Instrument for the determination tr state license level of choice music education institution in Turkey

Tar is a plucked string folk instrument which is shared by many cultures mainly Azerbaijan, Iran and in a part of the Central Asian countries. In Turkey, tar is especially known around the region of Kars, Ardahan, and Iğdır. Tar instrument has found a place on The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), in the Turkish folk music ensembles of Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey and in the professional music market of Turkey, and several special choirs, since the 1960s. Tar has reached a very wide and unique repertoire with advanced execution possibilities especially with the training and works that are provided, in Azerbaijan and this situation is appreciated worldwide. Nevertheless, the execution of the instrument Turkey is not at this level and it is observed that the education of the tar instrument has been provided in a narrower range. This study aims to determine the preference status of the tar instrument in conservatoires that teach vocational music at the undergraduate level. The study examines to what extent the instrument is preferred, the situations of preference, and the determination of the causes of these situations, in conservatoires that teach vocational music at the undergraduate level. For the study, questionnaires were conducted with the students in the institutions that provide tar education in Turkey. Two types of questionnaires were applied based on their preference of learning tar instrument. The questionnaire for the students prefer tar, includes 1 open-ended question to determine the reason for their tendency and preference and the questionnaire for the students that do not prefer the instrument, the questionnaire includes 14 closed-ended and 1 open-ended questions, which aim to determine the reasons for not preferring tar instrument. The findings obtained by the questionnaires show that tar is less preferred comparing to the other folk instruments. The main reasons for this situation are; the instrument was not known, and especially was not introduced in the early years, the limited scope of use of the instrument, and the unemployment problems that the tar players face, limited number of trainers for the education of the instrument, and the difficulties of facilities of obtaining, and maintaining and repairing of the instrument in Turkey. Key Words: Tar, Turkish Folk Music, Tar Education, Turkish Folk Music Instruments