Transmission processes of indigenous Pedi music

Abstract

There has been unsatisfactory integration of traditional music into education, despite the fact that the Ministry of Education advocates its use, stating that education should ‘preserve South Africa’s cultural practice; develop an appreciation for the practice of one’s culture; and develop a sense of respect for other people’s culture’. South Africa is in need of a music education philosophy that is culturally embedded, cognisant of the societal context in which it is to function, and informed by South African ideas and philosophy of life. This study entails sourcing the Ethnomusicological and Anthropological focus in musicology for purposes of providing a better understanding on music and identity, and how ‘informal learning’ can inform ‘formal learning’. Simultaneously it aims to play a role in broadening, deepening and enriching the dimensions of Music Education, in the sense that the process of teaching and learning indigenous music in the classroom situation is surprisingly underestimated. The underlying intent of the study was a) to investigate the modes of transmission in the teaching and learning process of indigenous Pedi music; and b) to determine how the Musical Arts have an impact on cultural identity, morals and value systems within the Pedi community. The operational ground of the study is the Pedi society, its music and the various traditional music and dance groups that constitute its membership. The study explored how social interaction in the Pedi society is a critical component of situated learning, and involves a ‘community of practice’ which embodies certain beliefs and behaviours. It described and discussed the whole spectrum of the indigenous musical arts of the Pedi people within the context of history, education, entertainment, cultural celebrations, religion and rituals, and explained how they are transmitted without written transcriptions. Findings of this study show that in the Pedi culture, musical development: transmission, teaching and learning is complex. Music takes place in many contexts, and the teaching and learning of Pedi music employs indigenous methods of transmission. With regard to how the Musical Arts of the Pedi people impact on their cultural identity, the enquiry has revealed that the music gives the activities identity and meaning on the one hand, while deriving identity and meaning from the activities on the other hand. My hope is that this thesis will contribute to the nationally significant question of the integration of traditional music into education in the construction of the post- apartheid society and its capacities in South Africa, and at the same time, offer a uniquely Pedi perspective on the modes of transmission in the teaching and learning process of indigenous Pedi music.