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PREDICTORS OF MUSIC EDUCATION APATHY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS 

IN PORT HARCOURT METROPOLIS: IMPLICATIONS ON DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL 

ECONOMY 

MODEME, Eyiuche Rita Ph.D 

Department of Music 

University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria 

Phone: +234-8037508877 

e-mail: eyiuche.modeme@uniport.edu.ng 

 

Abstract 

This study focused on predictors of music education apathy among secondary school students in Port 

Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria. The study hoped to resolve the problem of the study which was the 

unenthusiastic attitude of students towards the study of music education in schools, the failures in 

music as a subject and the skipping of music classes often experienced by the teacher in schools in 

the area. The study had three specific objectives, research questions and corresponding hypotheses. 

The population of the study consisted of 2,132 Senior Secondary School 1 (SSS1) students in private 

secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis. From the population, a sample of 60 respondents was 

drawn using multi-stage sampling procedure. Two instruments used in collecting data for the study 

were the “Factors Influencing Music Education Apathy Questionnaire” (FIMEAQ) and the “Correlates 

of Music Apathy Questionnaire” (COMAQ). Validity of the instruments was determined by giving the 

instruments to experts in measurement and evaluation for vetting while the reliability of the 

instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha method with a reliability index of 0.86. Method of 

data collection was on face to face basis while the method of data analysis included the independent 

t-test, analysis of variance as well as simple regression analysis. Results showed that educational 

qualification (p=0.03<0.05), career prospect (p=0.021<0.05) and teacher’s teaching method 

(p=0.034<0.05) had significant influence and relationship relatively with music apathy among SS1 

students. On the contrary, economic status (p=0.45>0.05) had no significant influence on music apathy 

among SS1 students. Based on this, it was recommended among others that government as well as 

private school stakeholders should ensure that they hire music teachers with Nigerian certificate in 

education (NCE) or first degree in music education since this was found to influence the level of 

interest students have for music education. 

Keywords: Music, Apathy, Economic status, Teacher qualification, Career prospect. 

 

Introduction 

Education is a basis for national progress and nourishment. The need for a change is not usually borne 

out of pressure but out of the wish by both the government and the people to grow a system that 

meets their goals, ambitions, immediate and long term needs (Ayodele, 2001). As noted by Ogunsanya 

(2004), education turns out to be an important tool that is required for the development of minds 

from childhood to adulthood in a chosen environment, such as the school, the home, the church and 

so on, where education and the gaining of skills can take place for the overall growth of the individual 

and the nation at large. Education is generally recognised as one of the most important factors for 

human growth and a lack of it puts the nation as well as the individual in a serious compromising 

position. Again, education is all-rounded. This means that an individual cannot claim to be educated 

when he/she has no sufficient education that touches all aspect of its life. One of such varied aspects 

of education is music education. 

mailto:eyiuche.modeme@uniport.edu.ng


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Music, according to Epperson (2022), varies in definition with respect to various cultures, though it 

is an aspect of all human societies and a cultural universal. Morley (2013) also argued that while 

scholars agree that music is defined by a few specific elements, there is no consensus on their precise 

definitions. However, it is noted that music is the art of arranging sounds to create a combination of 

form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music could be described as a 

creative construction in sound for social and aesthetic reasons (Onyeji, 2016). It is obvious that music 

plays a significant role in socialising every human being, especially students who are teenagers. 

Teenagers and students listen to various genres of music like rap, heavy metal, Christian rock, country 

music, jazz, electrical music, dance music, among others. Music involving rap, hip hop, hard rock and 

Christian rock has become the most popular types of music among teenagers. 

 

According to Ahmed (2022), music is a universal language. It transcends cultures and generations, 

bringing people together in moments of shared joy and unending connection. It boosts our mood, 

refreshes our souls, and dancing to music takes all our worries away. It is evident that the teaching 

of music has the ability to make students to feel motivated to learn; they become more confident 

speakers; they develop analytical thinking skills; and most significantly, they discover hidden passions 

that give them a lifelong advantage. Certainly, since music education is highly beneficial for students, 

many schools have started music education programmes to develop creative and social skills in 

students. As well as, music education is most often enjoyable for both students and 

teachers. Learning about music and having the opportunity to play musical instruments and make music 

together is a vital part of a rich and rounded education. It has also been proven that music plays a 

key role in brain development. This is because it helps with the nurturing of language, motor skills, 

emotional intelligence and collaboration skills (Baltagi, nd) 

Music education touches on all learning domains, including the psychomotor domain (the development 

of skills), the cognitive domain (the acquisition of knowledge), and, in particular and the affective 

domain (the learner's willingness to receive, internalize, and share what is learned), including music 

appreciation and sensitivity. Many music education curricula incorporate the usage of mathematical 

skills as well as fluid usage and understanding of a secondary language or culture. The consistency of 

practising these skills has been shown to benefit students in a multitude of other academic areas as 

well as improving performance on standardised tests. 

Cultures from around the world have different learnable approaches to music education, largely due 

to the varying histories and politics. Studies show that teaching music from other cultures can help 

students perceive. 

 

In Nigeria, the teaching of music is common because involvement with music is considered a 

fundamental component of the indigenous African culture. Okafor (2005) stated that since the 

1950s, the governments of the western and eastern regions of Nigeria have invested more of their 

revenues in education than in any other sector of development. This was a shift from the old colonial 

system in which education, consisting mainly of literacy and numeracy, served only to provide workers 

for the Colonial Civil Service. Government has also stated that for the benefit of all citizens the 

country's educational goals in terms of its relevance to the needs of the individual as well as in terms 

of the kind of society desired in relation to the environment and the realities of the modern world 

and rapid social changes should be clearly set out (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1981). 



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According to the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic Of Nigeria, 1981), “education in 

Nigeria is no more a private enterprise, but a huge Government venture”. that has witnessed a 

progressive evolution of Government's complete and dynamic intervention and active participation. 

The Federal Government of Nigeria has adopted education as an instrument par excellence for 

effecting national development. The National Policy on Education went further to state that: 

“Nigeria's philosophy on education, therefore, is based on the integration of the individual into a 

sound and effective citizen and equal educational opportunities for all citizens of the nation at the 

primary, secondary and tertiary levels both inside and outside the formal school system”. FRN, 1981). 

 

In the traditional Nigerian society music was an integral part of education. A musician was often 

expected to practice other areas of the arts and occupations. There were musical families with long 

traditions of music making. Modern society has made music an abstract art or discipline - a specialised 

subject studied apart from life and the activities of the immediate environment (Okafor, 2005). The 

educational infrastructure of the country can be defined loosely as consisting of the educational 

institutions, the educators themselves, and the appurtenances of teaching. 

As noted by Okafor (2005), it is the institution of learning that is responsible for individual’s 

education in music in an organized manner. This can be said only if we ignore the apprenticeship system 

used by the traditional society for the teaching and transmission of music. The tertiary, secondary, 

and primary schools were equipped mainly with Western musical instruments, and the teachers (those 

who were respected among them) were those trained in Western education. Therefore, the prestige 

of music education for decades relied mainly on the quality of Western musical education that the 

teacher or the musician had received. This system ignored or snubbed the traditional music education, 

traditional music, as well as popular music on which most of the music industries depended for survival. 

Here, it was obvious that those who had better education in music were observed to be underpaid. 

Despite the impact of music on the lives of the students, it has also been observed that there is 

apathy in the acceptability of music in Nigerian secondary schools (Okafor, 2005). 

 

Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of 

indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. 

Fahed and Steffens (2021) stated that apathy falls in the less extreme spectrum of diminished 

motivation, with abulia in the middle and akinetic mutism being more extreme than both apathy and 

abulia (Marin & Wilkosz, 2005). An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about 

emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, virtual, or physical life and the world. Apathy can also be 

defined as a person's lack of goal orientation. In positive psychology, apathy is described as a result 

of the individuals' feeling they do not possess the level of skill required to confront a challenge 

("flow"). It may also be a result of perceiving no challenge at all (for example, the challenge is 

irrelevant to them, or conversely, they have learned helplessness. Bishop (1989) observed that apathy 

in students, especially those in high school, is a growing problem. It causes teachers to lower 

standards in order to try to engage their students. Apathy in schools is most easily recognised by 

students being unmotivated or, quite commonly, being motivated by outside factors like the need to 

make money to the detriment of their music classes. 

Music education apathy could be described operationally as the lack of interest in the study of music 

as a subject by students in secondary schools. Nowadays, even when music is offered in some schools 

and being a crucial part of education, most of the students lose interest in music at some point. They 

stop playing their instruments a couple of years after completing their education, which is really 



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unfortunate and in some cases, students start distancing themselves from their music classes when 

they are still in schools. 

In reality, it could have been expected that when students are being taught by a music teacher, the 

students would have that inquisitiveness to learn new things about music education daily. 

Unfortunately that does not always happen in today's society especially in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

Expectedly, students must have a strong determination to understand the technicalities of playing 

different types of musical instruments, but when they start losing focus, they fail to make a mark or 

achieve success in this area, irrespective of the fact that music education helps in imbuing numerous 

skills in individuals. There are a lot of factors that many have opined that could be responsible for 

music education apathy among students but to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, little has been 

proven empirically with regards to Port Harcourt metropolis as an area. In this study therefore, 

attempts will be made to investigate some factors which the researcher suspect may influence music 

education apathy. Some of these may include socio-economic status, teacher qualification, career 

prospects as well as teaching method adopted by the teachers. 

Economic status is the level of economic and social standard which individuals stand in the society. It 

mirrors the ability or inability of the of individuals to provide basic necessities for their families It 

is expressed in the type of job one does (occupation), social recognition, location of residence, 

education, monthly income among others. The economic status of a family may have a lot to do with 

the behaviour of the children in both the home and the school. It could be that the economic 

background of students may be a factor in the determination of their interest in music education in 

secondary schools. 

 

Kemjika (2008) opined that children from high-income families go to the best primary and secondary 

schools and could be better motivated to study compared to those with low economic status who may 

not have the resources that can serve as a motivation for them. In contrast, children from low-income 

families attend public schools and may not have the privileges and opportunities they may need to 

succeed. He noted that the economic status of parents influence the schools their children attend 

and the choice of careers they make (or forced/coerced to make?) in life. According to Kosemani 

(2002) some children are privileged to be raised in high socio-economic status homes which may aid 

their motivation for studies. On the contrary, some are raised in low socio-economic status homes 

and these have tremendous negative effects on their behaviour, thinking pattern and attitude in 

general. 

 

This teacher qualification gives a teacher authorisation to teach and grade in countries pre-schools, 

primary and secondary schools as well as colleges, content areas or curricula where authorisation is 

required especially in a specific area. Teacher qualification is one of a number of academic and 

professional degrees that enables a person to become a registered teacher. Examples of teaching 

qualifications in different especially as it relates to the Nigerian environment include the National 

Certificate in Education (NCE), Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), the Professional 

Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), Masters of Education (M.Ed) 

among others. It could be that the level of teacher qualification may play a part in the extent to 

which students appreciate music education. 



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Career prospects refer to opportunities for growth and advancement within a particular field or 

industry. These include potential job openings, promotions, salary increases, and other career-related 

benefits. Factors that may influence career prospects may include the demand for skilled workers, 

advances in technology and industry, and competition for jobs. Based on this, it could be that the 

career prospects made available for music students may play a part in their level of apathy for the 

subject. While some students have dreams about what they want to become and want to achieve, 

some others yet be undecided about their future. 

 

Teaching methods considered as one of the possible predictor of music education apathy are the 

various strategies, techniques and approaches teachers use in impacting knowledge to the students. 

Eze et al (2017) stated that teaching methods are core determinants of the teaching learning 

process. This means that if the teaching methods are effective, then students may achieve higher. 

The converse is also true. In music education, the results posed by applications of various teaching 

methods are similar. The researcher suspects that the various approaches music teachers use in 

teaching music could be responsible for the level of music apathy experience among students in 

secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

 

The observed problem of music education apathy is worrisome as students refuse to stay in music 

class or opt out from it as a choice or careers. In secondary schools especially in Port Harcourt 

Metropolis state, it is not far-fetched that students refuse to participate in music classes. On the 

contrary, while most students in Port Harcourt metropolis could be seen using musical gadgets like 

ear-pods and phones, the opposite is the case in terms of practical learning of the subjects in schools. 

One is left to wonder how such individuals will be able to become music stars when they develop 

apathy to the subject which should have given them the platform to be the stars they so desire. In 

the light of the above, it is the aim of the researcher to examine the predictors of music education 

apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria. 

The aim of the study is to examine predictors of music education apathy among secondary school 

students in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study will: 

1. investigates the influence of economic factor on music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis: 

2. Ascertain the influence of teacher qualification on music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis: 

3. Find out the relationship between career prospect and music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis; and 

4. Investigate the relationship between teaching methods and music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

The following research questions guided the study 

1. To what extent does economic factor influences music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

2. To what extent does teacher qualification influences music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

3. To what extent does career prospect relates with music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

4. To what extent does teaching methods relate with music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 



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the following hypotheses were also formulated in line with the research questions 

5. Economic status has no significant influences on music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

6. There is no significant influence of teacher qualification on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

7. There is no significant relationship between career prospect and music education apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

8. There is no significant relationship between teaching methods and music education apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

 

Methodology 

The study adopted the descriptive and correlational research designs. Descriptive research design 

according to Nwankwo (2011) is that design that allows the researcher to draw a sample from a larger 

population, determine their responses and analyse them without manipulating any variable. The 

researcher drew sample from the population of secondary school students with regard to certain 

demographic characteristics like their economic status as well as the qualification of their music 

teachers. The population of the study consisted of 2,132 SS1 students in private secondary schools 

in Port Harcourt metropolis. The researcher used this population because they offer music at their 

level and are also able to provide relevant data needed for the study. A sample of 60 respondents 

was drawn using multi-stage sampling procedure. At stage one, the researchers used purposive 

sampling technique to focus only on students from private schools who offer music as a course of 

study. At stage two, the researcher used non-proportional sampling technique to draw 12 private 

secondary schools in the area. Finally, the researcher at stage three used non-proportional sampling 

technique to draw five students from each of the schools giving a total of 60 students from the 12 

schools that were selected. Two instruments were used in collecting data for the study. They were 

the “Factors Influencing Music Education Apathy Questionnaire” (FIMEAQ) and the “Correlates of 

Music Apathy Questionnire” (COMAQ). The instrument, FIMEAQ, was designed using 4-point Likert 

scale of Strongly Agreed (SA), Agreed (A), Disagreed (D), and Strongly Disagreed (SD). The 

instrument contained two sections (A and B). Section A contained information on economic status as 

well as the qualification of the students’ teachers. It also contained instructions on the respondents. 

On the other hand, section B contained 15 items which were used to measure the level of music apathy 

of the students. Also, the COMAQ contained two subsections measuring the career prospect as well 

as the teaching methods of the teacher. Validity of the instruments were determined by given to 

expert in measurement and evaluation for vetting while the reliability of the instrument was 

determined using Cronbach Alpha method with reliability indexes of 0.86 and 0.81 for FIMEAQ and 

COMAQ respectively. Method of data collection was on face to face basis while the methods of data 

analysis included the independent t-test, analysis of variance as well as the simple regression analysis. 

 

Results 

Research Question One: To what extent does economic status influences music education apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

Hypothesis One: Economic status has no significant influences on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 



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Table 1: One sample t-test analysis of influence of economic status on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 
 N Mean Std. D Df T Alpha Sig Result 

Economic Status 56 16.74 4.32 55 
1.65 0.05 0.45 

Insignificant 
(Retain H0) 

Table 1 shows that the number of students were 56. Mean and standard deviation values were 16.74 

and 4.43 respectively. The calculated t value is 1.65 against the critical t-value of 1.960 while the sig. 

value is 0.45. Hence, since sig. value (p=0.45>0.05) is greater than 0.05 alpha at 55 degrees of 

freedom, the null hypothesis was retained and alternate rejected meaning that economic status does 

not have any significant influence on music apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt 

metropolis. 

 

Research Question Two: To what extent does teacher qualification influences music education 

apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

Hypothesis Two: Teacher qualification has no significant influences on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

Table 2: One-way ANOVA of influence of teacher qualification on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

SES Mean  Std. Deviation  N 

NCE 12.32  2.35   11 

B.Ed. – Masters 10.46  4.95   41 

Ph.D. 7.32  6.03   4 

Source Sum of Sq. Df. Mean Sq. F Sig. Result 

Corrected Model 188.42 3 14.21 2.58 .55 Significant 

Intercept 20180.01 1 2180.01 4.58 .00  

Edu. Qualification .00 1 .00 5.20 .03  

Total 692038.00 54     

Corrected Total 31522.36 56     

 

The analysis in table 2 reveals that mean and standard deviation for teachers with NCE, B.Ed.- 

Masters as well as Ph.D. were 12.32; 2.35, 10.46; 4.95, and 7.32; 6.03 respectively. Thesis mean values 

indicates that students display more apathy for music when they are being taught by teachers with 

NCE followed by those with B.Ed.-Masters and finally by those with Ph.D. Calculated F value was 5.20 

while sig value was 0.03. Therefore, since the sig (p=0.03<0.05) is less than the alpha value of 0.05, 

the hypothesis is rejected meaning that teacher qualification has a significant influence on music 

education apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

 

Research Question Three: To what extent does career prospect relates with music education apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

Hypothesis Three: There is no significant relationship between career prospect and music education 

apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 



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Table 3: Simple regression analysis of relationship between career prospect and music education 

apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

 

Variable R R. Sq. Adjusted R Sq. F Sig Result 

Career Prospect 
-.595 -.352 -.326 11.67 0.021 Significant 

Music Apathy       

 

Table 3 reveals calculated R of -0.595, R square of -0.352 and adjusted R square of -0.32. The R 

value reveals that the relationship between career prospect and music apathy is -35.2%. This negative 

sign means that as career prospect rise, there is a corresponding decrease in the level of music apathy 

and vice-versa. Also, the calculated F value is 11.67 while sig value is 0.021. Therefore, since the sig 

(p=0.021<0.05) is less than the alpha value of 005, the null hypothesis was rejected meaning that 

there is a significant relationship between career prospect and music apathy among secondary school 

students in Port Harcourt metropolis 

 

Research Question Four: To what extent does teaching methods relate with music apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis? 

Hypothesis Four: There is no significant relationship between teaching methods and music apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

Table 4: Simple regression analysis of relationship between teaching methods and music apathy 

among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

 

Variable R R. Sq. Adjusted R Sq. F Sig Result 

Career Prospect 
0.65 .422 .41 9.67 0.032 Significant 

Music Apathy       

 

Table 4 reveals calculated R of 0.65, R square of .422 and adjusted R square of .41. The R square 

value reveals that the relationship between career prospect and music apathy is 42.2%. Also, the 

calculated F value is 9.67 while sig value is 0.032. Therefore, since the sig (p=0.032<0.05) is less than 

the alpha value of 005, the null hypothesis was rejected meaning that there is a significant 

relationship between teacher teaching methods and music apathy among secondary school students 

in Port Harcourt metropolis 

Summary of Findings 

The findings from the analysed data are, that: 

1. Economic status does not have any significant influence on music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

2. Teacher qualification has a significant influence on music education apathy among secondary 

school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 



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3. There is a significant relationship between career prospect and music education apathy among 

secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis. 

4. There is a significant relationship between teacher teaching methods and music education 

apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt metropolis 

Discussion of Findings 

Research findings one, revealed that economic status does not have any significant influence on music 

apathy among secondary school student in Port Harcourt Metropolis. This implies that being rich or 

poor does not determine the interest of students in music. In other words, the implication is that 

both rich and poor students could develop lack of interest in music education. This finding of the 

study could come because economic status may not really determine how successful an individual 

student could be in music study It could also be that looking at the music industry in Nigeria and 

successes of musical artistes especially in Nigeria, students have realized that both students from 

poor or rich background can be successful in the music industry. Hence, they are fully aware that 

economic or social status cannot boost their interest in music. 

This finding of the study is not surprising to the researcher because musical icons do not need to be 

highly or lowly placed before they can make impact. In other words, the researcher is not surprised 

because the concept of interest is psychological and has nothing to do with the social standing of an 

individual. That means that people from high status homes as well as those from low status homes 

may lack interest in studying music education. The finding of the study is similar to that reported by 

Engel (2005) who noted that social economic status has an insignificant influence on students’ interest 

in music in secondary schools. 

 

Research findings two, revealed that teacher qualification has a significant influence on music 

education apathy among secondary school students. This finding of the study means that the academic 

qualification of a teacher in terms of first, second or third degree may influence the interest of 

students in studying music education. By implication, this means that students may develop interest 

in studying music depending on the exposure of the teacher that comes with their educational 

qualifications. From the finding, it is revealed that student show more music apathy by their mean 

scores when taught by teachers with less academic qualifications and this means that the more a 

teacher acquires a higher qualification, the more it may help in boosting the students’ interest in 

music. The finding of the study is expected by the researcher because academic qualification comes 

with lot of experience which can help in the teaching-learning process. 

 

Research finding three revealed that there is a significant relationship between career prospect and 

music apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt Metropolis. This means that the 

career prospect which students hold about music and what it can offer to them can determine if they 

develop interest in studying it or not. The implication here is that a negative or a low prospect will 

boost more music apathy among secondary school student and vice-versa. 

 

Finally, research finding four showed that there is a significant relationship between teachers’ 

teaching methods and music education apathy among secondary school students in Port Harcourt 

Metropolis. This finding means that the ways, strategies and techniques music teachers use in 

teaching music can influence students’ interest and love for music. It could be that if teachers use 

the most conventional teaching methods like knowledge construction, the use of ICT, more practical 



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sessions and so on, then students can develop more interest in music. This finding of the study is also 

in line with that reported by Engel (2005). 

Conclusion 

Studying music as a subject or course as well as taking it up as profession has always been a subject 

of controversy between the adolescents and parents. While some believe that they may not need to 

be rooted in the rudiments of music as a subject before attaining fame, some on the other hand 

believe otherwise. In the first scenario, where parents may try to interfere in the choice of studying 

music, this has degenerated into music education apathy where majority of the students lose interest 

in studying music. However, some factors could be responsible for this as this study reveals. While 

economic factor may not account for this, teachers’ low qualifications, low career prospect and 

teachers’ teaching methods are sure determinants of these ill in secondary schools especially in Port 

Harcourt Metropolis. 

Implications 

The development of music in general has been proven to contribute positively to the development of 

any nation. In Nigeria in particular, music in terms of being a performing art has seen tremendous 

development. Of recent, it is no more news that some Nigerian artists have contributed successfully 

to global hits and have continued to attract music investors globally to Nigeria. It is also observable 

that many Nigerian song items have been topping global music chart. And of recent, it has been 

accredited to certain Nigerian artists that their musical items have hit billions of views and streams 

online. This being the case, it is obvious that one cannot say that one can develop total mastery of 

music without having the knowledge of the rudiments or foundations of music. 

 

Unfortunately, musical apathy has been a source of concern for music teachers and other authorities. 

This deliberate refusal by many students to learn music has reduced the knowledge of music the 

students have in many areas. As revealed through the findings of the study, educational qualification 

of the teacher has significant influence on the level of musical apathy by students. The implication 

of this to digital economy is that more stringent measures will be adopted by government and private 

school owners in the qualification demands of music teachers and as such, more qualified teachers 

will be employed or recruited which will consequently help many students to have proper knowledge 

of music and contribute positively towards the direct or digitalized economy of the nation. Apart 

from this, there is also an implication that general qualities of the teacher will be considered in the 

process of recruiting music teacher. All these will be geared towards the development of the economy 

physically or digitally. 

 

Based on research finding three that revealed that career prospect has a significant influence on 

musical apathy, there is an implication to digital economy that students will be more selective in the 

kind of music they develop interesting in. If this is the case, then the overall development of music 

in terms of competitiveness of global recognition and global investment will be reduced and as such 

the economy of the nation may be jeopardized. For instance, it has been seen that hip hop music has 

greater career prospect in turning youngsters into real stars. If this is the case, there is a negative 

implication that student may abandon other forms of music in pursuance of only hip-hop and this will 

have a negative implication on both digital and real sector economy. Again, if this be case, then such 

abandonment of other aspects of music will have negative effect on digital economy of Nigeria. Finally, 

socioeconomic status was found not to influence musical apathy, there is a negative implication that 



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many students who would have put in money into making good music may not do that, and as such, 

global performance indices in terms of foreign exchange of the nation will be compromised 

Recommendations 

Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that governments as well as private school 

stakeholders should ensure that they hire music teachers with at least minimum qualification in music 

since this was found to influence the levels of interest students have for music. It is also 

recommended that music teachers should expose the various prospects and benefits of studying 

music to the students in order to make the course or subject more attractive to them. They should 

as well be encouraged to know that they will develop musical talents more if they study first the 

rudiments of music in their secondary schools. Finally, music teachers should use good strategies in 

teaching. 

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https://stagemusiccenter.com/music-school-blog-winchester-acton-ma/2022/8/7/the-importance-of-music-in-school-why-music-education-matters
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