JABAR EKSPRES – Ambon Music Office (AMO) Manager Piere Ajawaila said that his office and the Swedish Government are exploring collaboration in developing a music curriculum in Ambon City.
The idea of collaborative music curriculum development was presented after the International Conference on Art Education on June 1-2, 2023 at Arsenal-Metz, France.
“After the event in Metz, there was a meeting between the coordinators of the world’s music cities which stated that there should be planning for the music curriculum in music cities, namely between Ambon and Sweden,” he said in Ambon, Thursday (6/8).
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He said an initial collaborative effort will be scheduled to see where the development of the music curriculum in Ambon will be directed, and the Swedish team will support with experts.
“In the initial stage, we will identify the curriculum development in Ambon to be directed to the education system and Sweden will support the involvement of other cities,” he said.
Ambon, he said, has something interesting, namely a music-based local content curriculum education system that is compulsory basic education at the elementary and junior high school levels in Ambon City.
Ambon’s education system is certainly different from other music cities, which do not have a curriculum in schools but children are directed to study in music courses.
“Ambon has the advantage of creating and compiling a detailed curriculum, and not just through courses for children,” he said.
One of the breakthroughs to maintain the music ecosystem in a world music city is the five important pillars built by AMO, one of which is music education.
The curriculum, he said, starts from the elementary and junior high school levels, teaching ethnic musical instruments.
The musical instruments specified in the local content curriculum for grades 1-3 are tifa and bamboo flute, grades 4-6 ukulele and totobuang, while grades 7-9 totobuang and hawaiaan.
