Documentation and archiving of church musical practices in Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Ikot Ekpene

Abstract

Methodism was born in song through the good works of John and Charles Wesley of England. Methodists cannot do without singing or rather without music. Methodism came to Nigeria in 1842 through the works of Missionaries – Thomas Birch Freeman, a Negro; and William De-Graft and wife from Ghana. From the inception of Methodist Church Nigeria, Church musical practices are evident through choirs, bands, congregational hymn singing, musical compositions and performances within and outside the Church. However, how are these musical practices in Methodist Church Nigeria documented and archived for future generations? This work, therefore, seeks to discuss documentation and archiving of musical practices in Methodist Church Nigeria; to study the past, ascertain its present stage and suggest ways of improvement for future generations. Qualitative Research Method is employed in this work and my personal experience and involvement as a Methodist. This research will bring to the fore the current level of documentation and archiving of musical practices in Methodist Church Nigeria and suggest ways of aligning them with the world's best practices of documentation and archiving. More so, other Churches, academicians and researchers will gain from this study as regards the best practices of documentation and archiving.