MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE MUSIC INSTRUCTION IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abstract

Music is a universal art form that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Studies have shown that adequate motivation  is a precondition  for the achievement  of  maximum output in every area of musicianship  apart from the scarcity of qualified  music teachers. Notwithstanding  that, where motivational  strategies and aids are  available,  they are most times ignored or neglected and this has limited the students’ level of learning. A high quality music should nurture and motivate pupils to develop a  love for music and invigorate their musical talents, and thus inspire their creativity, self-confidence, and animate a deep sense of achievement in music. As pupils progress,  they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best musical canon as they react to music stimuli via dancing, playing, singing, and acting. Therefore, the use of music to teach music in the classrooms and other audio-visual aids are a veritable learning tools and great  ways  to  spark off  students’  interest  in music.  This research  work investigated  the presence and conditions of motivational strategies and achievements in schools, the extent of use, possible means of provisions and the possible hindrances to their application. Adopting the  survey  and  descriptive  methods  of  research,  the  researcher  discovered  that  music education in Nigerian secondary schools is besieged with the problem of lack of motivational and  other  incentives  for  teaching,  apart  from  the  scarcity  of  qualified  teachers.  This researcher recommends the provision of enough music teachers,  instructional materials and facilities for the teaching of music, increase of music periods in the timetable and the use of variety of teaching   methods to satisfy students’ curiosity in learning.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Music as one of the strongest elements for cultural uniqueness and identity is an instrument for cultural transmission and culture embellishment.  This is why music is  included in the National  Policy  on  Education  (1998)  as  one  of  the  subjects  to  be  taught  in  Nigerian Secondary Schools. In the traditional Nigerian society, music is audile tool for education and in education. This is true because there is no ethnic group or state where music is not used as a means of cultural transmission and training.

Long before man entered the spot light of history,  he has established  music as a  cultural factor and had an effective method of music appreciation and education. A proper placement of peoples’ culture in the curriculum will help to educate the people  and appreciate  their culture  through  music.  Music  is  an  essential  ingredient  for  motivation  in  educational development.  That music is suffering a relapse in most  schools presently is because; it is placed on a borrowed culture, this gives reasons for it being neglected by the society.

The peoples’ culture and needs which should have been the bases for music education  in Nigeria has been neglected or relegated to the background in pursuit of western or foreign culture.  This has greatly affected  the music  students in Nsukka  Local  Government  Area. Music education  needs to be modified  to blend with the  interest  of  the students and the present needs of the society which includes educating, preserving and transmitting of cultural values to the upcoming generation more effectively.

Apprenticeship has been the known medium of training musicians. Children in their families and peer groups are exposed to their culture through songs. By means of songs, they learn the norms and values of their people in addition to their chronology and history. They also learn about their own language, the things their people lived by, and how the society operates. All

these are learnt through informal education: one generation passes those basic elements of her musical  culture  to  the  younger  ones  for continuity.  The teachers  of music  make  use of available resources within the limit of that environment  in teaching for the  interest of the learner.

Nevertheless, music education has come a long way from the colonial masters who were in total control of Nigeria  as their  colony.  They presented  Christianity  as the  only official religion  of the  country;  and  to  ensure  the  people’s  total commitment,  they drew  up  an educational  programme  that was made to enhance people’s abilities  to read, write and to calculate. In addition to these subjects, music in the form of hymn singing was introduced; probably this was considered necessary because of the vital role of music in worship.

The curriculum was structured to produce organists, choristers, and choirmasters who would handle western music and instruments in churches. These brands of musicians were exposed to studies in ‘sol-fa’ notation, staff notation, western musical history and literature, western instruments,  and  other  western-oriented  concepts  in  music.  There  was  no  inclusion  of elements of our indigenous music as a subject of study. The focus of music education itself then was the introduction  of western music which  has  almost  completely submerged  the indigenous cultures of Nigeria.

1.1      Background of the Study

In Nigeria, the syllabus of educational system, the curriculum content and the philosophy and thrusts of the institutions which teach music as in Nsukka Local Government schools, place strong emphasis on western music. The students, as well as the Nigerian teachers of this type of music, have to struggle first with an understanding of the music, an understanding of the western culture, and an understanding  of the method of  teaching it, before then evolving strategies that will improve the study of it by trying to motivate or arouse learners’ interest to

learn. Added to the problem of curriculum content is that of the materials for teaching. The instructional materials and the musical instruments themselves which are often adopted from an entirely different culture, are not available to the number of schools that need them for teaching.  The pre-independence  Programme  was  unbalanced  with  over emphasis  on drill performance, rote learning and recitation. There was no proper plan for continuity of music Programme from Primary to Secondary schools.

In Nsukka Local Government  school system, these problems exist. The ineffectiveness  of some teachers in not using strategies that would improve the understanding of the child are demonstrated both in the very poor performance of students in music exams and the limited number of candidates who sit for music as a subject in Junior Secondary Schools. The 2014 J. S. S. entry schedule revealed that out of 30 schools in Nsukka  Local Government, only 5 schools entered for music. This was contrary to the post-independence expectation that young Nigerians would be interested in music education.

From 1960 to the present time, the study of music has suffered very much. This is contrary to the  expectation  of  policy  makers  as  stated  in  the  National  Policy  on  Education  which emphasized that in order to encourage aesthetic, creative and musical activity, Government will make staff and facilities available  for the teaching of  creative  arts, crafts, and music (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1998). It is pertinent here to examine the quality of people who train musicians under the present educational system in Nigeria.

The teacher  could be the product of teacher  training colleges  that train the  music teacher mainly in the art of singing, or playing an instrument or the teacher might be an untrained person with exquisite talent who trains a musician for a popular band, a guitar band, or even for the practice  of traditional  music or  dance (Okafor, 2002, p.12).

The establishment of the Advanced Teachers Training College which later became Colleges of Education and Universities  that offer Music, gave many teachers  opportunities  to gain access to music study. In spite of that, their number is not sufficient to cover the schools.Yet, the serving teachers lack necessary facilities and instructional materials for teaching. Some teachers, notwithstanding their levels of certification, are  still inexperienced on how to use the available teaching materials or improvise with the locally made instructional material. For this reason, in the schools where there is competent music teacher, music is included in their time table where as the subject is  removed in the time table of schools where there is no competent music teacher. Regardless of that, the few students who are opportuned to be in music class still lack interest and motivation to learn.

Nigeria, in the recent times, has made bold steps in improving her educational programmes. These changes affect all disciplines of study, including music. To ensure the realisation of the improvements,  music  is listed  as one of the core subjects  in the  new  6-3-3-4  system  of education as contained in the National Policy on Education (1998). The aims and objectives of education in Nigeria, as contained in the National Policy on Education, are among other things:

the  inculcation  of  the  right  type  of  values  and  attitudes  for  the  survival  of  the individual and the Nigerian society and the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and  contribute  to the development  of his society(Federal  Government  of Nigeria, 1998, p. 22). It is pertinent to note that the new policy cannot be realized in the present situation where music teaching is not approached with appropriate strategies that will improve learning in the Junior Secondary Schools. The pattern it takes is not different from the colonial method. The main objective for the inclusion of music in the curriculum is to help the pupils develop in

responsible adult members of the society through musical values. Enoh (2001) opined that the development and changes required in human habits through music education can only take place  with  a  planned  and  programmed  music  instruction.  With  good  teaching  method, teachers stand the chance to achieve the aforementioned objective (Gbarnaja, 1991).

The major concern of music curriculum planners and implementers  should be to  simplify subject matters to the learners in teaching-learning situations. It is not enough to plan music programmes  for schools.  One has to also consider  some of the factors that  can facilitate learning as well as enhance  the growth of the students.  Above all, it  behoves  the music educators  to  maintain  balance  within the  complete  range  of  general music  education  by evolving motivational strategies that aim at improving the teaching and learning of music in Junior Secondary Schools.

1.2      Statement of the problem

Music education has been discovered to assist human beings in obtaining admirable lifelong skills.   It is a means for an individual  to learn to express oneself creatively  through the playing  of  musical  instruments,  listening  to  music,  dancing  to  music,  and  gaining  that acceptance, recognition and respect of others in the society.

In  view  of  the  above-mentioned  facts,  the  Federal  Government  deemed  it  necessary  to incorporate music instruction into the Junior Secondary School curriculum. Nevertheless, the various methods used in teaching music have made the study of the subject uninteresting to most of the students. This includes, but not limited to the introduction of cultural and creative arts (CCA) as a single subject. In some schools in Nsukka Local Government Area, music lessons have been reduced to class singing. On the aspect of content, students are not exposed to basic musical skills that should make them self-reliant after school. The content of study are more of topics in western music which at the long run are not applied and appreciated in the real life situations of the Nigerian society.

In virtually all the Secondary Schools in the study area, inadequacy of music teachers in the system has left music instruction in an epileptic state. Very many schools in Nsukka Local Government Area do not offer music at all. The few schools that offer music do not extend it to  the  Senior  Secondary  classes  for  continuity.  In  some  of  the  schools  visited  by  this researcher,  it was observed  that there was a complete lack of  instructional materials. The focus is more on theoretical musical knowledge.

It is disheartening how much music students in Nigeria are being over-dosed with theoretical knowledge that is not well matched with workable practices. The interest to research on this topic was triggered by the poor performance of music students in music examinations,as well as an observed mass exodus of music students to other subjects in elective with music. Thus, the  problem  that  warranted  this  study  can  be  posed  in  a  question  form:What  are  the motivational strategies for effective music instruction in Junior Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government area of Enugu State?

1.3      Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study in general term is to investigate the Motivational Strategies for effective Music instruction in selected Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:

a.           Identify the strategies for improving the teaching and learning of music in  Junior

Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area.

b.        Find out if music teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government

Area are adequate in number and competent in teaching music;

c.          Find  out  which  instructional  materials  and  other  teaching  aids  that  are  used  for teaching music, and how adequately available they are;

d.        pinpoint the constraints of music instruction as part of cultural and creative art (CCA);

and

e.         find out students’ attitude towards teaching and learning situations.

1.4      Objective of the Study

This refers to the target of the researcher in this studies. He intends to achieve this through the distribution of questionnaires designed for music teachers and students. The study stands to establish:

1.   the constraints in music instruction

2.   the strength of the current strategies presently in practice in Junior Secondary Schools

3.   the short coming or the lapses of the currently practiced strategies and how it can be corrected

4.   more viable motivational strategies for the benefit of the teachers, learners and  the society

1.5      Research Questions

The following research question guided the study:

1.   What  motivational  strategy  can enhance  the  study of music  in Junior  Secondary

Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area?

2.   Are music teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area adequate in number and competent in teaching music?

3.   What  instructional  materials  are  used  for  teaching  music  and  how  adequately available are they?

4.   What are the challenges of music education under the cultural and creative arts (CCA)

programme?

5.   What are the pupils’ attitude to music in (CCA)?

1.6      Research Hypothesis

The study was guided by a single hypothesis stated in the null form and to be tested at 0.05 level of significance thus: There is no significant difference between the perceptions of music students  and  music  teachers  (qualified  and  unqualified),  on  the  relative  effectiveness  of different motivational strategies for music instruction.

1.7      Significance of the Study

The study will help the serving teachers to enhance their methods and approaches to music teaching. With an enhanced method of teaching music, learning will be more effective and interesting,  and  more  students  in  Nsukka  Local  Government  will  have  quality  music education and its appreciation.   Also, with enhanced music instruction, many more students will offer music as a course in our schools.

The relevance of any study is judged from its ability to expand the frontiers of knowledge. Consequently, the significance of this study will not only encourage the teachers in the use of appropriate  instructional  strategies  but  will  also  widen  their   perceptions  on  ways  of improving the music pedagogy.

1.8      Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was carried out in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. The schools covered by the study were those in which music was offered at the Junior Secondary School level. Only the motivational strategies for effective music instruction  in Junior Secondary Schools were investigated.

There are thirty government owned Secondary Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area at the time of this research excluding  private  owned  schools.  Out of the thirty  government owned Secondary Schools, only five of them offer music from J S. S. I-III. However, for the purpose of conducting a thorough research, the researcher randomly selected the five schools that offer music from J. S. S. I-III out of the thirty government owned Secondary Schools and three other private owned schools that also offer music from J. S. S. I-III;   giving a total of 8

Schools in Nsukka Local Government Area delimited for this research.

The basic rationale for randomly selecting these schools was hinged on schools that  offer music which was very important for this research. Out of the total number of  schools in Nsukka, eight schools were randomly selected for the purpose of this research as follows:

1.   Nsukka, High School, Nsukka

2.   Federal Government College, Lejja

3.   Kingdom College, Okpuje, Nsukka

4.   Shalom Academy Secondary School, Nsukka

5.   St. Cyprians Secondary School, Nsukka

6.   Urban Girls Secondary School, Nsukka

7.   St. Theresa’s College, Nsukka

8.   University Secondary School, Nsukka

1.9      Method of the Study

To achieve the stated objectives of this research, the researcher employed the survey method aided by the use of questionnaire as instrument for data collection. This section described the research   design,   the   area   of   study,   population,   sample   and   sampling   techniques, instrumentation  and their development,  validity,  reliability,  method of data collection  and analysis.

1.10     Definition of Terms

The following definitions are offered to clarify the concepts used in this study:

1.   Motivation: Motivation is a reason for which we act, work hard, or push forward to succeed.

2.   Strategy: This is defined as a general approach to relatively large goal. It is actually a planned course of action that one undertakes to achieve some objectives.

3.   Music Teachers: These are those teachers who studied music in institutions of higher learning and are teaching music to others.

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