Late night educational opportunities

Jan Miyake, visit to Koranic recitation school, 10.01.14

On Friday evening, we visited a school that teaches Koranic recitation. This school occurs outside the hours of traditional schooling, is available every night, and is also a place that children can stay overnight. Its students range in ages from being in primary school to being an adult who wants to learn recitation. Three things were particularly striking. First, almost everyone was wearing white, except for the teachers. Another thing that struck me is learning that there are very serious international competitions for Koranic recitation. The third piece of information that is really sticking with me is that they believe that in three years, a diligent (clearly, diligent is the key word) student can memorize the Koran, earning themselves the honorific hafiz.

As a music theorist, I was especially intrigued by what I think was a very special listening opportunity. An amazing reciter (we think she has won the Aceh competition several times) sang the same passage of text multiple times, each time in a different mode. I know nothing about Arabic modes or Koranic recitation, but this was Fascinating. To my inexperienced brain, it was clear that register was a big deal and that different tonal collections were being used. We peppered Jeni with questions, many of us trying to make connections between Koranic recitation and other systems of chanting we had been exposed to (they're really not that similar). I am, as always, left with a strong sense of knowing how little I know!

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the teaching of recitation. It would have been very interesting from a pedagogical point of view to see how they accomplish memorizing the Koran in three years. They did have two students demonstrate recitation for us, however. In this picture, an eleven-year-old boy recited a passage that spanned an octave-and-a half (ish). He was really tremendous!

 

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