1 Music Education and The Impact of ICT in the Facilitation of Teaching and Learning Outcomes in Nigeria’s Higher Institutions in The Era of the New Normal (Covid-19)

Abstract

With the surge of the corona-virus pandemic, world economy including school activities were disrupted. All facet of education acquisition were affected not excluding music education programme run in Nigeria’s higher institutions. How do nations and educational sector survive this new normal especially the dissemination of knowledge (teaching and learning)? The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and accessories became suddenly important as a tool to disseminating information between teachers and students. This need also presented challenges, a large percentage of music teachers and students are not ICT compliant. How can ICT impact the interface and facilitation of teaching and learning of Music Education in this new normal? The paper implicates descriptive analysis and participant observation method; related literatures were also perused to form the bulk of the discourse; finally, applicable suggestions were identified; the paper conclude that appreciable knowledge of ICT applications and accessories would significantly impact greatly on easy interfacing between music teachers and students in the new normal.

Key Words: ICT, Music Education, Impact, Epoch, New Normal

Introduction

ICT, an acronym for Information and Communication technology, which deals with the processes, storages and transfers of information through the use of computers, telecommunication networks and other electronic devices have greatly affected every nooks and crannies of world activities and ideas. Its emergent strongly rooted in science and technology picture in the 21^st century. Today, ICT has turned the world into a global center with increase accessibility to information through active communication systems. The major components and devices of ICT are heavily conceived in audio cassette recorders, audio cassettes, radio, television, computers, satellite communication, telephony, teleconferencing, video conferences, networks, internet services, cellular mobile phones, hardware and software etc. ICT is a basic player in every facet of human activities/endeavours globally. Its adverse effect is strongly felt in the dissemination of information generally. What role did ICT play during the pandemic?

With the surge of the corona-virus pandemic, world economy including school activities were gravely affected and disrupted. Kirti (2021) observed that ‘the transmittable disease Corona Virus known as Covid-19 has deeply affected the global economy. This situation has also shaken up the whole education system. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many schools and colleges have to remain closed temporarily. Several areas are affected in the world and there is fear of losing this ongoing year for education. Various Schools, Colleges and Universities have discontinued off line struggling to find options to deal with this challenging situation.’ (p. 49). He further noted that at this time of crisis, it becomes challenging to keep the education continuous and unaffected due to this Corona Virus pandemic. Educational institutions are not much capable to transform all their curricula unto online resource overnight. The Nigerian educational sector was not left out in this monster ‘covid-19’; teaching and learning encounter was adversely affected by the global pandemic (covid-19). How do educational sectors embrace, surmount and survive this new normal especially in the aspect of teaching and learning in Nigeria’s higher institutions? As reiterated before all facet of education acquisition were greatly affected including the music education program. There must be a vanguard, an obtainable approach, thus the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications and devices which was already in existence became suddenly important as a tool to disseminating information between teachers and students. With this knowledge presented another challenge – how many music teachers and students in Nigeria’s higher institutions are ICT compliant? How can ICT impact the facilitation and interfacing of teaching and learning of Music Education curricula in the new normal?

Conceptualizing of Music Education and ICT

Information and Communication Technology according to Abifarin (2003) refer to the various infrastructures used in creating, storing, processing communication and the dissemination of information and their application in the numerous services rendered by the infrastructures. Hunt (2001) and Okolo (2005) perceive Information and Communication Technology as a complex of artifacts, techniques and knowledge use in solving man’s problems involving Information and its Communication. Omeiza (2009) also see Information and Communication Technology as involving the three technologies of computer, electronics and communication to satisfy various kinds of man’s information needs. Citing Obanya (2002) and Onuma (2007), Ezele & Tedjere (2019) stated that ICT is broad term that has to do with the harnessing of process, the methods and the product of electronic and communication related technologies and other related resources in today’s knowledge-driven society for enhancing the production, the spread and efficiency of a set of programmed activities geared towards the achievement of clearly determined goals (p. 159).

On the other hand, Eliotte (1995) cited in Onyiuke (2009) perceive music education via four angles of education: education in music, education about music, education for music and education by means of music. The author further gave an explicit observation of what the four angle of education in music entails. Education in music that involves the teaching and learning of music, making music and listening; Education about music which refer to the teaching and learning about music making, history and theory; Education for music involving the teaching and learning as in preparation for a career as a performer, composer, historian, critic, researcher or teacher; while Education by means of music is seen as over lapping with the first three angles of education mentioned above. According to Aibuedefe, and Abologba (2016:239), ‘music education is that aspect of education that is geared toward the actualization of its aims and objectives. It is the process of imparting musical knowledge to an individual or group of individuals for self-actualization, reliance and the betterment of the society in general’. These definitions clearly explore the entire essence of music education in its entire ramification. Hence music education encompasses the education in music teaching, learning and making music in its theoretical and practical skills. In summary, ICT is the utilization and manipulations of the application of different tools of science and technology to facilitate information and its management. From the foregoing, Information and communication technology would play multifarious roles in administration and management of teaching and learning outcome in the music education programme in various higher institutions given the necessary receptiveness.

ICT’s Impact in Meandering through and Facilitating Easy Interaction and Interfacing between Music Teachers and Students

Information and Communication Technology in educational system globally would aid and improve the act of teaching and learning in music in the new normal epoch. ICT has tremendous effect in the dissemination of music and musical concept through the facilitation of appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding of general musical concepts. The application of ICT in the teaching and learning of music in Nigeria’s higher institutions would provide the means by which teachers and students seek out, access and communicate in a wide variety of sounds, factual musical information and resources in teaching and learning of music and musical concepts. Information and communication technology application would serve as knowledge sharing-portal, search engines, public administration, social service and business solution to music education programme. ICT also provide a wide range of music software and hardware that has enable students in music training in the acquisition and utilization of music and musical skills in various contexts that have encourage magnitudes of thought and managements of musical processes. Knowledge of ICT application and accessories would also help to development students’ musical skills in reading and writing of staff notation, rhythmic tone patterns, distinguish tone colours, texture and structures of music through working with electronic sounds including interaction and interfacing between music teachers and students. Savage (2010) report that ‘ICT can be used within the classroom in at least two ways; they can function as tools to facilitate models of practice ‘extrinsic’ to the technology itself or they can be used to generate what might be called an ‘intrinsic’ model of practice, one that leads to a greater exploration and engagement with sound itself. Corroborating Savage above Ehiwario (2010:5-7) enumerated that ICT is used for recording or listening to music, through these students in colleges develop good skills in the use of their voices and instruments which enable them display good performances during ensemble, and choir or group singing in churches and entertainment Centre. The device of ICT responsible for this is the audio tape and cassette recorder of audio visual medium. During ensemble performance recorded music through these medium help students and learners learn their parts faster while they listen to the recorded music they are able to appreciate the different styles, forms and technicalities in music compositions. ICT enable students evaluate their works as they listen to different compositions played by the tape recorder, mobile phones, and audiovisual medium of television set. ICT trains teachers and students confidence and independence as individual they are expected to work at their own pace. This enables students to review their work and modify their work to improve their ability. This development is possible through the use of some software such as Aurelia, and musition; this software is interactive programme that allow musical drill on aural training. This software also enable students develop skills in pitches, rhythms, intervals, melodic dictations, triad and tone recognitions. CD ROM entitled Teach Me Piano is designed to support the development of practical music skills through acquiring keyboard skills. Through this software many students have acquire keyboard skills. Reading music notation and rhythmic skills are profoundly enhanced using recorded materials as they are played back in the classroom through the medium of audio and visual medium of radio and television and especially the tape recorder and cassette player of videos and compact disk player (CD), through which students create and choreograph their dance skill which they perform with great confidence. Recorded music with the aid of ICT help students to be creative and inventive, creativity is the ability to invent by imagination while inventiveness is the act of bringing about changes in a given situation. This brings about novel and useful sense of situations. In teaching composition the student’s creativity and inventiveness are employed together because they bother on the ability of the students to articulate sound ideas mentally and put them together into a perceptible product of ingenuity. ICT help students to recognize sound pattern, relationships and behavior in compositions and form analysis. Some features like modulation, sequence, theme, tonal features, and auxiliaries are recognized in a playing CD ROM of musical pieces. These developments are also possible through the use of software such as the Acid-xpress program which allows students to study and listen to choosing pieces and analyses. Likewise it makes students recognize colour of each layer of a chosen piece of music.

Also, ICT provides means to access a wide variety of resources of information and provide the opportunity for interaction between people of different levels of musicians and composers. This is achieved through the internet services. Students also make and explore sounds recorded for different purpose and compare structure of music of different cultures. The internet has likewise improved student’s ability on various concepts of music and musical concepts. Through the internet students search for materials and information they use in solving numerous task in researches and assignment given to them in the classroom situation. Students acquire knowledge, skills and understanding of music through ICT to capture changes and combine sounds they hear. This is also possible through the exploration of internet services that students engage themselves. Students have used various software designs to enable the exploration of sounds become easier and feasible. Examples of such software are the Finale, Sibelius and Musition. ICT enable students to work at appropriate pace and depth in their specialized areas such as conducting, ethnomusicology, musicology, performances, dance choreographing, and music education. Various midi and audio recording working shops help students to use their best performing skills on instruments or voice to explore sound and create their own pieces of music. This is also an ICT device that incorporates a set of performance instruction to which compatible software and electronic devices that respond by producing musical notes, changing sounds adjusting volume. Students have also used software to produce music. This software include the programme software of sound-processing toys capable of producing a range of effects and transforming the voice of sound like for example a robot, ghost of cartoon character. In addition Jonathan Savage stated that the use of ICT in the music classroom has the potential to challenge traditional approaches to music teaching and learning although it can continue to reinforce existing ways of teaching music.

The importance of ICT to music studies enumerated above though laudable they are, today’s ICT’s impact on dissemination of knowledge is more than already enumerated facts. It is the interface between teachers and students beyond the four walls of the classroom. Thus the authors contend that it has gone beyond classroom application to more of an online collaboration and interaction between teachers and students online with the aid of ICT devices such as Zoom, Facebook, WhatsApp and other ICT educational apparatus available for the purpose of transmitting information between teachers and students. Since during the Coronavirus global pandemic lockdown music teaching and learning was not an easy feat reasons being that there were students and teachers inclusive who were not ICT compliant in addition to not having an android phone, coupled with network problem teaching and learning outcome became inefficient and ineffective. Therefore, ICT experts should be invited to adequately train both music teachers and students in order to avert cases of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in the facilitation of teaching and learning outcome in case of any advert of another coronavirus occurrence.

Suggestions

The following suggestions by Oshinaike, A. B. and Adekunmisi, S. R. (2012) culled from the internet succinctly reflect and express the writer’s view on the role the Federal government, State government, Higher institutions’ management, including music associations and music education stakeholders in Nigeria in facilitating, enabling and actualizing ICT facilities in the music education programme to enhance teaching and learning in Nigeria’s higher institution and beyond the classroom walls. Thus;

• Nigerian federal government should see ICT integration effort at the university as an embracing project to development in education and should support by allocating and releasing adequate funds to invest in massive internet connectivity, as well as purchase and installation of ICT infrastructures. Also, the university must aim to ensure accessibility, availability and reliability of ICT facilities such that every lecture room and staff offices have computers linked to Internet and have equipment appropriate for accessing a range of electronic resources.
• If the government is not forthcoming, the university management can solicit for both internal and external funds and support from willing individuals, philanthropists and international organizations. They can also embark on networking and partnership programmes for funds, technical supports etc. but should ensure that funds or support realized are geared toward sustainability of ICT integration and application efforts.
• The government can also help by subsiding or reducing the tariffs on importation of ICT facilities so that lecturers and others can afford the purchase of these ICT facilities and accessories since the price will come down.
• University lecturers should be exposed to training and development skills in the use of these high technology facilities. Integrating the use of technology into curriculum in a purposeful and meaningful way is one of the many problems facing lecturers today. ICT training should be given to lecturers and other members of staff in the university on integration of technology instruction.
• Adequate, competent and experienced ICT technical staff must be made available should problem arise.

In addition to the stated views above the writer advocate for the availability and adequacy and workable ICT facilities for music education programme in all higher institutions where music programme are run. In addition, ICT experts should be invited to train both teachers and students on proper application and usage of ICT virtual and other related packages for easy interaction and communication between teachers and students.

Conclusion

The paper highlighted the impact of ICT in the facilitation of teaching and learning outcome in the music education programme therefore there is urgent need to improve, facilitate and upgrade music education curriculum to bridge the gap in this epoch of the new normal – ICT is the key to bridging the gap. The adequacy and availability of ICT facilities and accessories in the teaching and learning in the music education programme in Nigeria’s higher institutions where music programme is run is of utmost importance. Yet, the presence and availability of ICT facilities and accessories related to the music programme will not stimulate significant changes if teachers are not willing to be ICT compliant and avidly involved. Teachers are important ingredients in the implementation and facilitation of ICT instructions. Therefore, Music teachers need to learn and re-learn the use of ICT applications relevant to the music programme in order to teach students. Without the involvement of music teachers, most students may not take advantage of all the available potential benefits of ICT applications and integration in the classroom activities and beyond the classroom to enhance thinking and creativity among students. Hence, in order to be relevant in the ‘new normal’ epoch, both teachers and students must be ICT compliant and ready to interface with one another either online or otherwise.

References

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Other Source(s)

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Oshinaike, A. B. &Adekunmisi, S. R. (2012).Use of Multimedia for Teaching in NigerianUniversity System – CORE www.core.ac.uk Accessed March 6^th, 2021.

Savage, J. (2010). Teaching Music with ICT. https://e-space-mmu.ac.uk. AccessedMarch 26^th, 2021.