A portfolio of neoclassic big-band highlife music based on indigenous Ghanaian children’s rhyme and game resources

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.