Re-introduce music education in school curriculum - Musicians

Ho, April 2, GNA - Participants at World Bank developmental dialogue workshop at Ho have called on the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ghana Education Services and Musicians to collaborate for re-introduction of music studies into the curriculum of first and second cycle schools.

They noted that the re-introduction and inclusion of music in the school curriculum as a core subject, in a broad context, not only for the development of artistic skills but also in cultivating business acumen in production and marketing techniques.

The participants made up of Musicians, Producers, Copyrights Officers, Journalists Educationist, Academia and other stakeholders in the music industry and World Bank development partners in Ghana were contributing to discussion aimed at promoting a vibrant policy discourse in Ghana for the incorporation of the music industry into the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS).

The policy would make great distinct and invaluable contribution to economic development, guide the direction of social change and enhance political cohesion and cultural progress.

The workshop on the theme: "Mainstreaming Music in Ghana's Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme" was organised jointly by the World Bank, Institute for Music and Development, a non-governmental organisation, the Goethe Institute, the French Embassy in Ghana and other social partners.

Speaking on "Unleashing the Potential of Ghana's Music Industry to Support Poverty Reduction," Professor Komla Amoaku, Executive Director, Institute for Music Development said Ghana cannot deny the interplay between National Economics and culture.

"This interplay underpins and determines the directions of the development prospects of the so called poor economies...we in this part of the world must begin to perceive the interplay as a factor in our policy challenges, particularly, in regard to the creation of balance in the distribution of national wealth and enhancement of cultural heterogeneity."

Prof Amoaku said policymakers must recognize that cultural talents and traditional ingenuity plays an indispensable role in the development of a country, adding the potency of the creative and the music industry places them at center of development as they combined the necessary elements of culture, global trade, intellectual property rights, market competition and entrepreneurship.

The Executive Director of Institute for Music Development who was the former Executive Director of the National Theatre commended the World Bank, European Union, UNESCO, Goethe-Institute, the French Embassy, the Department of Music, University of Ghana, the National Development Planning Committee and other stakeholders in the music industry for initiating the project.

The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, who chaired the workshop said the music industry in Ghana have the potential of accelerating national growth, expand the export base of the country and create larger employment market.

He said, "unfortunately the local music industry were handicapped and ill-prepared to meet the fast growing international market, the challenges and effect of globalisation, the advancement of Information, Communication and Technology".

Togbe Afede XIV said for the Ghanaian Music Industry to face the challenges and compete favourable in the international music market, issues concerning the legal, regulatory, governance and the creation of a conducive music-enabling environment for enhancing talents and growth of the industry.

He commended the social partners for initiating the process for the inculcating of music into the national poverty reduction strategy. The Asogli State King offered his traditional area to be considered as a Music City as well as the centre for music development in the country.

Officials from the World Bank and its partners, Season Musicians, Intellectuals, Journalists, International Legal Experts and Government Officials, addressed the workshop.