Lessons from India: Globalization's implications for music education more

Explores issues encountered as foreign educators incorporate Indian music into their teaching, and considers what contributions Indian educators might make to aid in such endeavors. Definitions are offered for terms that are relevant to the discussion of global music education: nationalism, internationalism, localization, globalization, appropriation, and representation. Even within India, how best to represent Indian music in textbooks is far from clear. The authors and publishers of elementary music textbooks in the U.S. must balance several competing objectives; in this context, they may be reduced to having to choose three or four songs to represent the entire Indian subcontinent in a textbook. Another issue is to what degree the teacher, in teaching a foreign song to a class, should follow the rules of the culture the song represents: The less familiar the teacher is with the culture represented, the greater the likelihood of producing a representation that could be viewed as inappropriate, or that even reinforces negative stereotypes. Four examples of Indian traditional music used in Western educational contexts are given: (1) Yayoi Uno Everett applies Indian music concepts, including traditional Indian percussion vocables, in teaching a Western aural skills music course to university students; (2) William Anderson has suggested having elementary students sing America in both rāgas bhairavī and pūrvī, and having them construct a jaltarang out of bowls filled with water; (3) Gerry Farrell has documented the teaching of traditional Indian music in London schools; and (4) Roseanna Vitro advocates the study and practice of traditional Indian vocal techniques among her jazz voice students. Further guidance from Indian scholars on how best to acquire and represent Indian music traditions is called for.