Music is defined as an arrangement of sounds having melody, rhythm, and usually harmony. This is a Merriam Webster Dictionary definition.
Etymologically, the word music comes from the Greek word (mousike), which means “(art) of the Muses”. It’s not just an ordinary art as it is mostly inspired and involves a lot of skills and great acumen.
The origin of music dates back to prehistoric times. Many scholars claim it rose simultaneously with language as there is no clear evidence of its invention throughout history. Music is referred to as cultural universal because every culture partakes in it. Hence, there is a range of mythical origins about the invention of music but none is widely approved.
Over two millenniums of its existence, this magical art continues to sweep the world off its feet. Its importance cannot be overemphasized. According to Wikipedia,
“a society’s music is influenced by all other aspects of its culture, including social and economic organization and experience, climate and access to technology.”
This explains the different genres of music we have in Nigeria which are fashioned according to the various folk music.
“The styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their techniques, instruments, and songs.”
The most popular among the genres are Fuji, juju, Apala, Igbo rap, Afrobeat, and high life. Nigeria being a former British colony has some elements of classical music still subsisting alongside popular music.
Unlike popular music, classical music as the name implies requires formal training without which understanding of the musical notations, use of the instruments, will be difficult. What distinguished classical music from other forms of music is its use of stave notations:
“These are a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch or in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments. ”
In learning music in school, children are trained on the stave notations and other formal musical instruments.
The power of music, in this case, classical music has been associated with increased intelligence.
For instance, in Europe, the Mozart effect refers to the theory that listening to classical music may temporarily boost scores on one portion of an IQ test.
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Though many argue about the authenticity of this theory it’s a fact that classical music has a calming effect on one during a task which aids focus and performance. Therefore, we could say good music can be a catalyst for job performance and increased creativity.
According to a new study, listening to classical music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport. These are ” happy juices” released when there is a positive energy flow in the body.
In general, it has been said that music has the power to culturally, morally, and emotionally influence our society. We have seen the display of such powers by great musicians across history.
It’s a no brainer that music exerts a powerful influence on human beings. Apart from the aforesaid importance of music, here are other reasons why we take music seriously at Wellspring.
Music is a memory booster; it lightens your mood and reduces anxiety and depression; It staves off fatigue, improves your response to pain, and help you work out more effectively. If we can achieve these only, we will be very pleased with the outcome of our music programme. Not to talk about the other impacts of music on society.
Music is also used as an instrument of worship in most religions. It is used in both religious and social gatherings to galvanise, entertains and spur people into action.
Music is a weapon used by freedom fighters to expose and satirize the ill of society and fight for social justice. Musicians like Fela, Bob Marley, Morzart, Lucky Dube etc belong to this ilk.
According to research, music training from preschool through post-secondary education is common because involvement with music is considered a fundamental component of human culture and behaviour.
It is with these reasons in mind that we have put together a school orchestral band and procured all the necessary percussion instruments to be utilized during musical training and rehearsals. Our music department is well equipped with state of the art equipment and great instructors. We are poised to train and create the best instrumentalists and musicians in Nigeria.
