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Practices of Music Education in Gurukul and Related Systems

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Book cover Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia

Part of the book series: Global Education Systems ((GES))

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Abstract

Music has existed as a highly sophisticated art form in the Indian subcontinent for at least 2 millennia – as evidenced by manuscripts such as the Nātyashāstra – and continues to be one of the major components of art in the region. It has its own distinct pedagogical system that never managed to effectively integrate itself into the contemporary postcolonial education system. Despite the existence of multiple written treatises over the past many centuries, music education has largely remained an oral tradition, passed on through a unique and intricate relational engagement between teacher and student, one that lasts throughout the lifetime of the individual. One ecosystem of such an engagement is the gurukul, and it is a commonly held notion that every aspiring musician must pass through this system for attainment of any reasonable measure of proficiency. This chapter journeys through the key philosophies and ideas of this system and its application to the various components of music training.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dhrupad Sansthan, Bhopal, India

    Sajan Sankaran

Authors
  1. Sajan Sankaran
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    Padma M. Sarangapani

  2. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India

    Rekha Pappu

Section Editor information

  1. Indian Institute of Science Campus, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    Sundar Sarukkai

  2. Ninasam, Heggodu, Karnataka, India

    KV Akshara

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Sankaran, S. (2020). Practices of Music Education in Gurukul and Related Systems. In: Sarangapani, P.M., Pappu, R. (eds) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. Global Education Systems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_6-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_6-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3309-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3309-5

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