Challenges of Teaching Traditional Music in Ghanaian Schools: Study of Three Selected Private Schools in Kasoa

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this work is investigating the challenges of teaching traditional music in Ghanaian schools. It focused on the interest of students in traditional music, the attitude of teachers in the teaching of traditional music, and looked at the content and methodology, and then the materials and musical instruments used to teach traditional music. The study used the qualitative research paradigm. The research method used for the research is the case study. The study involved three selected private schools in Kasoa namely: Young Executive School, Little Rock Academy and Father’s Legacy International School. The study population was all the private schools in Kasoa. The accessible population involved fifty students and three teachers of these three selected private schools. The instruments used were interview and observation. The research revealed the following challenges: traditional music is not taught very often in these private schools; the attitude of the students to traditional music was negative; there were few inadequate traditional musical resources found in these schools; and there were absence of instructional materials-books and music manuscripts in these schools. It was recommended that adequate traditional musical resources be provided in these schools; there should be provision of instructional materials; traditional music should be taught very often and every effort should be made by the heads and teachers of these schools in order to win students’ interest to traditional music.