Philosophy of Music Education in Nigeria: Content Analysis of Music Curriculum for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE)

The philosophy of music curriculum for  Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) developed by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) is conceived from the background of Western music therefore, it impacts little or no learning of Nigerian music. Music is an essential, inseparable and a fundamental part of African cultures. The traditional systems of the Nigerian society consider music to be an indispensable part of education and some families were renowned with long traditions of music making.  The mode of training notably involved a long period of apprenticeship with imitation approach as a major method of the teaching-learning process.   Against this background, this paper examines the content of the music curriculum for the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in relation to its stated philosophy and objectives and that of the Nigerian cultural system.  It further examines the possibility of replacing most of the repertoire of imposed Western musical tradition with Nigerian musical heritage, in order to make it more relevant to the student’s social environment and for the economic advancement of the lots of its graduates and the society at large. Keywords: Curriculum, Philosophy of Music Education, Content Analysis, Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE)

Teacher’s Perception of Indigenous Music Knowledge as a Panacea to Music Curriculum in Nigerian Schools

Music in Nigerian societies is a way of life that carries the qualities, traits and values of the culture it proclaims. Music as an integral and vital part of culture plays a noble role that cannot be over emphasized. It is a medium through which facts and values of the society are preserved and, passed from one generation to another. Conversely, whether formal or informal, education serves as a powerful tool for national development. This paper examines the concept of indigenous knowledge system; highlight some methods of indigenous knowledge system and majorly teachers’ perception of indigenous music knowledge through sixty (60) music teachers. Six (6) institutions of higher learning that has music department: one polytechnic, five colleges of education and twenty (20) selected secondary schools that offer music as a subject in Osun and Oyo state were selected respectively for the study, Keywords: Culture; indigenous knowledge system; Music education; Methods; Nigeria; Teaching and learning Proces

Music Education as a Pillar to Sustainable Development in Nigeria

The paper attempts to reveal the importance of music education as an art as well as indispensable aspect of every single culture which serves as indisputable support to sustainable development in Nigeria. It is a veritable avenue that enables societies to transmit music and musical skills from one generation to the incoming ones. The research is based on a comprehensive literature review on the impact of music to sustainable development. This paper contextualised that music education is imperative to Sustainable Development, to the adult it is a vital force of self-expression, communication and  empowerment  economically, in growing children, involvement in music education will promote their creative ability, thereby contribute to the full development of intellectual capacities, apt emotional development that gives the right values and feelings to various events and happenings, music helps to develop skills, innate and instinctive talent in human being and recommend that the informal music teaching should be incorporated into school system so as to transmit and preserve the cultural music and  that the study  of music should be made compulsory at all levels of the Nigerian educational system. Keywords: Sustainable Development, Music Education, Music as a Pillar to Sustainable Development

Influence of Oscillating Flow on LDL Transport and Wall Shear Stress in the Normal Aortic Arch

Lipid accumulation in the aortic wall is an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis. The Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) at the surface of the endothelium in relation to Wall Shear Stress (WSS) in the normal human aortic arch under unsteady, normal flow and mass conditions was computationally analysed. Concave sides of the aortic arch exhibit, relatively to the convex ones, elevated LDL levels at the surface of the endothelium for all time steps. At the peak systolic velocity, the LDL level reaches a value 23.0% higher than that at entrance in the ascending-descending aorta region. The corresponding LDL levels at the surface of the endothelium for the near minimum entrance velocity instant reaches 26.0%. During the cardiac cycle, the highest area averaged normalized LDL taken up as compared to the lowest one is 0.69%. WSS plays an important role in the lipid accumulation. Low WSS regions are exposed to high LDL levels at the surface of the endothelium. Regions of elevated LDL levels do not necessarily co-locate to the sites of lowest WSS. The near wall paths of the velocities might be the most important factor for the elevated LDL levels at the surface of the endothelium

The Effects of Time Varying Curvature on Species Transport in Coronary Arteries

Alterations in mass transport patterns of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and oxygen are known to cause atherosclerosis in larger arteries. We hypothesise that the species transport processes in coronary arteries may be affected by their physiological motion, a factor which has not been considered widely in mass transfer studies. Hence, we numerically simulated the mass transport of LDL and oxygen in an idealized moving coronary artery model under both steady and pulsatile flow conditions. A physiological inlet velocity and a sinusoidal curvature waveform were specified as velocity and wall motion boundary conditions. The results predicted elevation of LDL flux, impaired oxygen flux and low wall shear stress (WSS) along the inner wall of curvature, a predilection site for atherosclerosis. The wall motion induced changes in the velocity and WSS patterns were only secondary to the pulsatile flow effects. The temporal variations in flow and WSS due to the flow pulsation and wall motion did not affect temporal changes in the species wall flux. However, the wall motion did alter the time-averaged oxygen and LDL flux in the order of 26% and 12% respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the wall motion may play an important role in coronary arterial transport processes and emphasise the need for further investigation

Effect of Concurrent Trypanosoma brucei Infection on Haemonchosis in Red Sokoto (Maradi) Goats

The effect of concurrent Trypanosoma bruceiinfection on caprine haemonchosis was investigated in Red Sokoto (Maradi) goats infected with either Haemonchus contortus alone or concurrently with Trypanosoma brucei. The goats infected with H. contortus alone manifested clinical disease that was mild and without mortality. On the other hand, concurrent infection with T.brucei resulted in severe clinical disease characterized by pyrexia, pallor of visible mucous membranes, anorexia, loss of body weight, diarrhoea and death of all the animals 18 - 24 days post infection. The concurrent infection with T. brucei also resulted in shorter prepatent period (16 ± 0.5 days) and the establishment of a greater number (137 ± 24) of adult Haemonchus worms per animal than in those infected with only H. contortus alone with prepatent period of 18 ± 0 days and 98 ± 26 adult worms per animal. Reduction in the packed cell volume, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, persistent monocytosis and leucopenia characterised by lymphopenia and neutropenia were associated with the concurrent infection while Haemonchus infection alone resulted in persistent eosinophilia. The results of the study show that a concurrent trypanosome infection may potentiate the clinical severity of an otherwise sub-clinical infection with H. contortus in Red Sokoto goats through reduced prepatent period, increased worm burden and faecal egg output coupled with significantly greater anaemia and loss of body weight. It is suggested that in the tsetse or trypanosomosis endemic areas like southern Nigeria, grazing animals likely to harbour sub-clinical H. contortus infections may need to be prophylactically treated against concurrent trypanosome infection in order to maintain optimal productivity. Keywords: Concurrent infection, haemonchosis, trypanosomosis, goatsSahel Journal of Veterinary Sciences Vol. 5 (1) 2006 pp. 45-5