Browsing by Author "Busobozi, Nicholas"

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Electronic music devices and software in music teaching and learning at the department of performing arts, Kyambogo University
(Kyambogo University [ Unpublished work], 2021-03) Busobozi, Nicholas
This was a study to examine how Electronic Music Devices and Software (EMDS) were used to enhance music teaching/learning at the Department of Performing Arts, Kyambogo University. The study aimed to evaluate how available EMDS were utilized in teaching/learning music, examine the effect of use of EMDS in teaching/learning music, and find out the challenges that hampered utilization of EMDS in teaching/learning music. A mixed study design both qualitative and quantitative was used, where both the Laird’s Sensory Theory and the Peter Principle’s Theory were applied in trying to understand variables of the study. The response rate of 78 respondents (100%) participated, where purposive sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used. The study employed questionnaire, interview, and document review, observation, and focus group discussion methods to collect data. Data was analyzed in themes, by coding and sorting similar responses. According to the findings, lecturers used the available EMDS to teach students both theory and practical skills in music, the use of EMDS had a positive effect on music teaching/learning, and inadequacy in knowledge, electricity power supply, internet connectivity, and virus attacks hampered the use of EMDS to teach/learn music. The study recommended; lecturers to be skilled more in using EMDS, timely repair of EMDS, and provision of alternative power supply to run EMDS continually. Further studies could be conducted to explore attitude of stake holders in using EMDS to teach/learn music
Endingidi (tubefiddle) pedagogy in bunyoro kingdom: individual mastery, narrative transmission, and solo performance traditions in Ugandan music education
(African Musicology Online, 2026-04-29) Busobozi, Nicholas; Peter Ereu Ekadu
This article examines Endingidi pedagogy in Bunyoro Kingdom, Uganda, analysing how this single-string tube-fiddle tradition transmits individual mastery, narrative competence, and solo performance skills across generations. Drawing on eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and indepth interviews with seven master Endingidi performers, the study employs Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) within an integrated theoretical framework combining Community of Practice theory, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, ethnomusicological transmission theory, decolonial pedagogy, and embodied cognition. The study identifies seven analytically derived pedagogical principles: individual agency, narrative competence, technical mastery, improvisation, intimate performeraudience relationships, portable learning, and intergenerational mentorship. Crucially, for each principle, the study documents not merely what is learned but the processual HOW — the specific mechanisms through which integration is achieved. These mechanisms include the Graduated Release of Autonomy (GRA), parallel curriculum sequencing, periodic performance assessments, variation assignment pedagogy, audience reading exercises, contextual diversity strategy, and individualised ‘reading the learner’ instruction. The findings challenge ensemblecentric assumptions in African music education scholarship, extend Community of Practice theory, and contribute a replicable decolonial pedagogical framework applicable to indigenous instrument education across sub-Saharan Africa.
Intergenerational transmission of adungu (bow-harp) musical knowledge in Bweyale-Karuma, Uganda: a phenomenological study of indigenous pedagogy, embodied learning, and decolonial praxis
(European Journal of Contemporary Education and ELearning, 2026-05-31) Busobozi, Nicholas; Ekadu,Peter Ereu
The Adungu, a multi-stringed arched bow-harp indigenous to the Alur and Lugbara communities of north-western Uganda, represents one of East Africa’s most architecturally sophisticated traditional instruments. Despite its ceremonial significance and growing presence in formal music education contexts, the pedagogical mechanisms through which Adungu musical knowledge is transmitted across generations remain substantially undocumented in scholarly literature. This qualitative phenomenological study investigates how master Adungu players in Bweyale-Karuma a multi-ethnic community in Kiryandongo District renowned across Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom for producing the finest Adungu instruments and most accomplished players transmit complex musical, cultural, and embodied knowledge to apprentices. Drawing on six months of intensive fieldwork (February–July 2025), the study employed Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to generate rich, experience-near accounts from eighteen participants: six master players, nine apprentices at varying stages of learning, and three cultural leaders. Data were generated through semistructured interviews, participant observation across rehearsal and ceremonial performance contexts, and audio-visual documentation of teaching interactions. Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework revealed seven interconnected transmission mechanisms: graduated tonal scaffolding, ensemble interdependence, embodied string memory, improvisation within communal constraints, master-apprentice mentorship, contextual performance immersion, and cultural narrative integration. These mechanisms constitute a sophisticated distributed pedagogical system that challenges deficit assumptions about oral, non-notational music education and offers critical insights for decolonial music education theory and Uganda’s Competency-Based Curriculum reform.
Supporting competence-based music education through electronic music devices: linking teacher capacity and learner outcomes in Uganda’s lower secondary schools
(European Journal of Contemporary Education and E-Learning, 2026-04-29) Busobozi, Nicholas; Isabirye, James
Uganda’s new Lower Secondary Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) emphasizes practical skills, creativity, and real-world application, yet music education faces persistent challenges, such as, under-prepared teachers, limited number of instruments, large classes, and inequitable access to technology. This qualitative multiple-case study examined how electronic music devices MIDI keyboards, laptops, smartphones, recording software, and notation tools can strengthen teacher capacity and improve learning outcomes in music education. The study was conducted in Masindi District, and it involved 15 Lower Secondary music teachers and 72 learners (S1–S4) across six schools. Data was collected through lesson observation, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Thematic analysis revealed the following key findings: electronic devices enhanced teacher confidence and pedagogical repertoire; recording and playback tools enabled reflective, learner-centered practice; learners demonstrated measurable gains in rhythm accuracy, ensemble coordination, and compositional creativity; group projects using keyboards and phones fostered collaboration and peer feedback; audio recordings provided authentic evidence for Conversation-Observation-Product (COP) assessment; and teachers creatively adapted to power outages and device scarcity through rotation schedules and offline preparation. The study demonstrates that even modest technology integration when pedagogically grounded can operationalize CBC principles, bridge teacher capacity gaps, and produce demonstrable musical competencies. Findings have implications for teacher professional development, curriculum implementation, and equitable technology access in resource-constrained contexts.