Editorial Note
Editorial Note
The Benin Journal of Music and the Arts (BENJMA), which was established in 2021, is a publication of the Music Programme of the Department of Theatre Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. BENJMA operates an open access policy of internet publication to facilitate easy accessibility and wide readership, and also produces complimentary print versions to meet the desire of readers who would want to obtain hard copies as alternative
and/or supplementary acquisitions. BENJMA is designed to publish at least one (1) Issue yearly, and to undertake the publication of Special Issues from time to time when the need arises.
BENJMA receives and publishes well-researched scholarly articles in music and the arts to promote scholarship and support the dissemination of research findings at local and global levels. It provides the forum for discourses on the historical, contemporary, and evolving subject matters that would serve as bases for the formation of future perspectives, the making of impactful predictions, and the galvanisation of developmental ideas.This present publication, Volume 1, is the maiden edition of BENJMA published in May 2022. This volume is a kaleidoscope of articles on music and the arts, featuring twelve (12) articles from a range of thematic areas such as musical syncretism, traditional festival, music education, music administration, church music, music copyright, music in drama, music in literature, music in movie, theatre for development (tfd), and aesthetics. Readers would most assuredly find the articles interesting, informative, educative, and thought-provoking.
Volume 1 , May 2022
This paper examines the relationship between age, loud music exposure, and hearing health among live-musicians and audio engineers in Osun State, Nigeria. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combined audiometric assessments of 28 participants with surveys and interviews from a larger cohort (N=100) to evaluate occupational hearing health. Findings revealed higher hearing thresholds among music professionals compared to controls. Specifically, live-musicians averaged 21.43 dB HL in the right ear versus 16.14 dB HL in the control group.
Volunteerism remains one of the most significant pillars sustaining religious institutions across Nigeria, particularly within church music ministries where members offer their time, skills, and resources without financial compensation. This study examines the intersection of volunteerism and community music-making in the Anglican Diocese of Evo, Rivers State, Nigeria.
The Àwórì, a Yorùbá sub-ethnic group, utilises a variety of traditional musical instruments in their music making.
Odòlayé Aremun is among few of Nigeran Artists in the south west of Nigeria whose brand of music (dadakúàdà) extols cultural heritage of the Yorubá. Textual dexterity is an identifiable and astounding feature that avidly defines this exponent’s musical aesthetic. Despite this artistic exploits, explicit and comprehensive scholarly attention has not been engaged in that regard.
Gospel music is an integral part of Christian worship in Nigeria. It serves as an instrument of worship, evangelism, edification, and congregational participation. In recent times, paying gospel musicians (gospel music ministers) for their ministrations has become a contentious issue among the Christian populace in Nigeria, especially considering conflicting views of prominent clergymen and gospel music ministers on social media platforms.