Abstract

The tremendous growth of choral music in Kenya over the last 50 years has largely been realised in three major establishments, namely: the Church, institutions of learning, and political arenas. Whereas choral music presents a field that can draw from diverse inquiries, the article focuses on music education as a component of choral music. It is motivated by the concern that the majority of choral trainers/directors/educators in Kenya are not products of formal choral training programmes. For the few who have obtained formal musicology, ethnomusicology and music education qualifications, observation shows that choral training or directing either forms a minimal part of, or is not included in, the various certificate, diploma or degree courses offered. Although conducting and/or art music as course units are offered in selected universities no institution of learning in Kenya offers a full course that focuses clearly on training choral trainers/directors/educators. Thus, choral directors may be the product of music training programmes other than formal school curricula. Whether in institutions of learning or the Church, the article views a choir situation as an alternative classroom, where the choral conductor/trainer/director/educator not only artistically imparts knowledge to the singers (learners), but also to prospective choral directors, hence acting as a role model. Therefore, the article demonstrates the alternative methodologies employed in Kenyan choral music. To address these concerns, the study relied on an ethnographic research approach that involved interviewing choral artistes, as well as observing how they practise their music, besides group interactive strategies.

摘要

在过去的 50 年里，肯尼亚合唱音乐的巨大发展主要在三个主要机构中实现，即：教会、学习机构和政治舞台。尽管合唱音乐提供了一个可以从各种查询中汲取灵感的领域，但本文重点介绍了音乐教育，将其作为合唱音乐的组成部分。其动机是担心肯尼亚的大多数合唱培训师/导演/教育者不是正规合唱培训计划的产物。对于少数获得正规音乐学、民族音乐学和音乐教育资格的人来说，观察表明合唱训练或指挥要么是所提供的各种证书、文凭或学位课程的最低组成部分，要么不包括在其中。尽管在选定的大学中提供指挥和/或艺术音乐作为课程单元，但肯尼亚没有任何学习机构提供完整的课程，明确侧重于培训合唱培训师/导演/教育者。因此，合唱导演可能是正规学校课程以外的音乐培训课程的产物。无论是在学习机构还是在教会，文章都将合唱团的情况视为一种替代课堂，合唱指挥/培训师/导演/教育者不仅在艺术上将知识传授给歌手（学习者），而且还向潜在的合唱导演传授知识，因此作为榜样。因此，本文展示了肯尼亚合唱音乐中采用的替代方法。为了解决这些问题，该研究依赖于一种涉及采访合唱艺术家的人种学研究方法，