Why is interest in national music and musical instruments waning among young people?
Rakhimjonova Diyora
Today, many are concerned about the decline in interest in national music and musical instruments among young people. At first glance, this may seem like a natural process, because time is developing, technologies are speaking their mind. But in fact, this situation poses a risk of losing the wealth of our national culture – our musical heritage. Let’s examine the causes of the problem in more detail.
Declining interest in national music. National music is often less accepted by young people than modern songs. There are several reasons for this:
- Lack of spiritual understanding. Most young people do not deeply understand the rich content of national music. Because national music often reflects the historical experiences, worldviews and life events of the Uzbek people. And young people often do not take the time to understand this deep content.
- Weak promotion of national music. Foreign or modern music often dominates television channels and social networks. As a result, the value of national music is forgotten. This indicates that promotion is weak.
- The influence of trends and fashion. Young people often chase modernity. National music is perceived as “old” and “out of fashion” by today’s youth. True, there are some of our national music that have become trends, and the following reasons are given for them.
- The low level of national music. Unfortunately, some songs presented as national music today are far from artistic quality. For example, the following examples can be cited:
◦ “I wish I could stroke your hair, I wish I could hold your arms. You could say, my love, I will be satisfied if I see you.”
◦ “Even if you’re fat, you’re still delicious, Even if your face is full of freckles. You’re still delicious, you’re still delicious…”
Such songs, which are undoubtedly shallow in terms of content and spirituality, damage the reputation of our national music and cause young people to distance themselves from it. What will happen if these songs are heard not only by young people, but also by tourists from abroad? It is true that they do not understand the meaning, but the younger generation that is growing up?
Declining interest in musical instruments
National musical instruments – rubab, dutar, doira or nai – are rarely found in the lives of young people. The reasons for this are as follows:
- Complexity and time-consuming. Learning to play national instruments requires a lot of time and patience. Modern youth, on the other hand, strives for quick results. Therefore, learning them is somewhat complicated for them.
- Limited practical opportunities. In most schools and cultural centers, not enough attention is paid to teaching national instruments. This indicates a shortage of teachers.
- Competition with modern technologies. With the ability to easily create music through electronic music and computer programs, national instruments become secondary for young people.
Recommendations for the development of national music
- Strengthening propaganda. National music should be promoted more widely in television programs, social networks and cultural events. It is important to present national music in an interesting and popular form for young people. This will help increase their interest in national music.
- Supporting young performers. It is necessary to encourage and create opportunities for young talents who perform national music. Their creative work should be made available to the public.
- Enhancing culture through education. It is necessary to introduce lessons on teaching national music and analyzing the content of national songs in schools and universities. For example, maqom textbooks.
- Emphasis on quality. Pay attention to the quality of our newly released national music. Even if it is a song that has become a trend, if it is not rich in meaningful words, it should be canceled.
Recommendations for popularizing national instruments
- Increase instrument lessons. Expand the teaching of national instruments in cultural centers and music schools. Increase the number of teachers.
- Innovative approach. You can attract the attention of young people by combining national instruments with modern music. For example, a mixture of rubab and electronic music can give interesting results.
- Making musical instruments cheaper and more accessible. It is necessary to reduce the cost of creating national musical instruments and make them easier for young people to use.
In conclusion, it should be said that national music and musical instruments are the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of our people. Their preservation and development is the task of not only the state, but also every member of society. To familiarize young people with national music and musical instruments, we must first show them the way and create interesting opportunities. If we can keep our national music and musical instruments up to date, our young people will return to their roots and continue our rich cultural heritage.
Read: Me – A Short Story from Uzbekistan
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Rakhimjonova Diyora is 3rd year student of the Uzbekistan State Conservatory
