anak murid ustazah terus cemerlang

dunia dan akhirat. terima kasih byk2 atas kerjasama yg

diberikan…..

26 R Sama-sama…..

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