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
Playwright’s concepts of music in drama are typically incorporated in the play text. Music directors and other drama personnel study play texts to acquaint themselves with playwright’s musical vistas and lines for artistic realisation. This study notes and dilates on the approaches by which Nigerian playwrights incorporate music in their plays, by reviewing copious Nigerian plays. This study also outlines the
Egwu-ede is a traditional music of Ovoko community in Enugu State, Nigeria. It is usually performed during the Ede title-taking and other special ceremonies, and represents the common musical heritage of the Ovoko community with unique socio-cultural implications. This study sets out to discuss aspects of Egwu-ede (Ede music), and the socio-cultural implications to members of the Ovoko Autonomous Community, Igbo Eze South Local Government Area, Enugu state, Nigeria.
Yorùbá Church music among the Nigerian Baptist Convention churches in South-western Nigeria has experienced growth in performance practices, human and material resources, and in the quality of musical works from the Yorùbá musical culture. Although there is noticeable musical growth in the area, there is yet the need to review and document the factors responsible for the growth from 1981 to 2021.
Ijesu or Yam Festival is an annual event amongst the Akoko people who inhabit Akokoland, which is made up of four local government