RP-Department of Music and Dance

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Expressing Power and Status through Aesthetics in Mijikenda Society
(Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1998-06) Orchardson-Mazrui, E.
This article pinpoints the dynamic interaction of aesthetics, power and status in 'traditional' society. The article adopts the functionalist approach as being the most appropriate in understanding the multi-functionality of aesthetics as it pertains to elders of privilege. The article postulates that certain aesthetic elements articulated and legitimized the political, economic and ritual power of privileged elders, and that they visually, contextually and perceptually marked out elders vested with authority from those individuals with no authority in the society. It argues that it was in the interest of privileged elders to appropriate certain aesthetic elements and imbue them with ritual and symbolic value in order to manipulate them to their advantage within the Council of Elders system which, though it is said to have been relatively egalitarian in its mode of operation, nonetheless was ruled by a small elite group.
A Conceptual Framework for Research in Music and Music Education Within a Cultural Context
(University of Ilinois Press, 2000) Akuno, E. A.
Music education in Kenya has been, and continues to be conducted along Western theories which fall short of defining music as experienced within traditional African cultures (New, ¡980; Omondi, 1980; Kwami, 1989; Akuno, 1997; Kidula, 1998). Research in music, an attempt to find reality and meaning in it, involves discovering its components, how they make a cohesive and comprehensible whole, and how the produced item functions in the economy of the culture thai produces and consumes it. Since music must be understood from the participants 'point of view, a true understanding involves analysis within the context in which it is created and practised. The created music is influenced by the artist's understanding of the subject through experience and knowledge gained in that genre. Such experience, gained from casual, informal contacts or deliberate, organised instruction, is drawn upon for musical creativity as manifested in performance, response to musical stimuli as well as composition. This paper examines this process to come up with a conceptual framework for the understanding of music within a cultural context.
Mila: exploring music education instructional promise of selected Kenyan folk songs
(Kenyatta University, 2007) Njoora, T.K.
Teaching Music with a Multicultural Approach has received significant scholarly attention as contemporary society seeks increased diversity avenues. Invariably multicultural instructional material is drawn from folksongs and material from world communities, which traditionally have received periphery instructional attention. This article examines the instructional opportunity presented in the rich cultural heritage of Kenyan folk songs in response to current music education trends. Choksy (1999) argues that one of the basic ingredients of Kodaly's (a Hungarian music educator, composer, 1882 -1967) method advocates for singing as the basis for music instruction, specifically the use of folk and art music. That since folk songs build on native speaking ability and therefore appropriate for early instruction. As the dawn of twenty-first century begins, the effects of global economy, world politics, technological advances, supersonic travel, media developments have turned the world into a seemingly global village. Nevertheless, the place and role of traditional music of various people of the world remain crucial to help us understand our roots and social identity. These are important links not onlyfor music education but also inforging the way for future social cohesion and solidarity
Synchronising pedagogy and musical experiences in early childhood: addressing challenges in preschool music education in Kenya
(Taylor & Francis, 2009-08) Andang'o, Elizabeth J. A.
This paper examines pedagogy in early childhood music education and the resultant learning experiences in music for children in Kenyan preschools. Two important principles proposed for the synchronisation of teaching and learning in early childhood music education are cultural relevance and developmental appropriateness. These terms are operationalised to suit the Kenyan context. The study described here examined pedagogical practices and children’s musical activities from both cultural and psychological perspectives, based on the rationale that music education should be both culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate. Results suggested that little planning was carried out prior to musical activities, and that the activities did not always benefit all the children. The results of this study may be applicable to early childhood music education in a significant number of Kenyan preschools, since the majority of preschool teachers are trained using the same curriculum countrywide, hence their approach to music education is bound to have many commonalities.
Music and meaning: Some reflections through personal compositions
(Taylor & Francis, 2010-08) Njoora, T. K.
On 31 May 2007, with the cooperation of musicians from Kenyatta University1 and Goethe-Institute; (German cultural centre) in Nairobi, I had the privileged opportunity to share several premiere compositions with the audience in Nairobi as part of community reach out with ‘art music’. Regarding music composition, Barret (2003) argues that composition assists in expressive meaning-making for both the composer and the audience. But then (he argues) meaning is ‘culturally mediated…and is most effectively described as a dialogue between…the musician and the composer, the emerging musical work, the culture that produced the composer, and the emerging work’. For me personally, the compositions shared during the concert served several purposes – (a) sharing my creative world with the audience; (b) responding to music enthusiasts interests and academic requirements; (c) adding cultural capital to Kenyan art music; and (d) exploring some fundamental issues in meaning-making through music compositions. As Barret (2003) observes; Specific practices and connections, traditions from which they emerge become the cultural benchmarks against which other constructions and ways of communicating meaning are judged – and are often found deficient. In this paper I share some reflections of my creative exhibitions, my thoughts on meaningmaking and its unavoidable cultural underpinnings. At the same time, I interrogate some thoughts on the area of ‘creativity’, which is often considered abstract. Among the ideas discussed are the five discreet stages of ‘creativity’ as advanced by Wallas (1926) model of the process namely; (a) Preparation; (b) Incubation; (c) Intimation; (d) Illumination and (e) Verification. Ultimately, I hope that sharing this information will invigorate academic dialogue to contribute towards defining of current generation of ‘Art Music’ compositions in Kenya and ultimately for the benefit of the region (East Africa).
Innovation: A measure for the control of cultural changes in the survival for the Luo thum traditions
(Academic Journals, 2011) Orawo, C.N.
Thum is amorphous because it has broadened its corpus to include not only the Luo lyre, but also the fiddle, accordion and guitar musics unlike what was before the coming of Europeans. The introduction of the acquired instruments became a threat to the well - being of thum . To counteract the threat, thum players adopted the trappings of the acquired instruments, reduced the size, painted the resonator, a nd tuned it to an octave higher than before. Further changes included the introduction of the toe - ring, ankle - bells, transfer of the sound hole from the membrane to the back of the resonator, change of costumes and the increased size of dance teams. The Eu ropean way of life offered a challenge to those members of society who refused to identify themselves with their traditional cultures. The Catholics were moderate than the Protestants and most of the young people attending Protestant schools had no respect for their traditional cultures. In areas where European influence was minimal, young people played and attended parties of thum performance. The structure and meanings of the genres in the context of Luo society and culture reveal the great influence of t he Luo lyre on modern genres. However, the lyre has changed because of the innovation of individuals. Although the similarities of styles may be due to the influence of a common cultural tradition and music conventions, the peculiarities are partly determi ned by different instruments, the decisive factor in the distinctive style of the genres being the composers’ own personality and individual creativity
Tero Buru: The Luo Musical Extravaganza and a Rite in a Rite
(Academic Journals, 2011-05-14) Orawo, Charles Nyakiti
Tero Buru was one of the Luo rites of passage performed at the funerals of adult members of the community. As a funeral rite, it was performed as the last rite before the body of the deceased is washed and taken to the grave for burial. It was similar to the requiem, the contemporary Church Service performed by Priests at funerals of the deceased Christian believers in the Luo territory. In Tero Buru the eldest son of the deceased played a leading role. As earlier observed, there were two types of Tero Buru; the first type being performed on the burial day and the second type performed later, after the burial. Irrespective of the type preferred, there had to be a mini Tero Buru to enable the buried to take place. Tero Buru was a rite in a rite. The main rite, the funeral ceremonies itself could not take place unless there was death in the community. If the dead was an adult member of the community, then, Tero Buru rite had also to be performed as per the custom. Since death begot funeral ceremonies, death of adult members of the Luo community also begot Tero Buru. In short, Tero Buru was a rite in a rite. Tero Buru was a rite in which music played a very significant role. It was nothing but song and dance. The participants of Tero Buru literally sang, recited, played sound producing resources and danced. The sounds produced to which they pegged their movements were as varied as the groups involved in the Tero Buru activities. Because of the diversity experienced, performances at Tero Buru qualified not to be considered as a music performance but rather, an extravaganza, a musical extravaganza. This was because no one group could claim the monopoly or a leading role. All the participants claimed to play equal roles. They were all equal partners in the extravaganza. All were joined in the quest of fighting death; an enemy that had caused havoc in the community.
Musical Contexts as Bridge - builders in Early Childhood Music Education in Kenya
(Min - Ad : Israel Studies in Musicology Online, 2012) Andang'o, Elizabeth J. A.
The article presents information on the integration of music education in early childhood education in Kenya. It is stated that considerable progress has been made in the nationalization of early childhood music education; and children are taught indigenous Kenyan music in education, along with music from Western cultures. The above progress has been made despite several challenges, such as lack of music training among teachers; and the coexistence of multicultural communities.
Healing Dances: A Case Study of the Luo Juogi and the Dawida Mwazindika Dances
(International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 2 [Special Issue – January 2012], 2012-01) Orawo, C. N.
During miend juogi and mwazindika dance ceremonies, the dancers dramatize the activities of the healing process. To perform the act of cleansing the possessed, and the cleanser move to the possessed, and pours water on the head. During such activities, the dance becomes more provoking and involving. The dance climax is known as yiengo juogi, for juogi and benzi for mwazindika. This is one of awe, wonder and admiration at the techniques of the drummers, especially the ones who play master drums (min bul for juogi and the simba mbaa for mwazindika). The simba mbaa player steals the show, especially when hu zira ngoma or kushevera ngoma. The idea behind pouring water on the heads of the possessed is to assist them get rid of the evil spirits. The significance of the spirits is medical as it is believed that these spirits caused diseases whose cure lay in the dealing with them. It could be said that it was the diseases which were spiritualized, in the same way the illnesses were diagnosed in terms of the anger of the ancestral spirits, or the curse of the living parents. If it was stomach ache, headache, miscarriage and other diseases that are spiritualized, the techniques of treatment deal not only with the physical aspects; the patient was given herbs to drink or rub on the affected part, but at the same time receives psychological treatment as well. It is important to note that the complaints that deal with spirit possessions in the two communities are cases anxiety. The diseases attributed to ancestral spirits result from guilt as a dominant factor. This is because the ancestors are angry because they have been neglected, because somebody among the living has not done his/her duty.
Indigenous Kenyan Music and Social Wellbeing: the Contribution of Arts Education towards a Healthy Society
(2013) Andango, E.
The discourse surrounding the term wellbeing is broad and wide since it encompasses a range of conditions by which a person's healthy state of being may be defined. These conditions include: inter alia, health, safety, welfare, comfort and happiness. In the current scholarship, it is becoming increasingly clear that a definition of wellbeing that focuses entirely on a clinical view of illness and health is inadequate because such definition fails to address a multiplicity of challenges that human beings confront on a daily basis. For instance, activities such as singing that invoke human emotions remain largely unaccounted for in such simplistic definition of wellbeing. Thus, this paper interrogates the relationship between music and social wellbeing, with a particular focus on indigenous Kenyan music. The thesis of the entire discourse is that indigenous Kenyan music, by virtue of its communal nature, plays an integral role in social wellbeing and ultimately, the health of those who engage in it. Using the biopsychosocial model as its conceptual framework, the paper explores how indigenous Kenyan music can be utilized in promoting the social wellbeing of individuals in the society.
Creativity and Interdisciplinary Linkages: the Visual and Performing Arts and Other Disciplines
(2013) Digolo, B.A.
Creativity has been linked to various contexts and meanings in the cultural, political, economic, religious, and educational milieu. Though most of the early writers attributed the concept of creativity to the arts such as literature, contemporary views of the term creativity literally cuts across all disciplines. A variety of definitions that have been given to the term may be summarized as "the ability to generate innovative ideas and to manifest such ideas from thought into a concrete reality.” The foregoing definition indicates the importance of creativity as an essential aspect of innovation and invention and hence, underscores the importance of creativity, not only in the arts like literature but also in many other professions such as teaching, engineering, medicine, agriculture, law, architecture, sports and games, economics, technology, political science among others areas. This forms the basis of this paper as we seek to elucidate on the interdisciplinary links between the visual and performing arts with other disciplines.
Traditional Music Education and Worship
(2013) Orawo, C.N.
More than Just Good Feelings: Advocacy for Music among Mainstream Subjects
(Taylor & Francis, 2015) Njoora, T. K.
In many world cultures music plays a central role in life’s activities (from birth to death) of the communities and in some instances it is said to be inseparable from daily activities. In Kenya these attributes of music hold true not just for rural communities (where traditional music dominates) but in urban communities as well. In modern society, if one considers the place and role of music in daily life activities, it becomes increasingly clear that music experience is more than just good feelings, socially and emotionally; rather it is fundamentally meaningful in our daily lives whether it is for soothing children to sleep, maintaining work tempo, providing sound structure for television commercials, creating intensity and meaning in movies, playing supporting role(s) in funerals, singing, or simply for its aesthetic purposes. I would argue that for a commodity such as music, which is so meaningful to us whether old or young, a good deal of investment in time is required to ensure that it (music) remains part of our social structure, such as training of instructors, learning and practising music, utilising and formalising its use in formal learning. These ideals ought to occupy important national and regional consideration and attention.
Popular Music and Identity Formation among Kenyan Youth
(Taylor \& Francis, 2016) Wanjala, Henry; Kebaya, Charles
The role of music in the formation and shaping of identity cannot be gainsaid since music represents an important cultural sphere where identities are affirmed, challenged, torn apart and reconstructed. Many young people use music and musicians that they admire to distinguish themselves from their peers. Thus, the choice of music among the youth often serves as an important marker of the character and nature of identity under construction. Music is meant to be fun, to brighten life, but the development and expression of musical taste can also be a serious statement about one’s identity. Pop music as a genre has had the greatest appeal and impact to the majority of the youth in Kenya. The influence of the medium and its artists on overall identity development is pervasive, complex, and far-reaching in its cultural significance. Grounded in both a historical analysis and a theoretical framework of identity, we interrogate how contemporary pop music shapes and influences identities among Kenyan youth. Using purposively selected contemporary popular music in Kenya, the article provides a textual exegesis of how music uses resources of history, language, and culture in the construction and performance of certain identities. To this end, the study analyses the strategic position of identity and the possibility of connecting it with conceptions of time, discourse, and history. This study provides new insights into how music – as a medium in which identities are constructed, performed, and contested – can be utilised meaningfully in shaping worldviews among Kenyan youth.
The Nzaiko of the Akamba: Music and Gender Identity Construction in the Community
(International Journal of Innovative Research and Knowledge, 2018-02) Katuli, John Kilyungu; Orawo, Charles Nyakiti
One is born male or female (biological gender) but is exposed to social dictates to perform the roles expected of him or her in that society (Kameli, 2011). Gender identity is ones private sense of being a man or a woman, and consists primarily of the acceptance of membership in a particular group of people: male or female. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a social identity in relation to other members of society. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to them. One's gender identity is also influenced through observing and imitating gender-linked behaviors, and then being rewarded or punished for behaving that way. Social factors which may influence gender identity include gender messages conveyed by family, mass media, and other institutions. Music is one of the oldest forms of human communication. It is a natural part of human life; a universal found in all cultures at all times. As a means of communication it serves many functions. It is used as a means of enculturation and hence plays a central role in the process of personal, cultural and gender identity formation. (Blacking,1973 and Shuker, 2001). Among the Akamba of Kenya music is one of the tool used in the traditional education to prepare the youth for special roles according to their gender. This paper therefore looks into the learning and practice of music in the Akamba traditional education and how it worked in the construction of gender identities and roles.
The Significance of Stylistic Evolution of Kamabeka on the Bukusu Culture from 1945 to 2015
(International Journal of Science Arts and Commerce, 2018-02) Simiyu, Raphael Nashon; Orawo, Charles Nyakiti
Technological, economic, social, religious, political and educational agencies have strongly impacted on the Babukusu lives and their music in particular. Their performances of kamabeka have shifted in time, venue and performance styles. Contrary to being performed during traditional marriages, circumcision ceremonies, funerals and beer parties, kamabeka is performed in bars, restaurants and nightclubs. This has led to the development of kamabeka in line with the demands of its consumers. New musical instruments have been introduced in the litungu ensemble, hence new styles of its performance. Kamabeka music compositions have been modernized to incorporate new scenarios and topics. The style of performing kamabeka is ever evolving compromising its original structure hence its function. It casts doubt as to whether the new styles of kamabeka can still convey values, beliefs and customs to the Babukusu. Therefore, the study examined the significance of stylistic evolution of kamabeka to the Bukusu culture in the use of texts for messages, lyrics for word formation and the structural forms of kamabeka from 1945 to 2015. The study took place within and outside the Bukusu territory where litungu musicians could be found. The study used a qualitative research methodology. The study attended to performances to collect data by observation and post-performance oral interviews. Primary sources included oral interviews from Kamabeka artists, dancers and listeners. Correctly designed structured questions were used to ensure validity of qualitative data obtained. In addition, data obtained was compared with that collected by the research assistant to avoid personal bias. For reliability, structured interview schedule was evaluated through Test-Retest method to determine the desired coefficient of 0.7 and above at the pilot stage. Secondary sources included newspapers, journals, dissertations and books related to the study. The study was guided by Social Re-constructionism theory by Guba & Lincolin (1989). The study used a descriptive data analysis method. An assessment of the study against data analysis was done. Conclusions were drawn and recommendation made.
Tools for Assessment and Evaluation of Vocal Music among Selected Universities in Kenya
(African Musicology Online, 2019) Ogari, Everline Kwamboka; Digolo, Beatrice A; Wambugu, Duncan M.
Vocal music performance occupies a dominant position in Kenya’s musical landscape yet academic study has raised numerous debates concerning its assessment and evaluation. It has been realized that performance in the arts presents an intricate problem and an absence of certain theoretical frameworks that stimulate vocal music discourses. Indeed in all levels of vocal music performance there is a need for instructors to provide a thorough documentation of student performance. Guided by Constructive Alignment Model (Biggs, 2003), this paper sought to analyse the tools and techniques used in assessing students’ feedback in vocal music performance by selected universities in Kenya. Twelve (12) universities that offer music were purposively sampled out of which random sampling technique was used to select six (6) universities. Students of music were selected using stratified sampling to acquire gender representation before simple random sampling technique was used to acquire the actual sample size n=30% of the population. This paper attempts to enlighten and improve the understanding of the tools used in assessment and evaluation of vocal music in Kenyan universities. Data was collected using opinionnaires for individual student responses, questionnaires for voice instructors and heads of the departments, focus group discussion for students, observation schedule by the authors and content analysis then presented in bar charts and frequency tables. Content analysed data was presented thematically. The study findings established that evaluation tools such as goal setting forms, templates for practice guidelines, lesson journals were inadequate. Therefore, the authors conclude that tools for assessment and evaluation of vocal music are of great significance to the growth of students’ vocals
Developing Vocal Music Assessment Schedule: An Analysis in Synchrony to the Current Systems in Kenyan Universities
(African Musicology Online, 2019) Ogari, Everline Kwamboka; Digolo, Beatrice A.; Wambugu, Duncan M.
This paper sought to address the process through which universities in Kenya assess vocal music performance. The analysis was drawn against a checklist of 19 items that sought to develop a schedule that synchronizes with other schedules to help evaluate vocal music performance objectively. Purposive sampling was used to consider 12universities offering music where 6 universities were randomly selected for participation in the study. Students of music were selected using stratified random sampling to acquire gender representation before simple random sampling technique was used to acquire the actual sample size n=30%. The study was guided by Constructive Alignment model(Biggs, 2003)as the theoretical underpinning. Data was collected using opinionnaires, questionnaires, focus group discussion, and observation schedule. Analyzed data was then presented in summarized tables and themes for content analysis. The students’ vocal evaluation and assessment schedules varied in the sampled universities as well asthe capacity of music instructors to assess rhythmic accuracy, tempo, sight singing, tone, intonation, melodic accuracy, vocal technique, musicianship and synthesis analysis, historical and cultural context which formed the key elements of evaluation in the universities. The study concludes vocal music scores and evaluation schedules should be analyzed based on the developed schedule
The Influence of Popular Music on Sexual Violence in Nigeria
(JCCM, 2022) Ibitoye, Oluwatosin John
In recent times, cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) such as rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment have risen exponentially in Nigeria and these call for urgent attention of stakeholders and sundry. On this backdrop, this study accesses the contribution, influence and impacts of music to this menace with the view of proposing a panacea to this moral decadence and inhumane culture which has crept into our social construct. Our arguments are discussed within the framework of Fredrickson and Robert’s Objectification theory (1997); a framework for understanding, researching, and intervening to improve women’s lives in a sociocultural context that sexually objectifies the female body and equates a woman’s worth with her body’s appearance and sexual functions. Through a critical review and analysis of the texts of selected songs from six (6) popular Nigerian musicians, our findings reveal the objectification of the women gender as a tool for sexual gratification, cheap marketing strategy, and proliferation of obscenity and immoral conducts in the society. Having been proven that the society is a product of its music, popular musicians therefore make the female gender vulnerable and susceptible to the rising sexual violence scourge in our society. For this reason, this study accentuates the need for appropriate government regulatory bodies to step up efforts in screening and censoring every music (audio and audiovisual) that goes into the media, with the aim of controlling and monitoring the distribution, exhibition and marketing of music especially that which promotes sexual content and the stereotype of a gender as sex tool.
Transcultural Identity of Twerking: A Cultural Evolution Study of Women’s Bodily Practices of the Slavic and East African Communities
(Tylor and Francis, 2024-01) Łukaszewicz, Aleksandra; Gitonga, Priscilla; Shylinhouski, Kiryl
Human culture is built upon nature to help humans adapt to their environment – first natural, but later natural-cultural. Cultural practices are aimed at aiding survival in changing environments, and in different settings they meet different environmental pressures, causing later changes in trajectories. According to cultural evolutionism, behaviours, ideas and artefacts are subject to inheritance, competition, accumulation of modifications, adaptation, geographical distribution, convergence and changes of function – these are mechanisms present also in biological evolution. In the following paper, we examine women’s dance and physical exercise practices, which contain similar postures performed in comparable circumstances, as found in initiation ritual dances in chosen East African communities and in Slavic gymnastics for women in the Belarusian tradition. In times of globalization and the mixing of cultures, the position on knees and elbows is recontextualized in a visually attractive form of contemporary dances like Kangamoko and Baikoko, or more widely different variants of ‘twerking’ and reconstructed physical exercises. Approaching ‘twerking’ positions, especially on knees and elbows as a cross-genre performance, we find common roots in the communal support for women’s good wife and mother status teachings in various cultures, showing the importance of women’s circles, women’s health and well-being for the community.

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