Awka Journal of Research in Music and the Arts

MUSIC PLURALITY: INEVITABILITY IN NIGERIAN MUSIC SCENE

Dan C. C. Agu — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Music and music making are universal in all human cultures and social life all over the world. The creative and performance processes are emotionally, psychologically, physiologically and physically bound. Musicians, therefore, use it for integration, as well as promoting collective and individual identities among ethnic nationalities. In their submissions, Nketia (1975) and Agawu (2003) reiterate that Africa has a broad range of musical repertoires associated with traditional African societies. Disoteo, in Renata (2013:62), corroborates this by pointing out that â€œeach culture and society establishes its own music â€žlanguageâ€Ÿ with specific scales, rhythms, rules for creating music and reproducing it, improvisations that correspond to different conceptions of time and space of life and death and, of ideologies and beliefs/religionâ€.

INSIDIOUS EROTICISM IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OF SAINT JANET

Kayode M. Samuel, Samuel A. Adejube — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

From euphemism to dysphemism, the Nigerian popular music industry has enjoyed the patronage of the masses aided by the various virtual communities in the propagation of its message of eroticism. Unlike many Nigerian popular music artistes who are aggressive in their erotica performances, Saint Janet is a creative music artiste whose adoption of insidious eroticism knows no bound. With the use of ethnographic techniques (key-informant interview and participant-observation), this article discusses the insidious eroticism used in Saint Janet's music. The paper argues that the Christian religious background of the artiste and the need to fulfil her daily needs have been the factors responsible for her insidious creativity. Socio-cultural themes such as didactic, religious, therapeutic, entertainment are part of her techniques in entrapping her audience in her web of eroticism. Subtly, both the young and old are lured into her erotica performances. The paper also argues that parody has been her major compositional technique with emphasis on the reconstruction of several Juju-gospel music.

INVESTIGATING MUSICAL BEHAVIOUR TEST AT UPPER BASIC SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Calista A. N. Ugwu — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Test or assessment is inseparable from human endaviour as a bedrock for attaining success. It is a core component of the curriculum. Musical behaviour is not without test in indigenous tradition nor in the Western perspective as we have in the school. The slight difference is that in the indigenous tradition no failure is produced unlike what happens in the classroom. This qualitative study gathered data from literature and interview from the pre-service music teachers at the upper basic schools at the South-eastern part of Nigeria. The study revealed among others that paper pencil type of test focusing on multiple choice and essay are the most widely used test type adopted by the interviewed teachers. The result also concurred with literature on the lopsided nature of test that upheld majorly the cognitive domain at the neglect of the psychomotor and affective domains. The study concludes by recommending that the teacher should test both for the subjective and objective musical learning of the students. Furthermore, the researcher through the study recommends organization of workshop or training for the teachers on test construction.

ALAGA IDURO AND ALAGA IJOKOO NUPTIAL PERFORMANCES

Olufunmilola T. Oladipo — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

The AlÃ¡ga Ã¬dÃºrÃ³and the AlÃ¡ga Ã¬jÃ³kÃ²Ã³ are two important people that conduct contemporary YorÃ¹bÃ¡ traditional wedding ceremonies, known as engagement.They are indispensible personalities in Yoruba traditional marriage ceremonies; they coordinate the proceedings of engagement ceremonies. Music, dance and dramatic displays are prominent features in their performances. They display various body messages and sing various songs to communicate and also mark the different stages of traditional engagements. The article discusses music and dramatic displays in alaga iduro and alaga ijokooYoruba traditional marriage ceremonies. It examines their various dramatic displays at different stages of engagement ceremonies, their roles in educating couples about rightful behavioural traits in marriage.

MUSIC APPRECIATION: ROLES IN CHURCH WORSHIP AND ITS PRACTICES IN A RECESSED ECONOMY

Sunday N. Nnamani — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Music appreciation is precisely a contemplative form of educational, non-professional musical training designed to develop the ability to listen intelligently and discriminately to serious and different genres of music with the aims of judging rightly the use and quality of the musical elements employed (Ekwueme, 2008). This systematic art involves intellectual and emotional responses and it is the emotional aspect that tends to direct our valued interest in the process of appreciation. This emotional instinct is often referred to as â€œAffective Experienceâ€ which predominates over the cognitive and psychomotor skills. This paper examines the various aspects of musical appreciation; the affective experience is what is actually guiding the emotional effect of music especially in church worship as it appeals to different categories of people performing the diagnostic and therapeutic roles in mental health. In a recessed economy like Nigeria where a lot of people are suffering from psychological and mentally related sicknesses, the appreciation of music (both vocal and orchestral) plays a lot in lowering the blood pressures of a greater number of the citizens. It has been observed that the power of music to create some effects appears, sometimes to be independent of human intellectual effort. There is power behind sound and organization of soundâ€. The paper concluded by offering some suggestions to the problems.

TRANSFORMING NIGERIAN HIP-HOP MUSIC AND DANCE FOR EDUCATIONAL, MORAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL RELEVANCE

Prisca O. Ajaero, Emmanuel C. Umezinwa, Alvan-Ikoku O. Nwamara — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Hip-hop music and dance came into existence in the 1970â€Ÿs and believed to have sprung from the South Bronx of New York city, although, with a root traceable back to Africa. This genre of music and dance became popular in Nigeria especially among the youths around the late eighties and early nineties but was associated with so much profanity and vulgarity, thus creating for a disinterest and irrelevance as an area of academic pursuit and a possible avenue for curbing societal and moral decadence as well as boost the economy of the country. Through library research, interviews and observations, this work seeks to expose ways in which hip-hop music and dance can be re-organized, restructured and transformed to fit more into the moral, academic standards and socio-cultural interests of the Nigerian society

OVUM DANCE AND THE CHALLENGES TO CULTURAL STABILITY OF ELELE-ALIMINI IN EMOHUA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE

Augustina C. Ezebube, Dan C. C. Agu — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

This study which focuses on the Ovum Dance and the Challenges to Cultural Stability of Elele-Alimini in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, explored the historical background of the Ovum dance, its origin, musical instruments, as well as its membership. Primary data were gathered through observation and oral interviews, while bibliographical evidences served as secondary data. This study revealed that Christianity, education and urbanization played a strong role in the sustainability of the group. The Ovum dance group instead of increasing in number, decreased due to its traditional belief of using ancestral figures during their dance display which was condemned by the Church, Finally, as a way forward, the authors presented some recommendations.

BASIC TECHNIQUES APPLIED IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CLARINET TEACHING

Ogechukwu Jacinta Onyedum — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Instrumental music learning is supposed to commence from childhood; as early as three years, as obtainable in the Suzuki method of violin learning so that the learner can improve relatively faster. Research has shown that students prefer music that they can watch, dance to and participate in, whereas the music taught in the classroom are mostly theory based in content and therefore is faced mainly with poor response of students while being taught in the classroom. Through participant observation and consultation of relevant literature, this work investigated studentsâ€Ÿ participation in music performance at St. Jude Private School, Lagos; and tries to provide basic instruction that contains the concepts and fundamental knowledge of clarinet, skills, values and right attitudes towards instrumental music performance needed to play the clarinet.

MUSICAL ACTIVITIES OF WOMEN IN ANNANG CULTURE OF AKWA IBOM STATE

Ekaette C. Udok — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

This work focuses on the musical activities of women in Annang culture with its main objective to critically study the music of Annang women and collate ethnographic and ethnology materials into a coherent body of knowledge on music practice, behavior and concepts in the society. The method used for the study is multidimensional - historical, descriptive and analytical approach to assess those basic principles and organization that are common in indigenous musical culture of the Annang people. Facts for the compilation of the work were drawn from both primary and secondary sources and from interviews during fieldwork experience. The study also examined the extent in which musical activities play its role in maintaining social, culturalin the society. Through interview and findings, it is realized that a lot of things has changed. Most cultural activities and seasonal events like fattening process of mbopo and (new yam, cassava, and ebre festivals) which call for the statutory musical performance yearly by women in Annang culture are fast disappearing. Among other things, it is observed that though some annual festivals like new yam and puberty rites which drew women participation to the event are almost extinct, the musical activities by women are still prominently performed during marriage ceremonies, funeral rites and coronation of chiefs. Suggestions were as well made for the sustenance of the culture.

REFORMING MUSIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN NIGERIA FOR ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Festus Ife Olisaeke, Margaret Vincent Davou — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

This paper highlights the need for reforming music curriculum in the Nigerian system of education. It has been discovered that music is relegated to the background, merging it with two other subjects by the curriculum planners in the Nigerian education system. This is a serious setback on music education. This paper identifies these problems and also highlights the prospects in music practice and proffers a way of harnessing the potentials in them. Data collected show that the major problem music education suffers is hinged on lack of attention to it by the curriculum planners in the education curriculum. The paper suggests that the society, the curriculum planners and the government have much to do so that music education and practice is appreciated as it is already an established fact the music contributes and improves the Nigerian economy to a large extent. This will help a lot in sustaining the music practitioners and also in salvaging the Nigerian economy that is grossly recessed. It proposes as part of its recommendations that the government should endeavor to include music as one of the countryâ€Ÿs compulsory subjects in its curriculum, and that music education and practice should be provided with the vocational facilities and personnel in order to thrive as a vocational subjects. Parents and the larger society should also become educated on the usefulness of music as a career subject worth pursing by learners.

SOCIAL MEDIA IN MUSIC PEDAGOGY: AID OR IMPEDIMENT?

Emelda C. Nnanyelugo — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Music education incoporating social media is one of the most recent trends in the history of formal education system. This has faced a lot of criticism as to whether it is an aid or impediment; taking into consideration the economic situation of the country. Adopting historical and survey designs, this paper seeks to ascertain the challenges and prospects associated with music education using social media, as it affects the students and lecturers alike. For the purpose of continuity or discontinuity, the paper suggests ways of critical examination of the right choice of social media platforms to either use or not in music education. The findings of this paper are hoped to add to the existing facts as it relates to the use of social media in music education.

AFRICA SENSED MUSIC EDUCATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION: THE CASE OF JOS, PLATEAU STATE OF NIGERIA

Prince K. Effiong — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Africans generally and Nigerians specifically have an overwhelming indigenous perception in reasoning, judging, comparing and performing their traditional music. Every special activity to an Africa man is always being accompanied by special indigenous music, made sorely for such an event. When the performance is carried out, there are joint collaborative efforts by all and Sunday. This brings about social cohesion, togetherness, resolution of conflict, and enactment of peace and promotion of brotherliness amidst tribal sentiment, and religious bigotries. This paper seeks to project the indigenous sense that is inherent in Africans, in using Africans indigenous music in resolving conflict and maintaining amble symbiotic relationship among themselves. The paper also focuses on the sense by Africans to use indigenous music in the preservation, promotion and transmission of her long lasting/cherished cultural values, norms and excellent morality among themselves and to generation yet unborn. The research employs the historical and personal observation as methods in determining the validity and reliability of the research. The paper however recommends that Africans/Nigerians should not allow the current westernization and technologies to make them lose their inherent moral values. Indigenous music should be encouraged for the maintenance of peace, resolve conflicts and uphold symbiotic relationship.

THE MUSIC OF THE DANCE: A STUDY OF MUSIC AND DANCE IN AFRICAN CULTURE

Albert Oikelome — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100

The continent of Africa is rich in music and dance. They are both enshrined in the cultural milieu of the African people. The paper therefore examines the concept of Music and Dance in African society, discussing several definitions of dance as postulated by scholars in the field. Using the bibliography method of inquisition the paper explores the dimensions by which music and dance influence specific aspects of the daily lives of the people as the functions of the dance is highlighted and discussed. Through an interpretative lens, the paper discusses the interrelationship of music and dance, and how the thin line of distinction is seen in efforts to explain their similarities and differences. Ultimately, the paper provides a framework towards a better understanding of music and dance as a phenomenon in Africa.