IMPROVING MUSICAL ARTS EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS THROUGH TEACHERS’ COMPETENCY

Abstract

The importance of music education in Nigerian schools for the training and upbringing of a Nigerian child from the elementary stages (lower cadres) up to the highest level of education is essential to societal educational advancement. The statemen t of the problem of this study shows that many teachers especially those in primary and secondary education levels are not adequately trained and therefore needs further training. While the method employed for data collection is through literature review o f relevant works from journals, books, online sources etc. In this regard, it becomes imperatives to retrain and prepare the teachers or educational facilitators who will be able to interpret the curriculum through competencies in order to facilitate and i mprove upon their teaching methodologies (such as using child centered approach, demonstration method, skills acquisition through laboratory experiments etc.) for the attainment of the required educational objectives. This article is focused on improving m usical arts education in Nigerian Schools through teachers’ competency. The highlights of this paper include the roles of a teacher in classroom management, the problems militating against teachers’ effectiveness in curriculum interpretation and classroom management, required steps toward improving on teachers’ competencies in music arts education etc. Recommendations were made involving the input of the teachers, school authorities, the government, the nongovernmental organization (NGO), etc. Through their collective responsibilities and collaborations, the achievement of improving on teacher’s competencies in both indoor and outdoor musical activities that will facilitate acquisition of skills by the pupils, students or the trainees in the 21 st Century will be made possible.