All academic studies are challenging

A RELATIVE of mine gave a rather desultory remark upon learning that my brother is doing a music course in university. Her exact response was “Oh, muzik senang lah. Tak macam kita, belajar biologi dan kimia (Oh, music is easy, unlike studying biology and chemistry).”

I guess it’s safe to say that she blatantly displayed a pretentious and know-it-all attitude which I deem malicious to society. What’s even more disappointing is that she’s a teacher.

It is upsetting to know that there are still people with such a narrow and backward mindset when it is already 2018. It is these people who make me feel the need to challenge their lame and archaic perceptions, which are due to their ignorance.

Every academic course is uniquely challenging; if it was easy, everyone would have obtained it, including her.

If one thinks doing a course in music is easy, then he or she should be able to acquire skills in playing the guitar together with the violin, piano, gambus and gamelan like my brother. He/she should also have no problem reading musical notes and composing while demonstrating the sound using an instrument.

And let’s not forget about being meticulous with tempo and harmony when combining sounds from different instruments. Can you arrange them all perfectly? After all this, is a music course still a no-brainer to you?

My father once told me that when he was doing his degree in music, there were about 30 students in the class but only six of them, including him, made it to graduation.

I am not a music student nor graduate but if people really identify themselves as educated, then they should acknowledge and respect the complexity of all knowledge and academic subjects instead of belittling any of them.

The more knowledge you acquire, the more humble you become. That’s how it should be anyway.

YASMIN RIDZUAN Ampang, Selangor