Primary school teacher education in Botswana has undergone a tremendous change in recent years. The former two-year Primary Teaching Certificate has been phased out and replaced by a three-year diploma in primary education. In the three-year teacher training programme, students have the liberty to specialize in two subjects. Since teacher education plays a pivotal role in the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of the curriculum, it is envisaged that the three-year programme will adequately equip students to ensure efficient and effective syllabi delivery. It is on this premise that this study examined the training of primary school teachers for musical arts education in Botswana’s colleges of primary education. It further identifies the problems in the teacher training programme and proposes ways in which the music training programme could be improved. The research was conducted following a survey method in which data collection techniques of questionnaires, interviews and observations were used. Primary school teachers responded to the questionnaire and some were observed. College lecturers were interviewed. In addition, some important insights were obtained from literature and have been incorporated in this study. Information obtained revealed that students are admitted at the colleges of education with little or no formal music education and this makes it difficult for them to choose music as an area of specialisation. The syllabi that are used for the two music categories do not differ much; there is inadequate allocation of time for music lessons. The syllabi do not cover much African music, concentrating more on Western educationists than on African ones. Colleges of education lack resources for effective training and the emphasis is more on the theoretical aspect than the practical component. The study indicates that teachers are of the opinion that the training they undergo does not adequately equip them to face the challenges of the CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) syllabus - which deals with practical subjects of which music is one. Consequently, very few activities are employed when teaching the CAPA syllabus at primary schools. Primary schools also lack musical instruments. Teachers are unable to integrate music with other art forms because the training does not include the integration of arts education. These are some of the problems faced by the teacher training as revealed by this study. The research proposes ways in which the admission can be done and the syllabus for musical arts education which can then be used at colleges. There are also recommendations to be considered by the Ministry of Education, music educators and parents, in order to improve musical arts education in Botswana. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

This research contextualizes the measurability of African musical arts (including music, dance, drama, poetry and costume art as an integrated whole), through the introduction of a generic evaluation system, which can be implemented outside its culture of origin as recontextualized authenticity. An assessment system is developed, entitled, The Generic Crosscultural Assessment Framework for African Musical Arts. The Framework illustrates that: the cultural-educational void between African/indigenous/informal and international/formal music education can be crossed; the development of a reliable, valid and objective evaluation system for African musical arts assessment, which can be recognized internationally to the satisfaction of Western and African cultures, is possible. African musical arts has only fairly recently begun to be integrated into formal education systems and music curricula for schools and tertiary institutions. At this stage, there is no structured curriculum available for African musical arts in schools. The need for structuring a Framework for contemporary African musical arts assessment, from which a curriculum could be developed, is clear. The contextualization of the main problem of the research, namely the measurability of African musical arts, took place through: exploration of cultural diversity; translation between cultures; music-cultural integration processes in assessment; cross-cultural dialogue; the learning, teaching and grading situations in different cultures and systems and the integration of different ‘voices’ from many disciplines. Globalization and change were essential concepts in this research. The choice of the research designs for this thesis was informed by Western as well as African indigenous music philosophies. A combination of documentary research design (with literature review, content analysis) and deconstruction theory study designs was conducted within the qualitative paradigm. The reseach focused on intercultural understanding and communication, as well as its emic/etic, or insider/outsider approach. The most important aspects of the research focused, firstly, on Social Studies including Ethnomusicology, Translation Studies, Inter-Cultural and Cross-Cultural Studies; secondly, on Educational Studies including assessment standards, philosophies and systems; thirdly, on African Musical Arts; and finally, on contemplating the syntheses of all above named outcomes in relation to generic cross-cultural standards. The emphasis of the thesis is on music-cultural integration processes in assessment of progressive skills development. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2013 / Music / unrestricted

The implementation of the Creative and Performing Arts (CPA) syllabus at lower primary school level in Botswana has been carried out without paying due regard to all that should be in place. As a result, the implementation exercise has been hampered by some administrative and logistical problems. The content for Creative and Performing Arts as a curriculum subject draws from Western culture, primarily due to the proliferation of literary sources for such content. It has therefore been a matter of urgent concern to establish the extent to which local culture, in the form of indigenous musical arts, have been integrated into the syllabus. The methods employed in this study are qualitative. They include data collection by means of semi - structured interviews in focus group discussions, and content analysis of the syllabus document. The results of this research suggest that the indigenous musical arts in the Creative and Performing Arts syllabus content are generally representative of the culture of the Batswana. But the indigenous musical arts content in the Creative and Performing Arts syllabus could be representative of the indigenous culture of the Batswana to a much greater extent, especially as it al lows for the use of local resources and contains objectives that explicitly refer to the inclusion of the musical culture of a local community. Current limitations are mainly caused by the teachers ’ short comings in terms of appropriate teaching approaches and their vague under standing of the main concept that they should master, namely ‘integration’. The results of the study further indicate that teachers cover most of the indigenous musical arts in their lessons. The results also indicate that teachers are usually able to relate music with physical education, but are unable to integrate content as much as it is practicable due to lack of knowledge and skill on their part. On syllabus implementation, the results reveal that school administrators feel that they have not been duly recognized as key players in the implementation exercise. They suggest that specialization in the teaching of the various components of the Creative and Performing Arts be encouraged. They also suggest a review of the syllabus that would allow primary school teachers more input. As far as the teachers are concerned, the results reveal that, the implementation workshops they have attended have not been adequate in equipping them with the necessary skills to teach the subject. They, like the school heads, suggest specialization by teachers. They also suggest the following: a review of the syllabus and teaching and learning materials; provision of in-service training; close monitoring by the implementing authority, and the provision of resources. The conclusion reached is that the syllabus allows the teacher the freedom to draw as much as possible from the community, thus making learning more relevant to the learner. With regard to syllabus implementation, the implementation exercise is hampered by the absence of appropriate resources and facilities as well as the necessary support in the form of needs - oriented in-service training. Owing to lack of resources and in-service training that addresses specific needs, the teachers are not very effective in syllabus delivery. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

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MAAS / Centre for African Studies / Since its inception, the study of music in South African schools has been fashioned on Western Classical models. The change in orientation from the Eurocentric to the Afrocentric approach required that indigenous African music be accorded space in the curriculum. This study explores challenges in mainstreaming indigenous African music in the curriculum of South African primary schools. It specifically focuses on the Intermediate Phase (grades 4-6). This study enlists a variety of appropriate qualitative methodologies, such as interviews carried out with a sample of educators and schools. It also analysed relevant DVDs of indigenous African music performances. It is envisaged that findings emanating from this study will be of value to music educators, music curriculum planners, education specialists, and other stakeholders. The dissemination methods will include publications of relevant teaching materials for classroom purposes, as well as generating research articles for scholarly discourse. / NRF