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Some issues in formal music education in Nigeria: A case study of Kwara State

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2011

Austin Emielu
Austin Emielu*
Affiliation:
Department of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515 Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeriaaustinmaro@yahoo.com; austinmaro@unilorin.edu.ng
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Abstract

Every educational system has its goals and objectives, curricula and modes of implementation. There is however the need for periodic assessment and evaluation. Specifically, this research paper sets out to evaluate the success or otherwise of the music education delivery system in Kwara state of Nigeria and its implications for the goals of music education in Nigeria. Data were gathered primarily from field situations using empirical and deductive methodologies and secondarily from government publications and other publications related to the subject matter. The paper observes that the noble idea of bi-musicality, a concept that stresses musical literacy in both one's own culture and that of the West is hampered by lopsidedness, crisis of perspectives and inadequate resource materials and persons. There is also a structural defect in the vertical relationship between the various levels of music education in the state. The paper further identifies public perception of music as a Christian subject as one of the obstacles to an effective music education delivery system in Nigeria. The paper concludes that until significant musical theories and conceptual approaches emerge from extensive fieldwork into Nigeria's diverse musical cultures, it will be difficult to develop and sustain an authentic and functional music education framework in Nigeria.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , November 2011 , pp. 353 - 370
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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