Written by Hassan Salman
LAHORE: The youth of Pakistan has embraced countless activities for their amusement and entertainment. An activity that continues to rise in terms of popularity is Music, a way of not only showcasing talent but also expressing feelings through vocals and instruments. Around the world, music is seen as a way of expressing your inner self through different forms of Art. We all know that people around the world hold musicians in high regard. This can be seen from the fact that the total value of the recording industry alone was $15 billion in 2015.
It is quite evident how people globally perceive music as a source of joy and entertainment. In our society, however, despite many being fond of it, very few can pursue it. Public opinion is something that greatly affects decisions made by these individuals especially in Pakistan.
Various thoughts run through the mind of these young talents. Thoughts that provoke them from pursuing their passions, Thoughts such as, “what if us singing at a crowded platform will give us labelled such as being “not good enough” or even worse, “a waste of time”.
The moment aspiring musicians will stop comparing themselves to people who they think are better than them is the moment they will truly start to be at their best. Constantly telling yourself how someone is better than you in itself can be a huge demotivator. In addition to this, youngsters often suffer from stage fright leading to them being unable to perform at their full capabilities. Upon interview a few musicians, most of them said that most of your stage fright
Although school performances and musical gigs may help the cause to a certain extent, tremendous additional work is needed because it can be said without a doubt that if proper supervision and training is provided, the talent in Pakistan can reach whole new heights.
The problems mostly faced are not having sufficiently qualified musicians to teach the students enrolled in schools. If students are still keen enough to pursue their passion, they’ll have to contact fancy music academics that charge a fortune for their services which a lot of young people may not be able to afford.
At prestigious institutions such as Aitchison College, music societies have been formed which provide great opportunities for their students. Selection tests are held for competitions. In addition to that, society meetings are held every alternate week to discuss their progress and any improvements that can be made. A similar curriculum should be started in which all schools are entrusted with hiring skilled and qualified musicians that can develop and train the skills of the students.
Realising one’s capabilities after proper guidance and training automatically acts as a huge boost of confidence for someone who would previously be hesitant to perform because of “how people will judge and perceive them”. Not only this, interested students should be given the opportunity to further their musical education by providing undergraduate as well as master’s degrees in universities.
One of the major advantages in Pakistan for musical growth includes diverse genres such as Sufi and classical music that are enjoyed worldwide. Legends such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Amanat Ali have set the foundation of our cultural music to a whole new level. Although modern-day music is also catchy, it may have has lost the spark if compared to previous musical compositions. It is our job to bring that spark back. We know for a fact that numerous extremely talented and experienced musicians are left undiscovered. It is our job to make sure this tremendous talent doesn’t go to waste. We all have a musician hidden inside of us, it is our job to explore and refine it.
The author is a student of Aitchison College
