RE-TUNING MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA A Study of Cultural Influences and Musical Developments, and of the Dilemma Confronting Ghanaian School Music Teachers Emmanuel James Flolu Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the D. Phil degree University of York Department of Music March 1994 ABSTRACT Since 1987 Ghana has witnessed the emergence of an educational system which gives more attention to basic (elementary) education, with emphasis on the development of the creative abilities of school students. In the current reforms, basic education is seen as the bedrock, and an important starting point for the entire programme. However, this has not been achieved in music education, which still lacks a strong foundation. Apart from its foreign orientation, school music was formulated from above, and as a result, the emphasis has been upon adult musical values and practices, songs, dances, and instruments. Effort and resources have been concentrated in this way at secondary and tertiary levels. Attempts to reform the music curriculum have, to a large extent, been hampered by the view of music as cultural symbol: the more indigenous music is included in the school curriculum, the more `Ghanaian' the education will be. This view has shown itself particularly in the continuing fight against the `imaginary enemy' of Western classical music theory. An obsession with the dichotomy between African music and Western music in schools stems from the colonial past, and has tended to divert attention from the problems of curriculum content, solutions to which might have been found by using facilities already available within the cultural environment. The present study reviews sources of influence in music education, and attempts to provide a basis for constructive debate among Ghanaian music teachers, curriculum planners, those responsible for music teacher training, and educational policy makers, about current practice and the changes of emphasis which may be needed. It is suggested that the provision of music education should be put back into the wider context of contemporary national values, beliefs and objectives. Music educators in Ghana should now define and follow their own path, based on the roots of their own culture. This need not imply only the indigenous music of adults: it should be sought also in the children's music. The current interest in secondary level music education and adult musical values could profitably be reversed, so that basic school music (elementary sector) can foster a smoother and continuous growth and development of children's musical creativity. Rather than continuing to focus on the upper levels, a bottom-up approach could be 2 adopted to establish a solid base for the entire system. The need, therefore, is for a strong basic music education system which places emphasis, at elementary level, on children's music, instruments, and similar resources, as the starting point. This would cause teachers to view music from within, helping to promote their own and their pupils' imaginative abilities. There is need also for a music teacher education programme aimed specifically at training and encouraging teachers to explore, exploit and maximize the use of the locally available resources. Music teacher education should be seen as training in professional imagination. Future research in music education could be pursued within the concept of ethno-musiceducation. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 LIST OF APPENDICES 7 PREFACE 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 12 DECLARATION 14 PART ONE - INTRODUCTION CREATIVITY AND ADVANCES IN MUSIC EDUCATION (Review of Literature/Concepts) 15 CHAPTER 1: CREATIVITY AND EDUCATION 16 The Meaning of Creativity 17 Education as Preparation for Life 24 Traditional Values and Modern African Education: A Review of Some Contemporary Perspectives 25 CHAPTER 2: ADVANCES IN MUSIC EDUCATION 35 Music in Education 35 Creative Music Education 39 4 ANANSESEM 50 PART TWO - MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA (The Problem) 56 CHAPTER 3: MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA IN RETROSPECT 57 The Beginnings of Music Education in Ghana 59 Music Education from 1950: The First School of Music 66 Some Attempts at Pedagogical Innovations 75 Music at the Basic Education Level 77 Creativity and National Initiative 80 GCE/School Certificate Examinations 81 CHAPTER 4: EDUCATIONAL REFORMS AND A DILEMMA FOR MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA 83 The New Structure of Education in Ghana 86 Music as an Aspect of Cultural Studies 90 Some Practical Problems 94 Writing About Music Education in Ghana 97 The Challenge 109 PART THREE - CONCEPTS OF AFRICAN MUSIC AND MUSIC IN GHANA (Cultural Influences and Resources) 112 CHAPTER 5: THE STUDY OF AFRICAN MUSIC IN GHANA 113 Antiquity of musical concepts 113 Music in Contemporary Ghana 129 Music in Traditional Culture: An Artistic Horizon 136 5 CHAPTER 6: IN SEARCH OF THE ROOTS 141 Improvisation in Cradle Songs 151 Music in Games 154 Spontaneous Creativity in Folk Tales 158 Creative Imitation of Adult Music 160 Direct Instruction 161 Creativity and Instrumental Resources 162 PART FOUR - RE-TUNING MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA (Proposals/Solutions) 169 CHAPTER 7: RE-TUNING MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA 1 170 The Prospects of Creative Music in Ghanaian Education 170 Which Local Musical Resources? 178 A Musicianly and Integrated Approach 180 Suggested Practical Activities 183 CHAPTER 8: RE-TUNING MUSIC EDUCATION IN GHANA II 197 Toward the Music Curriculum 197 Broadening the Scope of the Curriculum 201 Conclusion: The Future of Music Education Research in Ghana 202 Appendices 209 Bibliography 233 6 LIST OF APPENDICES Page I. Guggisberg's Sixteen Principles of Education 209 2. Recommendations of the 1967 Education Review Committee 210 3. Excerpts from the Music Syllabus for Primary Schools Issued by the Ministry of Education, Ghana (1959) 212 4. Excerpts from the Music Syllabus for Secondary Schools in Ghana (1974) 216 5. Excerpts from the Music Syllabus for Primary Schools Issued by the Curriculum Research Development Division (1976) 220 6. Excerpts from the Suggested Cultural Studies Syllabus for Junior Secondary Schools in Ghana (1987) 222 7. Excerpts from the West African Examinations Council, Ghana, Basic Education Certificate Examiantion, July, 1990: Cultural Stuies 226 8. Report of the Education Commission on Teacher Education June, 1993: Summary of Recommendations 228 7 PREFACE Of all the developmental changes that have occurred in Ghana during the last decade, the far-reaching most concern education. It is seven years since the Government of the Provisional National erstwhile Defence Council (PNDC) launched a massive reform in education as part of the ongoing Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) funded by the World Bank. This has necessitated radical innovations in both the structure and content of the country's educational system. The total period of schooling at pre-University level has been reduced from 17 to 12 years, while university education increases from 3 or 4, to 4 or 5 years. New subjects, syllabuses and textbooks have been introduced, and older ones revised. Music education has been at the centre of these changes. Yet music educators find themselves in an awkward situation. While there is little disagreement on the content of the music syllabus for Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) at the basic level, conflicting opinion and objectives between those of the curriculum planners on one hand, and the music teachers on the other, have dominated the debates on the place of music in the new system of education. After a general review of the status of music in the current educational system by music teachers attending the "Orientation Course for Senior Secondary School Teachers" at Obuasi in January 1991, it became clear to them that unless they revised their strategies, music faced the threat of becoming neglected and being abandoned by SSS students. Some music teachers had already been warned by their heads of being made redundant in view of the insufficient number of Junior Secondary School (JSS) leavers who had registered to study music at SSS level. Up to now, few Senior Secondary Schools are offering music. The appointment of a music teacher in most schools is 8 justified by his or her ability to teach other subjects, and/or to maintain a school choir. Although it was apparent that the standard of the SSS music syllabus was high compared with that of the JSS, it was generally agreed that the absence of competent music teachers in the JSSs was responsible for the low enrolment. Subsequently, diplomates participants - mostly and graduates - expressed the view that a recommendation be made to the Ministry of Education to post qualified music teachers to the JSS in order to prepare the ground for the study of SSS music. Some also suggested that music should be made a compulsory subject for all SSS students, thus sharing the same view with Okafor (1991) on music education in Nigeria. Much of the current confusion about the content of the music curriculum can, however, be associated with: lack of critical understanding of the historical foundation of music education in Ghana, mistaken notions about African music, and the historical politico-economic and -cultural relations between the West and Black Africa. Only if our discussion takes place against the background of these things shall we be able to present an objective analysis of the present situation. The time has come for us to admit openly that attempts to reform the music curriculum have continually been rivalled and subsequently hampered by the view of music as cultural symbol; the more indigenous music in schools, the more 'Ghanaian' the education will be. This view has shown itself particularly in the continuous fight against the 'imaginary enemy' of Western classical music theory. More adversely, it has limited our scope for exploration as curriculum renewal has always been approached from a one-sided dimension. The current wisdom behind World Bank educational projects in African countries is that "investments in primary education yield a higher social rate of return than investments in secondary education" (Samoff, 1993: 202).