More Investment Needed In Creative, Art Industry – Air Force Music Director

The federal government has been called upon to invest more in the creative and art industry to grow the economy.

The director of Music, Nigeria Air Force,  Group Captain Oludare Ayanbode, who served as one of the judges at the 8th edition of the Abuja National Music Competition (ANMC) there is room for improvement on the part of the government in catching the younger ones’ interest in music.

Also, Dr Nana Gbolahan, the chief executive officer, Abba Music School and the organisers of ANMC, said the motivation for holding the competition is to promote music, especially in Abuja.

The ANMC is a carefully curated competition open to primary/elementary and secondary/high school students in Abuja, with the objective of promoting music and music education among younger Nigerians.

The event was designed to celebrate talent, encourage discipline through the arts and stimulate broader conversations about the place of music in the national education system.

Ayanbode said this year’s edition gave room for many schools to participate, “meaning that a lot of schools have encouraged the teaching of music in their schools and as a result, so many of these young talents have been encouraged to have music as an art and by so doing, serving as inspiration to others,” he said.

He described music as a discipline that  increases cognitive abilities and builds memory, saying it’s an area that should not be taken for granted

He said, “There is room for improvement on the part of the government in catching them young when you talk about discovery of raw talents. I would not say the government hasn’t done enough but I believe they can still do more to bring out raw talents in these children.

“There should be all inclusiveness by giving the teaching of music in our primary and secondary schools more attention. The curriculum should be more robust, not only in private schools but also in public schools. The teaching of music should be encouraged to build more talents which will eventually help them in their normal academic pursuit and whatever field they choose to follow,” he said.

On her part,  Dr Gbolahan, said the aim of the competition among schools is to promote music culture in Abuja.

She said, “So, music, basically, is the language of the soul and all of us here are part of that language. The motivation for me, is to continue to promote music, especially across Abuja. In other parts of Nigeria, particularly, Lagos, music is well known and appreciated but in Abuja, it’s just coming up and it a lot better now than what it was.

“The motivation is also to encourage a lot of these children because a lot of them have these talents and it’s inherent, however, there is nothing that really pushes and encourages them and there is no platform given to them to express that talent and so, we provide that platform for them to be able to compete, meet other children that are also interested in music like them and also enhance their talents,” she said.