CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR PIANO AND THE AFRICAN SOUL: TOWARDS BRIDGING THE GAPS OF IDENTITY CRISIS

Abstract

Various African societies are going through a period of cultural renaissance. These are evident in the numerous festivals that have started gaining widespread acceptance in the various host cultures as well as international recognition. It then appears that the time has come for the Africans to rise above any fear to question anything that hinders the blossoming of the African spirit. However the wave of cultural renaissance blow, gently or strongly, some aspects of the Western cultures which have taken root in Africa may not necessarily be abolished, but they can be properly modified and adapted in the spirit of the ongoing renaissance. Piano music is one of such aspects of European cultures that appear to have come to stay. But the problem is that the learning materials for this instrument are predominantly Western. Whereas there are African compositions on the Piano, there are not enough materials arranged like Smallwood's Pianoforte Tutor, Piano Adventures or John Thompson's to serve the developmental needs of a child in learning music theory through the piano. The researcher through library sources and his experience as a piano teacher and performer findsthat the piano can integrate the African person properly with the world around it and position this person for active and impactful participation in the global village, but this can only happen when the materials that introduce the African to the piano are not alien to his or her environment. The research, therefore, recommends that piano tutors should be developed to capture various dimensions of the indigenous and contemporary African cultures.

Keywords: Piano, African soul, Cultural renaissance, Identity crisis.