The object I chose which I believe would be beneficial to children when learning about Hinduism is the Tambura. It is a South Indian instrument that has been around since the Vedic period. The reason why I believe it is a valuable and informative item for children, is because of how historically and religiously symbolic music and by extension instruments is to Hinduism and the Indian culture.
In Hinduism, Music, both vocal and instrumental, is considered to be of divine origin. Various Indian deities have been associated with specific instruments and they or their attributes can be seen in paintings decorating the instruments (Weissman,1955). This is exemplified in the Tambura I saw at the Victoria and Albert Museum. A painting of Narada …show more content…
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that using instruments in schools are expensive. Recent research carried out by the Department for Education and Skills stated that schools spend more than £300 per annum on instruments and that in some cases schools ask parents to provide instruments for use in lessons as they themselves don’t have the funds to do so (DFES,2004:79). This coupled with the fact that Tamburas are mainly manufactured in India making the costs even higher means that acquiring this instrument is very hard. Another thing to be taken into account is the fact that the Tambura is a high maintenance instrument. It needs to be around a certain environment and if broken, can only be repaired by special equipment and methods (Dehnu,2009). The fragility of this object suggests that some teachers would only use it among older children such as year sixes, whereas for younger years they would use it as a display. The downside for it being used solely as a display in classrooms means that the younger children could be distracted by it thus disrupting the
In Hinduism, Music, both vocal and instrumental, is considered to be of divine origin. Various Indian deities have been associated with specific instruments and they or their attributes can be seen in paintings decorating the instruments (Weissman,1955). This is exemplified in the Tambura I saw at the Victoria and Albert Museum. A painting of Narada …show more content…
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that using instruments in schools are expensive. Recent research carried out by the Department for Education and Skills stated that schools spend more than £300 per annum on instruments and that in some cases schools ask parents to provide instruments for use in lessons as they themselves don’t have the funds to do so (DFES,2004:79). This coupled with the fact that Tamburas are mainly manufactured in India making the costs even higher means that acquiring this instrument is very hard. Another thing to be taken into account is the fact that the Tambura is a high maintenance instrument. It needs to be around a certain environment and if broken, can only be repaired by special equipment and methods (Dehnu,2009). The fragility of this object suggests that some teachers would only use it among older children such as year sixes, whereas for younger years they would use it as a display. The downside for it being used solely as a display in classrooms means that the younger children could be distracted by it thus disrupting the