Ph.D. Student in Ethnomusicology (first year)
As a musician who lived most of his life in Lagos Nigeria, before traveling to the United States for further studies, I started my music journey in my home church, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Lagos, Nigeria (MFM). At MFM, I had the opportunity to engage in intense musical training and activities, with several opportunities to participate in international examinations such as the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, and other musical activities in the church music ministry. After some advancement in my music learning process at MFM, I received a fully funded music scholarship at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), proudly sponsored by the Mobile Telephone Network Foundation (MTNF) and MUSON. During my program, I had the opportunity to receive lessons in piano playing, theory of music, and master classes with visiting international artists. Contrary to my personal musical exposure and development which was supported by MFM and MTNF/MUSON, some other Lagos musicians who do not have such opportunities as mine adapted the rote methods, i.e., memorization of information based on repetition, and some musicians were self-taught.
In Nigeria, the working class, and underclasses or proletariat collectively make up the greater proportion of the population. These low-income makers cannot afford music lessons or pay for music concerts, hence; they are being denied access to music concerts and music lessons due to economic status affecting them. Hence, only a few Nigerians can patronize musicians for their services or pay for music lessons. So I worked with the community in Lagos this summer, I was eager to advocate for “the place for music.” By “the place for music,” I mean the representation of music as an educational, cultural, and practical element in society. Hence, channeling those elements into social capital to create income and prestige for musicians. So, in creating "the place for music”, I got the opportunity to work with a non-profit organization that has over the years succeeded in as an advocate for “the place for music.” As an immersive experience, I worked directly with Àkójopò, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission statement is “to create accessible means for Nigerian musicians to pursue their artistic visions.” Since its inception, Àkójopò has filled the gap in “the place for music” through different channels that benefit Nigerian classical musicians like virtual mentorship programs, free book delivery, instrument supply, concerts focused on African art music, and the publication of African art music compositions.
I volunteered and participated in two major events in Lagos, Nigeria. The first is; to give back to the community through free and open music lessons at Kunbi’s Music Company and Goody Tunes Music School in collaboration with Àkójopò. Secondly, as the rehearsal coordinator for Àkójopò’s project for the summer of 2023 themed “African Art Music Commissioning Project (AAMCP).” The AAMCP aims at premiering works written in the style of African Art Music. As Kofi Agawu, one of the leading scholars of African music, described art music in a lecture as; “music self-consciously composed by individuals, often notated, usually rehearsed and performed by skilled practitioners for non-participating or minimally participating audiences in designated modern spaces churches, concert halls, community theatres, and private homes.”
For the African Art Music Commissioning Project, Àkójopò announced a “call for composition” and received 53 applications from composers worldwide. After an effective review, 10 composers representing six countries (Nigeria, the United States of America, Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, and Poland) qualified for the final stage. As part of the process, the 10 composers received master classes and seminars on the approach towards writing in the African art music style of composition, after which Àkójopò contracted each composer to write newly composed music in the African art style—summing up to a concert on July 22nd, 2023. As the rehearsal coordinator for this project, I built friendly and artistic relationships with musicians and composers, scheduled general and one-on-one rehearsals with musicians, acted as an intermediary between the musicians and the composers by coordinating virtual meetings, and even performed with musicians. This experience allowed me to learn the attributes of working with musicians and on the other hand understand the economic and social factors contributing to their music-making process and factors affecting “the place for music.”
As an ethnomusicologist whose research interest is in music and sustainability, with a specific interest in African art music, and art music generally in Nigeria, whilst creating “the Place for Music.” And the economic sustenance of musicians' i.e., the commercial and economic concerns with classical musicians in Nigeria. After my activities and voluntary work with Àkójopò in Lagos, I emerged with the same economic and education structure factors affecting “the place for music” and addressed some of these factors by applying practical and humanitarian skills to solving some of these factors and I do hope that my overall research during and after my doctoral studies and my humanitarian advocacy towards the state of music in Nigeria as a whole, for Nigerian musicians, art music and African art music will continue to play a role in supporting “the place for music”
I am thankful to the Humanities Engage Summer Immersive Fellowship, as it provided me an unequaled opportunity to experience the gaps affecting “the place for music” in Lagos, Nigeria, and to apply my musical skills in projects and events concerned with my core interest in music studies. This summer project has given me the opportunity to give back to my community and have a clearer understanding of my research focus during and after my doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh.