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Abstract

Music is one excellent subject whose importance transcends what men generally sees it to be. Hence they see it as solely for entertainment. Obviously the importance and benefits of music transcend its entertainment objective. Music is said to be a universal language of the soul, and as such can achieve more vital issues than ordinary words or other subjects can ever achieve. Its role in early childhood education in the social, psychological and spiritual development of the children surpasses what mere words can explain. Unfortunately many parents and childhood educators are quite ignorant of this and as such struggles in these areas. It is this unfortunate situation that this paper is out to address; hence it x-rays the role of music in the social, moral and spiritual life of the children in early childhood.

The need for regular reviewing and restructuring of the curriculum to ensure relevance to dynamic human society and culture and to respond to global reforms, spurred the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to review and restructure the cultural and creative arts curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria. The curriculum provided the total experiences to which all learners must be exposed, the contents, performance objectives, activities for teachers and learners and evaluation guide. Cultural and creative arts (CCA), being an integrated subject, its teachers need to be acquainted on how best to handle each aspect in order to enhance the students' learning. This paper sets out to ensure that the curriculum is properly implemented in the area of music. It discusses the nature, philosophy and reason for teaching music as an aspect of cultural and creative arts. The objective and structure of the music aspect of CCA curriculum is also discussed. It also highlights the methods and resources for teaching music and the problems militating against effective teaching of CCA as an integrated subject. Historical method and other related resource materials were employed as working tools. The paper recommends that for the time being the different subject areas of CCA should be left and be taught as separate subjects until departments of CCA is created in the Nigerian colleges of education and other institutions where teachers are trained and produced for the basic classes.

This qualitative research study sought to assess and evaluate the emerging issues in the teaching and learning of cultural and creative arts (CCA) in Anambra state of Nigeria. Data was gathered through oral consultations while the historical background of the cultural and creative arts in Nigeria is employed as the theoretical frame work upon which the study is based. The paper argues that for school curriculum reforms to meet the needs of the basic education system, the school-based practices should be made to respond to school curriculum reforms. The paper concludes by suggesting that progress can only be made in CCA education if there are serious reforms in pedagogical content at the level of pre-service teacher education as well as capacity building workshops for serving teachers. Keywords: 9-Year basic education curriculum, Cultural and creative arts education, Emerging issues, and Teachers reflections