Phenomenological Insight of Issues and Challenges in Ghana Primary Schools Music Education

Abstract

Several research reports have revealed numerous and various challenges confronting primary school teachers in their attempt to implement the music content of the Creative Arts curriculum to provide learning experiences to pupils in Ghana. This study was aimed at identifying measures primary school teachers adopt to manage such challenges in the classroom. The phenomenological research design was employed to find answers to the research question through interviews and observations of nine teachers selected from three primary schools within the city of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Findings indicate that knowledge and skills for teaching music, time constrains, lack of teaching and learning material, and lack of physical space constitute some challenges affecting the teaching of the subject. Recommendations include the provision of adequate materials and resources for teaching and learning, converting some classrooms into special areas for teaching music, provision of in-service training and support for teachers to use information and communication technology in teaching music, and allocation of adequate time for teaching. Data was collected from one out of the sixteen regions in Ghana. Further research should therefore include larger samples from various primary schools within the Ashanti Region of Ghana to maximise the understanding of the phenomenon being studied.