CHAPTER 21:THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC EDUCATION IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA: A SURVEY OF EARLY YEAR CLASSES

Abstract

Music has passed through many stages of development and has become an important tool in the development of a child through music education. It is a gift from God, hence every personality in this world especially children love music, its influence is powerful and appeals to the emotions and interest of children. Over the years, children's music has been centred on traditional songs, storytelling and culture, children learn different norms and values through the use of music to build and develop them in diverse ways, but its effects in the 70s '80s and 90s have changed from the ways it is now. The developmental age of children using music to learn in this contemporary Nigerian has gone technologically to enable them to learn on their own without being taught through the use of youtube, educational music Apps, social media, visual and audio with the aim of easy learning and quick understanding. It is in this context that the paper seeks to investigate the importance of music in teaching and learning in a child's development in contemporary Nigeria in some selected Nursery schools in Abuja. The research adopted participant observer as its methodology and the use of questionnaires and interviews in gathering data. Findings from the research revealed that children have developmental learning needs while rapid expansion of activity filled music is increasingly being investigated in its broader context as an influence on the cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social aspects of children's lives as a support or entry point into other topics of learning and as an aid to personal development. It is therefore recommended that more emphasis should be made on the use of music during teaching and learning to enhance their growth in the contemporary world.

Keywords: Music education, Early childhood, Child development, Contemporary Nigeria