Composing in the African Philosophy

Music educators in Uganda debate whether learners should be taught composition, through composition, or about composition. They also question whether the focus of music composition should be on the process or the product. With multiple systems in play, creating a unified composition pedagogy that accounts for different perspectives is complex.

On paper, learners are exposed to three approaches to music composition training in the formal school system. Formally trained teachers use the teacher-centered or skill- based approaches wherein learners study Western classical music theory and staff notation. With this approach, the methods, theory, and practices are mostly unrelated to learners and their cultural orientation. Euba (1989) points out that an intimate practice of the traditional music is key to the discovery of new creative and performance techniques based on African models. Teachers that emphasize learning about composition through theory rather than teaching music composition in the more practical sense focus on “about” composition in examination-packed and non-interactive sessions.

They also constantly compromise the expected learning outcomes of composition study. While many music teachers consider the learner-centered approach most successful as a method of teaching music composition, others have a passive attitude and feel that there is no one “right” or “wrong” method for achieving the desired outcomes. They argue that combining the learner-centered and skills-based approaches promotes effective teaching and learning of music creativity.

Music in Uganda’s Geographic Regions.The type of music learners are exposed to in non-formal and informal environments is purely traditional indigenous folk music taught orally. This music is divided into four subgenres matching the four main regions of the country. The central and eastern, the south western, the northern, and the eastern region. The central and eastern region of the country is the largest. Music from this region is very melodic and very rhythmic. It is based on an equidistant pentatonic scale with a strong simple compound meter. Songs and dances are accompanied using drums, xylophones, rattles, flutes, and tube fiddles. Western Uganda breeds Nilotic music which encompasses duple meter with two units of length and tonal characteristics. It is mainly accompanied by leg rattles, flutes, and hand-drums.

The southwestern region offers delicate and slow music accompanied by pots hit with banana fibers, rattles, flutes, and drums. The northern region mainly practices group instrumental music accompanied by singing. The males play the agwara, an indigenous horn, blown sideways, and the females clap while providing subtle vocal accompaniments. Learners are exposed to all the above subgenres. Music composed in this process is integrated with dance, drama, costume, and singing. Practices are rooted in the indigenous African concept and philosophy of music as “sonic dance” and “dance as visual music,” partnered with indigenous traditional costume, and not written down.

Direct experiences of music composition are built on a foundation of listening, observation, and imitation. The informal oral environment allows learners to experience the possibilities and limitations of sound production including body percussion and the range and quality of their voices before they begin to use instruments. Learners shake seeds, splash water, and hit sticks, expanding their scope of creativity in the “indigenous music creativity class” before they experiment putting these sounds and practices together to compose songs. As they explore the indigenous processes, learners gain an understanding of the expectations of society while they become part of the musical culture in which they live.

With experience, learners come to understand the cultural constraints that shape music-making and learn to manipulate various sounds in more mature and organized ways. Through work with their peers, parents, and the wider community, they develop the skills necessary to refine music compositions with regard to rhythmic structures, melodic structures, and music form. For, as Flolu (1998) notes, “the child’s ability to learn musicmaking and composing relies largely on the degree of exposure the child has to music” (108).

Instrumental sessions have principals that govern the induction of new learners into the composition and performance ensembles. New learners are normally allocated the easiest instrumental parts, and through listening and observation they learn to play the underlying thematic and melodic layers that are the reference for the experienced performers to exercise their creativity. Vocal music experiences find root in the tonality of Ugandan languages where rhythm and melody grow out of the accents and tones of speech. Learners experience the processes of going from speech to song, reciting together, and then discovering rhythm and melody through tones and accents of speech is most common.

Everyone in the community understands that the oral tradition is intertwined with other spheres of life, and they adhere to the concept of space and sharing that are crucial attributes of musical creativity. Space and sharing are inculcated musically through encouraging learners to create melodic and rhythmic structures and providing the space for a second line to be added later. This shared experience ensures that the rhythmic and melodic structures of the composition are built together by many people rather than just one person.

The experience of focused listening to the contributions of others during ensemble performance helps learners develop good listening skills. In spending time establishing a sense of inter-dependence, learners develop a greater understanding of their traditional norms and cultural beliefs. These processes and communal actions enable learners to develop a sense of self-discovery as the creative abilities imperative for comprehensive oral performance and composition blossom.

The community-building aspect of the indigenous oral tradition helps learners balance the intense individualism reflected in Western music as represented by the idea of great composers, solo performances, and the competition and trauma of music examinations. While Western music genres portray one set of ideas about how humans treat other humans, entertainment, money, and fame, the traditional indigenous music compositions offer a different view emphasizing how to address societal issues in ways that benefit humanity and the environment. Through indigenous practices, learners sense the value of community. They learn that every member of the community is required to participate in events that anchor the spheres of life including harvest and farming, coronation ceremonies, funerals, circumcisions, marriages, births, and initiation ceremonies. Further, they learn that music should reflect the traditions, norms, and cultures of their communities. Music composed and re-composed in this way reflects the real-l ife events as its content and development is determined by the context and audience.

There is great benefit in accessing music-making opportunities together. As learners interact with each other, they create platforms for somatic relationships where they may air out grievances, reconcile with each other, mend bridges, and share the spirituality offered through oral traditions. Learners bond as one entity. It is at such ceremonies that raw and young musical talent is discovered. Through the process of apprenticeship, young people may develop the full potential of their innate creative abilities and become cultural referents responsible for preserving as well as extending the repertory.