Art Music, Popular Music and Traditional Music in Contemporary Education: Advancing Musical Knowledge, Curriculum Balance, and Cultural Relevance in Nigeria
Keywords:
African Art Music, Popular Music, Traditional Music, Music Education, Decolonial Music Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Popular Music PedagogyAbstract
A very critical juncture has occurred in the history of music education in Nigeria where the inherited art music traditions, vigorous popular music practices and indigenous traditional music system need to be moved to a more balanced and meaningful relationship. The author of this article posits that this should no longer be the case with music education in Nigeria today, as music education does not have to be categorized into one domain at the neglect of the other, to be secondary, informal or just culture. Rather, art music, popular music, traditional music are complementary knowledge systems and can be pedagogically valued. The article draws on literature on Nigerian music education, decolonial music pedagogy, indigenous African music, popular music education, curriculum reform, technology-enhanced learning, and Africanization of music curricula, to discuss the historical development, existing tensions and prospects of music education in Nigeria. It suggests that art music fosters formal musicianship, notation, composition and analysis; that traditional music preserves culture and identity, embodied learning and traditional instruments; and popular music, youth culture, digital creativity, employability and the media industries of today. The article suggests a Tri-Musical Knowledge Integration Framework for Contemporary Nigerian Music Education and proposes the following recommendations: Curriculum reform, Teacher training, Integration of music technology, Community collaboration and Assessment reform. The article concludes that a culturally relevant and future-oriented music curriculum in Nigeria should not be dichotomized into these three.
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