MERG –Kenya Background
History
The idea was for the formation of a music education research group was first mooted by Emily Akuno in 2011 at the height of much debate on the value of higher education in music and the arts in Kenya. The desire for such an organization was revived through communication on 30th Dec, 2019 via a WhatsApp message. The establishment of MERG, she explained, was occasioned by three issues, that:
- Although music education in Africa is said to have had its beginnings in Kenya, the amount of scholarly work getting out of Kenya is little;
- The new direction that the International Society of Music Education -ISME has taken that has led to the replacement of both group members and ISME National Affiliates with the ISME Council of Professional Associations allows for partnership between ISME and associations engaged in music education activities globally, an opportunity that we do well to pursue.
There is an exigent need to strengthen the discipline of music in Kenya and beyond through research, education and practice.