IN school, music class didn’t interest me.  

The only thing I enjoyed about it was being able to leave the classroom and wash the musical instrument used – a recorder – downstairs.  

Speaking of recorders, I recently asked my Generation Z students about their music class experience in school. I was curious to know which musical instrument they were forced to play.  

I was shocked to find out the recorder is still the musical instrument of choice. Whereas in Indonesia, students can pick modern musical instruments like the guitar that allows you to sing while playing songs. 

Is it any wonder that Malaysians in general are apathetic towards the arts?  

Here’s my take on three subjects that should be made compulsory in both primary and secondary schools for the benefit of our nation’s soul. 

1. Music and/or film appreciation 

This is, of course, a pipe dream within the context of present Malaysia. You may call me biased since I am a musician and a film educator. Well, why not? Sometimes being biased is needed in dire times like ours.  

We’ve missed the cultural economy gravy train for the current generation because our education system has churned out loyal consumers instead of discerning ones with a more nuanced love for the arts.  

I’m not being elitist here – music appreciation can also be appreciation of any form of popular music, not just traditional or classical, which is the common preference of most Malaysian parents.  

Make students write an essay about how their favourite K-Pop acts can promote world peace. Same too with films: one should scrutinise popular culture and not just accept fads as norms.  

All art forms, even pop songs or rom-com movies, are loaded with meaning just waiting for discerning audiences to notice and decipher.  

Most of all, it’s fun and students get to learn more about their societies through themselves. Imagine the homework – watch a movie or listen to the best-selling albums of an artist!  

2. Philosophy 

At the very core, philosophy is the act of questioning why something happens. This, I suspect, is why philosophy is not only never taught but also never even mentioned as something interesting to pursue in order to lead a meaningful life.  

Malaysia loves its rote learning and for all the fancy talk about innovation, thinking outside of the box and whatnot, we’re still very conventional and conservative when it comes to critical thinking. 

Do you know any famous Malaysian thinkers? Aside from those lauded by our institutions, academic and government ones, there’s hardly any that strikes our imagination.  

Even our so-called national laureates or “Sasterawan Negara” are just writers who are establishment-minded without any real reach outside of their own insular group of outdated and irrelevant writers in the national language.  

The fact that we are still caught in the argument over which language to teach some of our subjects in school is proof that we are stuck in a rut and unable to progress, let alone start having constructive philosophical discussions about great thinkers.  

Our establishments and institutions are caught in their own chauvinist trap with one key problem: they don’t realise that they are caught in their own insular trap. 

There is no way for one to think outside the box if one is not open to philosophical debate, period.  

3. Media studies 

This is necessary not only for those who major in mass communication or media production but also because whether we like it or not, we are already living in a media-saturated world.  

We have to accept that media technology will continue to equally influence and misinform our lives.   

The only way to equip the present and future generations with an ethical sensibility and sensitivity to discern credible content from false ones is not by implementing more censorship but by improving their media literacy.  

While language literacy is on a downward slide with students nowadays – just ask any educator, be it in schools, colleges or university – we should equip the next generation with some form of media literacy that actually links to that much sought after critical thinking.  

I am resigned to the fact that I probably won’t see much change in my lifetime, but it is crucial to sow the seeds now.  

The rot we are experiencing now comes from the present system. – November 10, 2023.   

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.