Musical education in Kazakhstan’s Muslim educational institutions during the late XIX – early XX centuries

Abstract

The aim the article is to determine the forms and substance of musical instruction in Kazakhstan’s Cademist and Jadid mektebs and madrasahs in the late XIX – early XX century. The characteristics of two confessional Muslim educational systems (old-fashioned Cademist and new-fashioned Jadid), as well as the conditions of their creation and operation, allow for the subsequent identification of specific aspects of music education content in each of them. It should be noted that, since its inception in the VIII century, Muslim education has undergone significant changes in terms of goals, content, forms of education, curricula, and the list of subjects studied, all under the influence of sociopolitical, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethno-pedagogic factors. The  findings the study revealed that the organization of the educational process in Muslim schools, which had the people’s support and confidence, are acceptable for Kazakh society’s nomadic way of life. The examination of contemporary scientific publications revealed the state’s approach towards Islam and Muslim education. Understanding the theological and philosophical idea of music in Muslim cultures is directly tied to the examination of the problem of music instruction in Muslim educational institutions. The article discusses the problem of Islam and music, the specifics and content of music education in Cademist and Jadid mektebs and madrasahs, embedded in the tradition of melodized recitation of the Qur’an, and the importance of the Jadid educational movement in the development of music education in Muslim educational institutions. Prospects for future research allow us to use accumulated historical and cultural experience, traditions, and achievements in the modern process of training musical and pedagogical personnel. Materials of the article can be useful to researchers who are interested in the history of music education in Muslim educational institutions in Kazakhstan in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries.