Federal government has been called upon to encourage and pay more attention to teaching music in schools to boost the country’s creative arts industry.
Organisers and participants at the annual classical music performance night in Abuja, tagged Symphony and Bcanto, to celebrate this year’s classical music month, said Nigerian and African music plays a big part in our culture and customs.
The programme organiser, Mrs Nana Gbolahan, said raising awareness of classical music can start at the grassroots, and according to her, this can only happen if it is introduced into the school curriculum.
According to her, the government is responsible for ensuring the acceptance of classical music in the country and abroad.
Mrs Gbolahan said, “I just believe that a lot of awareness needs to happen because classical music is known in certain circles that are termed elite. But we want to take classical music everywhere, even to the grassroots, and the government can do this by helping to introduce it in schools.
“The government can assist by helping to promote music in schools. Currently, the school curriculum does not have music.
“I believe music should have its own syllabus separately because we use it as Nigerians.
“We can introduce music into our schools and classical music with our indigenous music; we will form something new, just like we have Afrobeat now. You know, Nigerians created that, so in the same way we can’t live it and say this is an “oyinbo” music, we make it so that Nigerians, other African cultures are intertwined with classical music. Maybe we form a new classical music genre, not what is conventionally known.”
Also, Wing Commander Ayodeji Ayanbode, Director of Music in the Nigerian Air Force, who led the Air Force band to the event, described it as entertaining and soul-inspiring.
He also called on the government to introduce classical music in schools to attract interested students.
He said, “Well, I will always say this: There’s a need to catch them young, and by doing so, the government should encourage the teaching of music or boost the curriculum of teaching at our secondary and primary school levels as a way of improving music education in Nigeria.
“If we do this, we will make classical music more prominent in the country, leading to the discovery of talents and boosting the creative industry.
“This event is entertaining and soul-inspiring. This kind of music, we call therapy in music production, can lift the soul and make you feel okay, bring you out of worries and concerns, and make you feel relaxed and well entertained.” The event witnessed lots of classical music in both local and international languages.
