The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Philosophy, Music and African Studies: A Trilogical Identification of Three Conceptual Relevancies in State Tertiary Education

Kingston Chukwunonyelum Ani Casimir^1,2, Orajaka Sussan Nwakego^2,3, Emmanuel Umezinwa⁴

¹Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
²Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
³Department of Music, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
⁴Department of Music, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/ojps.2015.52016                

Abstract

The need for a paradigm shift in African development blueprint is also a call for reform of certain critical aspects of education in Africa. In the main stream African studies, this need may be defined as the Africanization of the contents of Africa’s inherited modern educational system. Presently, there is an urgent need for a paradigm shift in the study and practice of music as an integral agenda of African studies and African philosophy. Current educational reforms in both African studies and general education have continued to demand for this shift in the curriculum contents of mainstream African studies that have to do with the philosophy of music education. The trilology of music, philosophy and African studies are the identified three conceptual relevant disciplines where this call should be concentrated and worked out in good time. In essence, this article is a call for state tertiary institutions to “Africanize” music as a discipline, as an art and as a curriculum, using the philosophical analysis derived from the core principles of African studies. Philosophy will help the search for the Africanization of music education by giving it a safe human value base in African philosophy. We have argued in this paper that Western concepts of philosophy and aesthetic education currently taught in the 1950s failed to reflect the human values that are African and this failure and the need to reform their existing content informed the emergence of the centers of African research, renewal and studies known as Institutes of African studies in different Universities in Africa and Europe. Aesthetically speaking, music has a psychological role in culture, arts and the education of indigenous communities in Africa. Aesthetically, musical education based upon Western values alien to Africa has negative implications for the modern musical educational policies, curriculum and practice for the modern African state. From the analytical perspectives of both African Philosophy and African studies, we are able to argue and establish what should constitute the dynamics of new musical paradigm shift in Africa and to define the relevancy of music education to the African educational system, using analytical situation drawn from Nigeria examples in the study.

Keywords

Curriculum, Philosophy of Music Education, Content Analysis, African Studies, Cultural Education, African Philosophy, Music Education, Nigeria Education

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Adegbite, A. (1999). The Place of Music in Nigerian School Curriculum. The Performer Ilorin Journal of the Performing Arts, 1, 60-67.
[2]	Adeyinka, A. A. (1988). Major Trends in Curriculum Development in Nigeria. http://unilorin.edu.ng/journals/education/ije/sept1988/MAJOR%20TRENDS% 2IN%20CURRICULUM%20DEVELOPMENT%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf
[3]	Alperson, P. (1987). Introduction to What Is Music? Philip Alperson (Ed.), New York: Haven.
[4]	Andrew, H. (1998). The Role of Music in the Society: The Ethnomusicological Perspectives. In A. C. North, & D. J. Hargreaves (Eds.), The Social Psychology of Music (pp. 123-138). New York: Oxford University Press.
[5]	Bebey, F. (1975). Afham Music: A People’s Art (Bennett, 1. tr.). New York: Lawrence Hill & Company.
[6]	Blacking, J. D. (1973). How Musical Is Man? London: Faber and Faber.
[7]	Bodunrin, P. O. (1985). Philosophy in Africa: Trends and Perspectives. Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press.
[8]	Ekwueme, L. E. N. (2005). Nigerian Music since Independence. The Economic and Social Development of Nigeria since Independence, 320-331.
[9]	Euba, A. (1982). Introduction to Music in Africa. In R. Olaniyan (Ed.), African History and Culture (pp. 224-236). Lagos: Longman Press.
[10]	Fafunwa, A. B. (1971). History of Higher Education in Nigeria. New York: Macmillan and Coy.
[11]	Faseun, F. (2001). Public Perceptions of Music as a School Subject in Contemporary Nigerian Schools. In M. A. Omibiyi-Obidike (Ed.), African Art Music in Nigeria (pp. 83-92). Ibadan: Stirling-Horden Publishers (Nig.) Ltd.
[12]	Federal Republic of Nigeria (2009). National Commission for Colleges of Education, Minimum Standards for NCE Teachers Arts and Social Sciences, 4th Edition. Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion—An Open Access International Journal.
[13]	Guilford, W. G. M. (2004). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial African Issues. sel., ed. and with introd. by CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
[14]	Hountondji, P. (1983). African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
[15]	Hountondji, P. J. (1983). African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
[16]	Kneller, G. F. (1971). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York: John Willey and Sons Inc.
[17]	Kofie, N. N. (1994). Contemporory Afhum Music in World Perspectives. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
[18]	Koopman, C. (1997). Music as Language: An Analogy to Be Pursued with Caution. International Journal of Music Education, 29, 40-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/025576149702900106
[19]	Langer, S. (1951). Philosophy in a New Key. New York: Mentor Book Company.
[20]	Letts, R. (1997). Music: Universal Language between All Nations? International Journal of Music Education, 29, 22-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/025576149702900104
[21]	Mamdani, M. (1996). Chapter 1 from Mamdani, M., Citizen and Subject: Contemporary/Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism.
[22]	Nketia, J. H. K. (1962). The Problem of Meaning in African Music. Ethnomusicology, 6, 1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/924242
[23]	Nketia, J. H. K. (1974). The Music of Africa. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc.
[24]	Nketia, J. H. K. (Ed.) (1999). A Guide for the Preparation of Primary School African Music Teaching Manuals. Accra: Afram Publications (Ghana) Limited.
[25]	Oehrle, E. (1991). Emerging Music Education Trends in Africa. International Journal of Music Education, 18, 23-29.
[26]	Ogunrinade, D. O. A. (2012). Teacher’s Perception on the Incorporation of Indigenous Music Contents into Music Curriculum in Nigerian Schools. African Journal of Education and Technology (Sacha Journal London), 2, 108-118.
[27]	Ogunrinade, D. O. A. (2013). Philosophy of Music Education in Nigeria: Content Analysis of Music Curriculum for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion—An Open Access International Journal, 1.
[28]	Ogunrinade, D. O. A., Adeyemi, A. A., & Oluniyi, M. O. (2012). The State of Music Education in Nigerian Secondary School Programme. Journal of Educational and Social Research (Sapienza University Italy), 2, 391-403.
[29]	Okafor, F. C. (2005). Music in Nigerian Society. Enugu: New Generation Books.
[30]	Okafor, R. C. (2005). Focus on Music Education in Nigeria. International Journal of Music Education, 12, 9-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/025576148801200102
[31]	Okanfah, M. (2009). Search of an African Philosophy of Music Education for Ghana; Okanfah(2013:2) Search of an African Philosophy of Music Education for Ghana* Michael O/zene-Okanfah.
[32]	Olusoji, S. (2013). The Relevance of Music Education to the Nigerian Educational System. African Journal of Teacher Education, 3.
[33]	Omibiyi-Obidike, M. (2001). African Musical Resources and African Identity in the New African Art Music. In African Art Music in Nigeria (pp. 150-160). Ibadan: Starling-Horden Publisher (Nig) Ltd.
[34]	Omibiyi-Obidike, M. A. (2001). Whiter Music Education in Nigeria. An Unpublished Paper, First National Conference of Nigerian Association of Music Educators, Awka.
[35]	Omoregbe, J. I. (1998). “African Philosophy: Yesterday and Today” (in Bodunrin; references to reprint in E. C. Eze (Ed.), African Philosophy: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell).
[36]	Oruka, H. O. (1990). Sage Philosophy. In E. J. Brill (Ed.), Philosophy of History and Culture (Vol. 4).
[37]	Reimer, B. (1970). A Philosophy of Music Education. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice-Hall International.
[38]	Reimer, B. (1989). A Philosophy of Music Education (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[39]	Sowande, F. (1962). Music Education in Nigerian Schools. Nigeria Magazine, 73.
[40]	Tempels, P. (1945). La philosophie bantoue (Bantu Philosophy). Elisabethville: Bantu Philosophy-Centre Aequatoria. http://www.aequatoria.be/tempels/FTEnglishTranslation.htm
[41]	van Rensburg, C. (2013). Christo van Rensburg Is a Freelance Writer and Africanist from Australia. http://www.editors.org.za/Documents/PEGboard%20July%202013.pdf
[42]	Verrastro, R. (1990). The Aesthetic Foundations of Music Education. The Canadian Journal of Music, 31.
[43]	Vidal, A. O. (2008). Music Education in Nigeria: Entering the 21st Century with a Pragmatic Philosophy. Journal of the Association of Nigerian Musicologists, 1-19.
[44]	Vidal, A. O. (2012). Selected Topics on Nigerian Music. Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press.
[45]	Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (2014). African Philosophy.
[46]	Willet, F. (1975). African Arts and the Future: Decay or Development? In I. Abu-Lughod (Ed.), African Themes. Evanston: Northwestern University, Program of African Studies.
[47]	Wiredu, K. (1980). Philosophy and an African. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.