***************STUDENT PRACTICAL***************Institutionalising the kompang for primary school students in Malaysia / Md Jais Ismail,...[et.al]

Malaysia is a country with a diversity of culture and heritage. Subsequently, it possesses varied traditional musical arts. One of the instruments of Malaysian traditional musical arts is the kompany, which has been played since the period of the Malacca Malay Sultanate. Nonetheless, the playing of this instrument has been decreasing among the community of late. Only passionate and interested parties such as art institutions, and cultural and arts agencies are still striving in upholding the arts of this traditional heritage. To foster the arts of this tradition, it needs to be nurtured from a young age. Therefore, a study was conducted to identify the functions of Kompang from an ethnomusicology view and children's musical learning achievement by using Kompang. A library analysis method and statistical method have been adopted during field data collection. The study was carried out in a Malaysian primary school involving 70 children aged nine. This study was conducted for 12 weeks, including the practical tests in week 1 and week 12. Results show that the functions of kompang are as a welcoming instrument, entertainment, vocal accompaniment, communication, aesthetic arts, education, and unity agent. The children's achievement using the kompang showed a significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test scores. The results of this research are expected to provide information about kompang as a Malay traditional music instrument, which needs to be preserved in this modern era. As kompang fits to be a tool in music learning, it brings a new perspective to all music educators to integrate kompang as an effective teaching aid. Furthermore, it is a traditional musical instrument that should be duly appreciated and maintained by the whole community.