MUSIC EDUCATION AND SOCIAL HARMONY: INSIGHTS FROM INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

Music education has long been recognised as a powerful medium for cultural transmission, emotional development, and social integration. In the Indian context, particularly within the traditions of Indian classical music, music education plays a crucial role in fostering social harmony, ethical values, and cultural continuity. This paper explores the role of music education in promoting social cohesion and sustainable development, with reference to Indian classical music traditions. It also examines how contemporary educational frameworks, especially the National Education Policy (2020), recognise the importance of arts education in building inclusive and innovative societies. By analysing the cultural, psychological, and social dimensions of music education, the study highlights how musical training contributes to emotional intelligence, collective participation, creativity, and social inclusion. This study adopts a qualitative research approach based on expert interviews and questionnaire responses. The data for the study are collected from music educators, classical performers, and scholars associated with Indian classical music institutions. The questionnaire method helped in understanding expert perspectives on the relationship between music education, cultural transmission, and social harmony.