Journal of Music and Creative Arts (JMCA)

Digital literacy for musicians: Navigating music streaming services for independent artists in Kenya

Amon Kipyegon Kirui — 2024-02-28

This paper explores the crucial role of digital literacy in the music industry, emphasising its specific relevance to independent artists in Kenya who rely on MSS for global exposure. The digitalisation of the music industry at the onset of the millennium has tremendously transformed the monetisation of music by not only granting artists unprecedented access to global markets but also enabling them to connect directly with their fans like never before. This transformation has prompted independent artists in Kenya to increasingly adopt music streaming services (MSS) as their primary platform for marketing and distributing their content. Therefore, digital literacy has become a vital skill that empowers artists to effectively utilise diverse digital tools, software, and MSS. Digital literacy equips artists with the knowledge to manage their online presence, engage with their audience on social media, and make data-informed decisions using algorithms, curation, and analytics. Through a combination of phenomenological primary research and secondary data sources, this study delves into the experiences of independent artists, shedding light on the challenges they face and the opportunities that MSS presents. By enhancing their digital literacy skills, these artists can increase not only their global reach but also their revenue streams, enabling them to thrive in the evolving soundscape of the music industry.

Poeme Elecroniqe fusion concept of nationalism in “Feel the Sounds of Kenya”

Jessee Wanderi Wairiuko — 2024-02-23

This study sought to find out Poeme Elecroniqe fusion concept of nationalism in Feel the Sounds of Kenya. Edgar Varese, a French composer, is hailed as the pioneer of electronic music with his signature Poeme Eletronique composition, which was performed in 1958 in Brussels. Attributes of similitude with Edgar Varese's Poeme Electronique style have come to identify certain African contemporary music idioms. Transcending conventional sonic boundaries that have long defined the Kenyan music space, the piece Feel the Sounds of Kenya by CeeRoo exemplifies this innovative fusion concept of electronic elements with social-cultural schemas akin to the Kenyan nationhood, a blend of native nuances with technological progress. Using the content analysis method, the researcher analyses Poeme Electronique concepts in Feel the Sounds of Kenya with the aim of establishing the intersection between artistry and technology within the broader discourse of nationalism while propagating national consciousness. This is achieved by using Sofia’s model approach to examine CeeRoo’s Feel the Sounds of Kenya on both descriptive and conceptual analysis levels. From the analysis, it is clear that CeeRoo’s Feel the Sounds of Kenya exemplifies a perfect union of definitive cultural nuances with electronic music in a space that has long been defined by conventional musical schemas. This information provides a model of how music composers, listeners and performers in Kenya can use normative cultural schemas to augment the conventional musical parlance, grammar and vocabulary. The researcher recommends a contextual-conscious approach for music making, practice and education in Kenya for relevance.

What’s the deal? The link between the sustainability and commercial aspects of the kayamba of the Mijikenda community

Nderitu Kiragu — 2023-09-25

This paper aims to elucidate the sustainable systems birthed from the interaction between the kayamba instrument and its commercial elements. The paper underscores the commercial elements linked to the kayamba and how the configuration between the indigenous and contemporary economic contexts contributes to the resilience and, sustainability of the kayamba instrument. This research takes on a different approach from the ubiquitous studies of indigenous musical instruments of Africa, which have been linked to their evident endangered state. The strategies provided are mostly based on etic perspectives and outsider interventions, which more often than not lead to essentialised and ossified traditions rather than promoting healthy environments for the music traditions to thrive. This paper shifts focus from a preservation to a sustainability framework. It incorporates a qualitative research approach that highlights the Mijikenda community's perspectives and agency in facilitating the sustainability of the kayamba musical instrument. The participants of this research were purposively sampled. Data was collected through the use of participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focused group discussions. The data collected went through thematic analysis. Findings from this research are integral to the development of initiatives linked to the sustainability of musical instruments and music traditions. The conglomeration of indigenous and contemporary economic contexts provides a holistic view of the resilience and sustainability of indigenous musical instruments of contemporary Africa.

Negotiating contemporary issues through cultural creative dance expressions

Gabriel Thuku Kimani — 2022-12-09

This study sought to negotiate contemporary issues through cultural creative dance expressions. The study delves into the techniques of dramatisation in the dances, contextualised in their cultural and creative contexts. The synthesis of these concepts was propped on aesthetic theory, semiotics and discourses on African performance for the description of style, themes and messaging. The study was framed on qualitative design to analyse purposively sampled cultural creative dances on various chosen themes and cultures. Primary data included data observed in the sampled dances as well as unstructured interviews. Secondary data was gathered from books, journals, articles and online publications. The data was analysed using content analysis. The study finds that, indeed, a cultural creative dance performed in the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival tackle various themes that are derived from various issues the Kenyan society is grappling with. The study findings also note that the artist has a central role in bringing issues to the fore and affirms the cultural creative dance as a powerful and enduring platform for ruminating on societal concerns. In conclusion, the cultural creative dance, as the foregoing discourse elucidates, is a potent, lively and well-grounded mode of communicating and discussing the issues in the hearts of individual citizens and the nation at large.

Establishing the impact of using Orff pedagogical approach (OPA) on teacher trainees' performance (TTP) in basic music skills

Dorothy Atieno Okeyo — 2022-11-15

This study aimed to establish the impact of the use of the Orff pedagogical approach (OPA) on teacher trainees' performance in basic music skills. The study was guided by Music Learning Theory by Gordon and complemented by the theory of Multiple Intelligences by Gardner. The study adopted mixed methods quasi-experimental research design. The selected experimental group was exposed to the music-based pedagogical approaches, while the control group continued with the traditional teaching approaches used by music tutors. Purposive sampling was used to draw participating tutors teaching music, while census sampling was used to select teacher trainees studying music in the second year. Questionnaires, an interview schedule, and pre-test and post-test evaluations were used in the collection of data for the study. Frequencies, percentages and means were used to summarise and describe data, whereas Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and T-test were used to establish the impact. All hypotheses were tested at α = 0.05 level of significance. The study concludes that without adequate and functional music teaching and learning resources, it is very difficult to teach music effectively, particularly using OPA. The study recommends widening opportunities for continuous professional development. Continuous professional development facilitated by in-service courses and workshops would give music tutors the incentive and stimulus to explore a lifelong path in their profession.