ABSTRACT
The inclusion, emphasis and promotion of contemporary pop music in every aspect of our lifestyle through the social media and other avenues is a challenge to the appreciation and teaching of African music in our schools. The prime emphasis of western music in our curriculum does not help the situation either, unconsciously espousing a premise that western music is superior and more important than African music. This has given rise to an African society that now strives to be proficient in western music genres, leaving their cultural music unattended and at the brink of extinction. These facts, among others, are the precursors to the dwindling appreciation of African music, both as a practice and a pedagogical discipline, issues interrogated in this article. This article presents the nature, content, processes and materials of teaching music through the Silimba from Zambia, using language that is accessible to both the Western classically trained and the African practice-oriented learner and teacher.
