A music examination in Sikh sacred music, thought to be the first of its kind, will launch in the UK this week in a move described as an “important step” in diversifying music education.
The examination, introduced by the Music Teachers’ Board (MTB) on Friday, will see the music known as Kirtan become part of the universal eight grade examination system.
Dr Harjinder Lallie, the co-director of the Gurmat Sangeet academy based in Birmingham, spearheaded the idea and said it will enable more pupils studying Sikh sacred music to be recognised and appreciated for their talents.
“I’ve felt that the music, the Kirtan, needs rigour, relevance and value,” he said. “Rigour in the sense that the syllabus needs to be rigorous, coordinated, coherent … relevant to the world. We’ve got violin exams, piano exams, and Kirtan deserves to be the same.
“It needs to have a chair at the table. The complexity of what we do is actually comparable and it’s significant.”
Lallie, who has studied Kirtan for more than 40 years and teaches about 130 pupils, added: “We’ve got kids learning Kirtan all over the UK, all over the world. We want those kids to earn something out of it … to feel that what they’ve done has been valued.”
The examination will see south Asian string instruments including the dilruba, taus, esraj, sarangi and saranda added to the MTB’s syllabus. According to organisers, this marks the first time a globally recognised grading system has been introduced to measure student ability in Kirtan and such instruments.
Like other music examinations, pupils who achieve grades six to eight will gain Ucas tariff points that can contribute towards their entry requirements for universities in the UK.
According to its website, the syllabus aims to introduce “students to different ragas, taals and compositions as they progress through the grades”, with examinations available online for pupils across the world.
Lallie said Sikh sacred music can be traced back to the start of the religion in the 15th century. “People recognise that this is a genre, a very important, complex genre, and hopefully they are now wanting to know more and more” he said.
David Kesel, the managing director at MTB, echoed Lallie’s sentiments. “Part of what we’re trying to do at MTB is to really diversify some of the cultural musical styles and genres that are available to learners around the world,” he said.
“I think it’s really important for the progression of music education away from the colonial style of teaching … It’s important to us that people can actually be recognised playing music from their own culture and music that interests them.”
Lallie said the response to the examination launch has been “overwhelming”, with schools across the globe, from India to the US to the UK, wanting to submit their pupils for examinations.
“We’re struggling to keep up with all the messages, emails and communications that are coming in,” he said. “I just can’t believe how fast and wide this is going right now.”