Abstract:
A vast world of art music-based creative ethnomusicological study could be
found in Ghana and Africa in general. However, popular music-based creative
ethnomusicological study is still a desideratum in Ghanaian music scholarship.
Hence, this study draws on Sankofa, indigenous knowledge and expression,
interculturalism, transculturation and social reconstructionism theories to create
neoclassic big-band highlife works based on indigenous Ghanaian children’s
rhyme and game resources. It also provides annotations for creating similar
global appeal and consumption works. To this end, creative ethnomusicology,
practice-based, bibliographic and discographic research designs were employed.
Data were collected using interview and document analysis. In all, 20 indigenous
children’s rhyme and game resources were collected from two linguistic
traditions in Ghana (Akan and Ga), of which ten were sampled and explored for
songwriting. Furthermore, four were sampled for the neoclassic big-band
highlife works. Findings show a practical approach to how popular music
composers can draw on indigenous children’s rhyme and game resources to
generate innovative methods for composing, arranging and recording neoclassic
big-band highlife music with global appeal. Aside from the cultural values
embedded in the indigenous rhyme and game resources, it is concluded that they
are also a good source of creative elements for songwriting. In addition, the
novelty can be considered a contemporary music interculturalism and musical
transculturation, which shows a ratio of a return to sources and modernisation of
a musical genre. In recommendation, Ghanaian composers should also consider
composing children-friendly songs for their consumption. Also, “Music Theory
& Composition” professors should adopt this novelty as a blueprint to begin a
course on “Highlife Music Composition & Performance Workshop” to enhance
and entrench popular music studies in music institutions in Ghana.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of Music Education, School of Creative
Arts, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Music)
in the University of Education, Winneba