The influence of school and community choral contests in the introduction of music education in Botswana schools

Abstract

This article examines choral contests in Botswana’s music education. Choral contests have been conducted for many years in Botswana and predate the introduction of formal music teaching in schools. These early contests were often annual choral competitions (tonic sol-fa notation) and were organized through the Botswana Teachers Union or community organizations such as churches. These early choral competitions in fact laid a foundation for formal music teaching in schools. Data for this study was collected through the researcher’s participatory observation as a college choir conductor, a community choir conductor and a competition adjudicator. Rather than empirical research, this article is based on a critical argument about issues the author has experienced. At the time of writing this article, there has been very little to no documentation of Botswana choral music.