Learners and Bluetooth Speakers

I stay closer to Motel Paradise where recently a new private secondary school has opened its doors. It has given me an opportunity to observe ill-disciplined learners doing all sorts of naughty stuff.

What attracted my attention is a group of these learners who would bring to school wireless and Bluetooth operated speakers that produce booming sound either sourced from their mobile phones or memory sticks and cards.

These learners will therefore play the music from these gadgetries and sing along while dancing. Meanwhile, their classroom lessons are in session which now casts bleakness on what becomes of the national future if the learners are showing no interest to acquire this all important knowledge with such impunity.  

In the early to mid 1980s when the legendary fallen music icon Mjura Mkandawire was a tutor at Blantyre Teachers College, the fruits of his toils were evident in the student teachers.

We used to learn more about the basic music theories from the student teachers than we were able to acquire from our traditional teachers.

The sad part is that Malawi is a poor country. The poverty is not only stinking but it is palpable as well. Not surprising, where the authorities cannot provide the basic necessities like classrooms, chalk and enough teachers, to mention but a few you can’t expect them to provide musical instruments to help in the practical aspect.

At least the absence of such requirements was understandable during the reign of the government of Kamuzu Banda. He is considered to have been one with top standards and class and therefore wouldn’t have expected anything less, but there was none because no future was cut out for music.

But then even when we were learning music there was nothing to show for it because those that made a name were rote musicians and artists like Allan Namoko, Mzalawayingwe Jazz Band etc

Today music is required almost in every aspect of our socio-economic and socio-religious day to day lives. Proliferation of churches that are bent at attracting more following that would equally provide more Sunday offerings for example, use live musical bands a lot. Then talk of artists and musicians that are appearing in each and every household these days

I believe had we made music a compulsory and practical examinable subject from primary through secondary schools we would perhaps have benefitted a lot as a country.

Surely we would also not have had learners staying out of classrooms and choose to entertain themselves with some loud music. Thanks to the sophistication of technology which has allowed tiny gadgetry to produce unbelievable sound and the availability of digitally stored music in memory cards and sticks, the learners have all they need, not only at their disposal but easily solar powered. 

Lately, music as a subject is not as serious as was the case in the old curriculum where it was given a higher recognition. Music can be interesting sometimes because it can act like fire which can be both a good servant and a bad master.

Writing for Times in December 2014 Melissa Locker observed there's little doubt that learning to play a musical instrument is great for developing brains.

Melissa further wrote that science has shown that when children learn to play music, their brains begin to hear and process sounds that they couldn't otherwise hear. This helps them develop "neurophysiological distinction" between certain sounds that can aid in literacy, which can translate into improved academic results for kids.

A good environment which provides both theoretical and practical atmosphere for learning would be conducive to the learners which in turn would not allowing them to abscond classes and entertain themselves outside the classroom and during learning period. In this case music would be considered a bad effect to learning and schools need to discipline such learners in order to save the good name of music.