Browsing by Author "Samuel, K. M."

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Adopting a pragmatic approach to the implementation of the music curriculum in colleges of education in Nigeria
(Resource Centre for Arts, Culture and Communication Development, Ibadan, 2006) Samuel, K. M.
Music, an important living art, features as a course of study more in colleges of education than any other tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Colleges of education are responsible for producing personnel who will teach at the primary and junior secondary school levels. However, there have been concerns from various quarters concerning the shortfalls of the music curriculum in these colleges especially with regard to its appropriateness within the local milieu. This study is an insider's appraisal of the music programme in these colleges, and it posits that the problem rests not so much with unsuitability of the music curriculum, but with its actual implementation. The problems associated with the implementation of the curriculum are discussed; these include inadequate staffing and funding as well as inadvertent misinterpretation of the content of the curriculum by some of the implementers. The paper identifies some practical ways whereby the state of musical arts education in the country could be improved and emphasizes the responsibilities of all stakeholders in ensuring that the music teachers of tomorrow could be better equipped to perform their expected roles.
Advancing ethnomusicological research efforts on female musicianship: a focus on Yoruba female dùndún drummers
(Department of Music, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, 2014) Samuel, K. M.
One major area where Professor Mosunmola A. Omibiyi-Obidike has made a substantial scholarly mark to African musicology is in the study of female musicians. However, more than two decades after expressing her concern about a lack of in-depth musicological studies into and documentation of the contributions of female musicians to the growth and development of African music, there has not been any significant response on the part of Nigerian musicologists to heed this call. This dearth of information has often been attributed to both a combination of the male dominated field of African Studies and the patriarchal structures of communities usually being studied in Africa. This paper, therefore, is a modest attempt to set the tone for a fresh direction as it examines efforts of female dundun drummers at promoting an egalitarian and positivist modern African society. The discourse is limited to Ara and Ayanbinrin - two contemporary urban popular female dundun practitioners based in Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria. The paper posits that apart from being entertainers and promoters of culture, the female dundun musicians, judging by the themes of their music and the overall messages of their art, are also social engineers, teachers and instructors, mobilizers as well as nation builders among others.
African folksongs as veritable resource materials for revitalizing music education in Nigerian schools
(IISTE, 2013) Samuel, K. M.
Some Yorùbá cultural values and expressions embedded in Egbeda-Egga women’s folksongs are the focus of this paper. With the use of in-depth interview and participant-observer methods, a collection, description and interpretation of some of the songs recorded during a field trip were undertaken. Analyses of the women’s repertoire reveal that immediate local environment are overlaid with folksongs which can serve as veritable resource materials useful for effective music teaching as well as tapping and honing learners’ artistic potentials to enhance and transform music performance in the classroom setting and beyond. The paper, therefore, submits that it is high time Nigeria embarked on school reforms and policies to make school music reflect the culture of the local communities.
African indigenous knowledge system as a catalyst for enriching Nigeria's music education programme
(Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education (PASMAE), WEST AFRICA SUB-REGION, 2017) Samuel, K. M.
The uniqueness of African indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and the benefits of integrating them into Africa’s music educational programme were some of the issues that occupied the front burner at the birth of the Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education (PASMAE). It represented one of the responses to the wake up call to Africa to look inward in search of truly African sensitive and African-oriented solutions to a myriad of her music educational challenges in the world that is changing with bewildering speed. This paper x-rays the contents of music programmes in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions with a view to identifying IKS elements contained in them. Using observation and a checklist of curriculum implementation of Nigeria’s leading music technology programme as methodology, the paper highlights challenges confronting implementers in realizing set objectives. Findings confirm that the abundant richness of Africa’s IKS is yet to be harnessed. The paper concludes by making specific recommendations on how various stakeholders, including the Department of Music Technology, the Polytechnic, Ibadan, can innovatively achieve the much-desired goal of standardization, fabrication, massive production and promotion of traditional musical instruments to facilitate practical teaching.
The art of female dùndún drumming in Yorubaland
(Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 2005) Samuel, K. M.
CD ROMs and multimedia projector as complimentary educational technology in teaching music in Nigerian tertiary institutions
(Association of Nigerian Musicologists, 2008) Samuel, K. M.
Church music in Nigeria: a historical trend
(Department of Philosophy and Religions, University of Abuja, 2013) Samuel, K. M.
This paper traced the evolution of church music in Nigeria from the mid nineteenth century to date. It provided evidence that pattern of change within the music terrain in and outside the church is consistent with the theory of continuity and change. The various impacts which church music have made on the society on the one hand and the secularization of church music on the other were discussed. In particular, the gradual erosion of well established church music traditions inform of introduction of popular musical genres as well as consequent commercialization of gospel music were also brought to the fore. The paper, in conclusion, suggested practical steps to be taken by both the leadership of the church as well as all stakeholders in church music ministry in lifting church music in Nigeria to the next level while stressing its dynamic nature as a living art.
Developing paradigms for solving musical arts education problems in Nigerian secondary schools: a study of the adoption of PASMAE's MAT cell initiatives in Oyo geographical zone
(Development Universal Consortia, Ikot Ekpene, 2006-06) Samuel, K. M.
The state of musical arts education in Nigerian schools is worsening despite considerable attention by numerous concerned scholars. Appraisal of conclusions from available literature shows very little empirical evidences to back up scholars’ assertions as well as lack of strategic models to critically assess level of severity of the problems confronting music education at different educational levels. Using PASMAE”sMAT cell project guidelines, this paper uses case studies of secondary schools in Oyo geographical zone to critically assess the problems associated with musical arts education in Nigerian institutions. It also offers some suggestions to tackle them and advocates for the development of organized assessment/ analytical framework (possibly an adoption or contextual adaptation of the MAT cell guidelines) as a vital step towards developing paradigms for purposeful interventions.
A discourse of contemporary issues in Nigeria church music
(Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, 2006-12) Samuel, K. M.
The ecumenical King Sunny Ade
(Institute of African studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 2016) Samuel, K. M.
The 'eye of the needle' debate: marking the boundaries of professionalism in contemporary Nigerian gospel music
(Association of Nigerian Musicologists, 2015) Samuel, K. M.
From christian brigade to commercialized popular genre: The development of gbókùs music among the Yorùbá of southwestern Nigeria
(2017-12) Samuel, K. M.; Olapade, J. A.
An outcome of European, especially Christian missionary, incursion into African societies is the emergence of new social groups and new contexts for musico-cultural performances. Social change did not only trigger a modification of existing musical forms, it also facilitated the appearance of new ones; one of which is gbókùs music among the Yorùbá of Nigeria. In spite of its popularity at social ceremonies, the genre has received little scholarly attention. Adopting the theory of diffusion of innovation, this paper traces the evolution of gbókùs music in Yorùbá society from its formative stage as Boys Brigade parade music to its transitory period as a social music for funeral processions. The music was initially characterized by performances aimed at promoting Christian evangelistic activities until its development into full maturation aided by socio-economic factors from within and outside the church setting. The paper submits that gbókùs music represents a creative continuum of a mutated musical art within the normative contemporary African cultural production framework.
From medical practice to practical musicianship: an exploration into the life and works of Dayo Oyedun
(Association of Nigerian Musicologists, 2016) Samuel, K. M.; Ashaolu, S. O.
Igbin musical tradition in Yoruba culture
(The Department of Music, Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State, Nigeria, 2013-07) Samuel, K. M.; Olapade, J. A.
The Yoruba of South-western Nigeria like many African societies since the pre-colonial era have paid great attention to their cultural practices including traditional worship of deities such as sango, osun, esu, ogun, obatala and so forth. In the Yoruba worldview, religious worship remains a major avenue of communing and renewing relationship with the spirit world in order to maintain cosmological equilibrium. Activities connected with act of worship often involve the use of music and musical instruments. While much is known about numerous Yoruba traditional drums such as the dundun, bata, bembe, gbedu and so forth, little is known about igbin musical performances in the society. This paper, therefore, examines igbin orisa musical tradition and its place in Yoruba society. The igbin ensemble consists of three drums namely iyaalu, omele-ako and omele-abo. Besides the usual musical function, the ensemble typifies the family as the central unit upon which the Yoruba society is anchored. Effects of acculturation resulting in a shift from traditional worship to other religions especially Christianity and Islam as well as erosion of societal values were also identified. Drawing examples from the organisation and performance practices of Igbin music in Yoruba culture, the paper argues that African musicology could make more meaningful contributions including knowledge preservation and promotion of African cultural heritage beyond mere documentation which had hitherto characterised the discipline.
Insidious eroticism in musical performances of Saint Janet
(2019) Samuel, K. M.; Adejube, S. A.
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.
Instrumental technology of dùndún drum of the Yoruba
(The Society of Nigerian Artists, Oyo State Chapter, 2009) Samuel, K. M.
This paper is a documentation of the systematic process of constructing dundun - the most common drum in Yorubaland. Using interview and participant-' observer methods, a collection of data through the aid of audio tape recorder and digital/still camera was embarked upon during a fieldwork carried out in Ilora, Oyo state. After examining the numerous stages in the design and construction of the dundun, the paper went on to describe its playing position. It also stressed the cruciality of providing incontrovertible evidences to challenge the continuous reliance on Western European concepts in the teaching of courses on instrumental technology at the expense of authentic indigenous knowledge systems found in African continent. Finally, the paper posited that the time is ripe for African musicologists to engage in meaningful researches into various aspects of African traditional musical instruments including their technology with a view to documenting, preserving and promoting the rich and invaluable indigenous knowledge systems of Africa.
The mask and the message: musical figuring of Lagbaja's artful diplomacy
(Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 2015-05) Samuel, K. M.
The conceptual adoption of a hidden personality by Lagbaja, Nigeria's famous masked popular music artiste, to depict the facelessness of the common man represents artful diplomacy within African cultural milieu. Lagbaja relies on various resource materials including Yoruba folklore, oriki (descriptive poetry), owe (proverbs), afojuinuwo (imagination) and ohun to nlo (current affairs) in his satirical compositions. Through these elements, the artiste succeeds in making graphical representations of figures to facilitate transformative visualisation of the various political and socio-economic occurrences in Nigeria without attracting any negative consequences on his person. This paper adopts Louise Meintjes' concept of music figure to analyse how Lagbaja deploys definitive narratives in negotiating his crusade for an egalitarian society. Specific attention is drawn to the nuance with which the artiste critiques the double burden state of Nigeria's polity as represented by her leaders' repressive actions on one hand, and corollary inactions of and consequences on the led on the other. The paper posits that the figuring of the dynamics of events that shape the day-to-day ordinary life of Nigerians facilitates its proper contextualisation in the reading and interpretation of Lagbaja's songs and drum texts.
Musical figuring of postcolonial urban segmentarity in Wasiu Ayinde's fuji works
(AJAH PUBLICATIONS, Ghana, 2016) Samuel, K. M.
In this paper, I gleaned from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s concept of segmentarity to examine the how postcolonial urban forms of social segregation and marginalization are figured in selected musical works of WasiuAyinde - a prominent fujimusician.The study adopted semi ethnographic design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two tracks from different albums by Wasiu Ayinde, namely, ‘Kl’on the album Fact and ‘Action Congress’on the album Promising, where the artiste portrays the challenge of urban social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, epileptic power supply and so forth which are largely stratified along class distinction. In the work - Fact – Ayinde represents his criticism of the type of maladministration that characterized President Obasanjo's civilian regime between 1999 and 2007, particularly the ruler's failure in redressing inequality and the widening segregations between different classes of people. I argue that although the musician shows a strong desire to eliminate this postcolonial urban segmentarity and marginality, he, nevertheless, also performatively participates in maintaining and reproducing it. This is based on the musician's ambiguous responses to similar conditions, especially when viewed against his eulogy of, and collaboration with the then major opposition political party, Action Congress, widely criticized for its ineptitude in political governance.
‘Orin Ori-Oke’: A thematic examination of songs used in Ikoyi prayer mountains, Osun State, Nigeria
(Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group, 2018) Samuel, K. M.; Ajose, T. S.
Prayer Mountaineering is a dominant religious activity practised by Christians in Africa; it represents a culture of setting apart specific spaces such as groves, thick forests, hilly places and mountains, river banks and so forth by African Indigenous Churches (AICs) for spiritual exercises. Prayer Mountains were peculiar places where founders of many AICs encountered divine interactions and over time have become places where a myriad of religious activities, including observance of prescribed period of seclusions, offering of special prayers and related activities take place. There is a proliferation of Prayer Mountains in Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states. While religious, social and economic activities of Prayer Mountains have received scholarly investigation, no known study has examined their musical activities. This study, therefore, investigates the musico-cultural practices taking place in Ikoyi Prayer Mountains, Osun State, Nigeria, using ethnographic research approach. It also identified thematic orientations and attendant dynamics embedded in the song texts. Songs were musically represented using Sibelius 7.5 music notation software and data subjected to content analysis
Orin ori-oke': a thematic examination of songs used in Ikoyi prayer mountains, Osun State, Nigeria
(Langaa Research & Publishing, Cameroon, 2018) Samuel, K. M.; Ajose, T. S.
Prayer Mountaineering is a dominant religious activity practised by Christians in Africa; it represents a culture of setting apart specific spaces such as groves, thick forests, hilly places and mountains, river hanks and so forth by African Indigenous Churches (AICs) for spiritual exercises. Prayer Mountains were peculiar places where founders of many AICs encountered divine interactions and over time have become places where a myriad of religious activities, including observance of prescribed period of seclusions, offering of special prayers and related activities take place. There is a proliferation of Prayer Mountains in Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states. While religious, social and economic activities of Prayer Mountains have received scholarly investigation, no known study has examined their musical activities. This study, therefore, investigates the musico-cultural practices taking place in Ikoyi Prayer Mountains, Osun State, Nigeria, using ethnographic research approach. It also identified thematic orientations and attendant dynamics embedded in the song texts. Songs were musically represented using Sibelius 7.5 music notation software and data subjected to content analysis.