Lack of Music Is Reducing Intelligence In Our Schools� Carlos Sakyi

Copyright Advocate, musician and producer; Carlos Sakyi has stated that the lack of music lessons in the country�s institutions of basic education has resulted in a dip in intelligence levels of pupils. He further lamented the fact that even within the nation�s tertiary institutions, students who offer music and theatre arts courses are frequently lampooned and looked down upon by their counterparts who perceive such courses as trivial. Carlos Sakyi emphasised that the attitude of such students mirrors the generally unserious and trifling attitude that Ghanaian society adopts towards music. This, he said forms the basis of most of the woes that beset music in Ghana. Beyond this though, Carlos Sakyi further asserted that the single most predominant factor responsible for stunting the growth of Ghana�s music industry is piracy. He said that widespread acts of piracy by Ghanaians from all walks of life, aided in no small way by the preponderance of unregulated digital technology and almost non-existent government policies on piracy could cause the nation�s stuttering music industry to come to heel. Carlos Sakyi made these remarks as part of a presentation on the topic: �Key issues affecting the music industry in Ghana� at the Music Of Ghanaian Origin (MOGO) Forum. The Forum which took place at Citizen Kofi, Osu, was attended by an array of stakeholders in Ghana�s music industry including musicians, music producers, journalists, members and executives of The Musicains Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) as well as Marketers and Distributors of local music.