ABSTRACT
Music education is a creative enterprise that develops the creative germ in learners to behave musically in varied contexts while exercising the creative capacity of educators to meet individual learners’ needs. Teaching music requires that learners and educators rely on diverse skills and concepts to maintain relevance and tool practitioners for the ever-changing job market. The focus of Kenya’s formal education generally leans towards political ideals that may not recognise the cultural value of individual disciplines. This makes creating and maintaining a successful and vibrant higher music education tradition a difficult assignment.
Higher music education in Kenya has witnessed a transformation that moved focus from teacher education to musician training. This involved interrogating and articulating the principles, processes and focus of music education to respond to socio-economic dynamics. This chapter interrogates this transformation from 1965. Anchored on the CI Model of Creativity, this reflective chapter conceives this transformation as a creative process of maintaining relevance and purpose in the face of conflicting ideals of government policy and the emerging demands of learners’ and industry needs.
