Assessing the Role of Instructional Culture in the Implementation of Music Education Curriculum in Southwest Nigeria

Aims: Scholarship on music education in Nigeria has focused on the perceived inadequacies of the curriculum, particularly in terms of limited responsiveness to current trends in the music industry. While this concern is valid, they often overlook the dimension of curriculum delivery, especially the instructional culture in institutions. This study therefore investigates the defining characteristics of instructional culture in music education settings across selected institutions, how the instructional culture shapes the curriculum implementation process and identifies best practices as reflected in the instructional cultures across these institutions. Study Design: A mixed-methods approach using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Place and Duration of Study: Federal Colleges of Education in Oyo and Ogun state between October 2024 and April 2025. Methodology: Respondents include penultimate and final year students as well as lecturers with over 6 years of service. Data derived from structured questionnaires was analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data from classroom observation and interviews was analysed using thematic categorisation. Results: 83 valid student responses were analysed (90.2%) alongside 5 lecturer responses (100%). Students’ mean scores (3.63 ± 1.30) showed moderate agreement that instructional culture supports curriculum delivery, though interviews revealed concerns about outdated teaching methods. Lecturers rated instructional culture more favourably (Mean = 4.46 ± 0.62) but highlighted infrastructure limitations. While both groups acknowledge its importance, students’ reservations suggest that existing practices may not fully support effective curriculum implementation in music education. Conclusion: The persistence of outdated or misaligned instructional practices can hinder the realisation of intended learning outcomes. Therefore, without a deliberate alignment between the curriculum content and a dynamic instructional culture, efforts to improve Nigerian music education may be unsustainable.