Rungus Longoi Tanganak (children’s songs): Musical analysis and application for music education

• Main Author: Jinky Jane C Simeon
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: ML198-360.6 By region or country
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/40743/1/24%20PAGES.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/40743/2/FULLTEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/40743/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

The Rungus are one of the indigenous Dusunic ethnic groups of Sabah, most of whom reside in the administrative Districts of Kudat and Pitas. In Rungus culture, many different genres of intangible cultural heritage have been passed down orally over generations. These heritages are valuable resources for teaching cultural awareness and appreciation among children of different ethnicities in Malaysia. They have yet to be introduced in the national music education curriculum. The purpose of this research was to (a) document and transcribe the particular Rungus children’s songs from the field that are recalled by the elderly Rungus; (b) analyse the musical characteristics of the collected children’s song; and (c) suggest appropriate Rungus children’s songs to be used as curricular support materials in music education. This research employed ethnographic field techniques including participant observations, in-depth and focus group interviews, as well as audio and video recording. The musical transcriptions of selected songs were then analysed using the Kodály Folk Song Analysis. Recommendations were made for the use of the eighty- three songs, these song repertoires can serve as resources for school music teachers through introducing these valuable heritage songs of Sabah’s Rungus culture into a multicultural music education curriculum. This study also suggests that more Malaysian folk materials should be collected and utilised for teaching music in schools, as it will build cultural awareness among children of different ethnicities in Malaysia.