Musical Talent Research Articles

Measuring Audiation or Tonal Memory? Evaluation of the Discriminant Validity of Edwin E. Gordon's “Advanced Measures of Music Audiation”

Edwin E. Gordon developed the Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) test to quantify the extent of an adult's stabilized audiation as a fundamental indicator of musical ability. Although intended to measure audiation exclusively, AMMA is based on a test design similar to the tonal memory subtest of the much older Measures of Musical Talents (SMMT) test developed by Carl Seashore (1919). However, previous studies have shown mixed results regarding AMMA's construct validity. It therefore remains unclear whether AMMA is suitable for measuring audiation exclusively, as intended by Gordon, or whether it additionally measures tonal memory. Accordingly, we tested this hypothesis in two steps. First, responses of 364 participants were used to identify – in terms of the Rasch model – those items of AMMA that could form a “revised” scale showing measurement invariance; second, we used a Bayesian post hoc correlation analysis ( N = 83) to measure the construct (discriminant) validity of the revised version of AMMA compared to an equal number of items in the tonal memory subtest of SMMT. Results from both studies revealed that (a) only five out of 30 items of AMMA showed a model fit that was adequate to form a scale which meets the psychometric requirements of invariant measurement, although with a low internal consistency and an increased probability for ceiling effects, and that (b) both measurements showed a strong correlation ( Mdnτ = 0.56, 95% CI [0.42, 0.70], BF+0 = 2.67·1012). We can thus conclude that there is no practical evidence to assume that both test procedures (AMMA and SMMT) are independent.

National ruin sensibility of Erzhu’Ci

사라는 형식은 중국의 문학형식 중 가장 정적인 문학형식이다. 통상적으로 중국의 시를 언급하지만 시로도 말할 수 없는 감정을 역대의 작가들은 사를 통해 토로하였다. 사는 당대 초기에 민간으로부터 출발하여 만당시기에 문인들이 전문적으로 짓기 시작하였는데, 만당을 이어 오대에도 더욱 발전하였다. 그것은 서촉과 남당 사인들의 공로이다. 그런데 서촉사인들의 성향이 만당의 풍격을 다지고 계승한 것이라면, 남당사에서는 그 풍격이 성장하여 확장성을 가진다. 바로 당시에 몰락과 쇠망의 길을 온전히 겪은, 그런데 겪고 당하는 것만이 아닌, 그 감정을 생생히 발휘할 수 있는 문학적 소양을 갖춘 두 군주(중주와 후주)의 덕분 때문이다. 두 사람은 군주로서는 그 능력이 한심하고 부족했다. 그래서 전혀 손쓰지 못하고 당하는 망국의 슬픔과 고통을 사라는 문학형식을 빌어 그저 토로했을 뿐인데, 그 망국에 대한 감정 표현이 할 말을 잃게 할 정도로 일품이다. 심지어 이들의 사작은 두 사람이 중원을 제어할 능력을 가진 군주였다면, 이러한 사문학의 명작을 제공할 수 없었을 것이라는 면죄부가 되었다. 중국은 남당 이후 남송시기에 다시 한 번 정치적 소용돌이 속에서 고통을 겪는다. 이때 이미 망국의 감성을 근사하게 노래하여 일보의 성장을 보인 이주의 사작이 이들에게 본보기로 작용한다. 결국 이주가 사작을 통해 과시한 망국의 감성은 사문학의 다변화를 넘어 사풍의 궤적을 견고히 하는 데 있어 그 토대를 형성했던 것이다.Ci’literature of Chinese is the most emotional literary form of Chinese literature. Ci’literature of Chinese flourished at Tangdai(唐代) Dynasty, peaked during Songdai(宋代) Dynasty. Especially between Tangdai Dynasty and Songdai Dynasty, NanTang’Ci(南唐詞) has become Song’Ci(宋詞) strong base. And, Erzhu(二主) is the main character of NanTang’Ci. Erzhu is Zhongzhu(中主: 李璟) and Houzhu(後主: 李煜). NanTang has survived for over forty years. But, NanTang has always been in a state of unrest because it doesn’t know when it will go down. The two emperors were excellent in music and literary talent. Therefore, the emotions in the process of the ruins are revealed through Ci’literature. Zhongzhu’Ci of the ruins reveal the pain and silence. Houzhu’Ci of the ruins reveal the isolation and desperation. Most of the Erzhu’Ci previous work sang love. Thus, to Erzhu’Ci, the history of Ci’literature draws a meaningful stroke. Erzhu’Ci laid the foundation for the diversity of Song’Ci, it had a direct impact on patriotic Ci of NanSong(南宋), especially.

The historical figure of Ignaсy Jan Paderewski through the prism of synthesis of artistic and political activity

The purpose of the article is to reveal the role of I. J. Paderewski in realization the patriotic ideas of Poland's independence through the prism of synthesis of creative and political activity. In accordance with the goal the following tasks were set: to consider the figure's biography in interaction aspect of the basic spheres of functioning; determine the personal prerequisites for national ideas formation; to reveal the practical implementation of life credo; to characterize the historical, social and cultural, artistic contribution. Methodology. In course of the research the following methods were used to reveal the presented problems: historical (study of the life story), source studies (elaboration of existing scientific works on related issues), analytical and structural-logical (coverage of the chronological aspect of the problem, understanding the specifics of activities), method of theoretical generalization (to summarize). The scientific novelty. For the first time in the history of Ukrainian scientific thought the figure of І. J. Paderewski was considered as a complex phenomenon of the interaction of human's radically different spheres of activity. Conclusions. The personality of pianists, public figures, orators, politicians, and philanthropists became a main in both the musical and political life of Poland in the late XIX - early XX century. Thanks to his incredible musical talent and rich concert practice, he brought the problem of Polish national identity to the world level and enlisted the support of the most influential circles in matters of statehood. Paderewski’s phenomenon is in his indomitable spirit, faith in the independence of his country, efficiency in all spheres of his life, in the complex unity of poetic art and prudent politics. In the European cultural heritage, this is a unique case of coexistence of contrasting human activities, their mutual functioning in achieving the existential credo of an outstanding person.
 Keywords: І. J. Paderewski, political activity, patriotic ideas, artistic heritage.

Artificial Intelligence Technology Assisted Music Teaching Design

With the continuous improvement of the global economic level and scientific level, information technology has penetrated into all fields of people’s life. Today, the strategy of vigorously promoting educational modernization has created conditions for intelligent music teaching and promoted the in-depth application of artificial intelligence technology in education. Intelligent instructional design supported by artificial intelligence technology is the deep integration of information technology and music teaching. Through the intelligent perception technology, learning analysis technology, and emotional computing technology of artificial intelligence, an intelligent music teaching model is established. The online learning and education platform based on big data intelligence provides teachers with rich teaching methods, provides personalized evaluation and adaptive learning services for students’ learning, and helps improve the efficiency of music teaching. The traditional teaching design model cannot effectively guide the intelligent music teaching and cannot meet the needs of students’ development. Therefore, on the basis of previous studies, the author studies the intelligent teaching design supported by artificial intelligence technology. This study uses new generation information technologies such as big data, Internet of things, mobile Internet, and artificial intelligence to build a complete set of scientific intelligent music teaching design model. Wisdom teaching provides a reference for the whole process before, during, and after class, helps guide teachers to better carry out wisdom teaching, helps students explore cooperative and autonomous learning, and promotes the wisdom transformation of teaching methods and learning methods to a certain extent. Music classroom teaching has become more targeted and effective. Therefore, it is of great significance to cultivate intelligent music talents.

Kobzar Songs and Dumy of the 1930s – 1950s: Between Amateurism and Folk Tradition

The analysis of the authors’ songs and dumy, created by kobzars and lirnyky in the 1930s – 1950s is submitted in the article. The materials for the analysis include the sound records preserving in the IASFE record library. The recordings have been made in expeditionary and studio conditions. This study is aimed at the ascertaining the affinity of these works with folklore and the reason why they have not become an organic part of the oral epic and song tradition. The events of the 20th century are glorified in most of these works: the so-called October Revolution, Civil and Patriotic War, a happy collective farm life and the outstanding socialism projects. The performers have glorified the leaders Lenin and Stalin, the Soviet army, the «great» achievements of the Soviet government, the reunification of Ukrainian lands in 1939, etc. The Bolsheviks have tried by all means to place kobzars at the service of Soviet power and made them create «new heroic Soviet epos». This is the beginning of the tragedy of Ukrainian kobzarstvo and the destruction of the kobzar tradition. The kobzars Yehor Movchan and Volodymyr Perepeliuk have been endowed with a special musical talent. The events of the Second World War are covered in many works by Yehor Movchan. The duma On the Events in the Village of Protopopiv refers to the shooting of the villagers and the forcible deportation of young people to Germany. The author has used successfully folk melody and the structure of dumy. It includes the beginning, the ending, multiple repetitions, free meter. However, the text of the duma itself has nothing common with the oral epic tradition. This is indicated by the absence of folklore formulas in it, their replacement by newspaper stamps of the Soviet period. Therefore, despite its musical affinity with the Ukrainian folk epos, duma is still of artificial and literary nature, resembling an agitation leaflet in style. Though Yehor Movchan other songs are close to the folklore tradition, they have not become its property because of a completely opposite content to folk works. They have glorified and exalted what the people satirize and curse. The events poetized in them have contradicted the historical truth. The heritage of Hryhorii Ilchenko is a typical example of an «artificial fabrication of a new epos» in order to create the so-called «Soviet people’s dumy». His repertoire is marked by a large number of created for the stage specially original songs that have nothing common with folk epics. In particular, such forgery of folklore is A Duma on a Widowed Mother. The mechanisms of duma creation are described in the article. All this is only a superficial pastiche of folklore, primitive and artificial. The same applies to the ballads by Volodymyr Perepeliuk. Thus, most of the authors songs have quite an indirect relation to the oral folk tradition. That’s why they haven’t become and can’t become its property.

Proses Awal dalam Penghasilan Komposisi “Kelampan Bajang” dengan Mengadaptasi Struktur Musik Pop Suku Sasak Lombok

The musical composition, entitled Kelampan Bajang, is the main narrative of the composition theme about the story of the journey of the young Sasak tribe which is semiotically depicted in three different times, namely morning, afternoon, and night. This composition emerged due to several phenomena found, including 1) there are no complete Sasak songs in transcripts and arrangements, 2) many musicians arrange songs in Sasak but often cause controversy in lyrics and music, 3) many talented young musicians cover repeating noname songs on several songs performed by many pop singers in Lombok, 4) many sasak pop songs but most of them do not represent local culture in terms of lyrics and music. This paper aims to explain the initial process of musical composition with the theme Kelampan Bajang including 1) Bekuliq, 2) Bekayaq, 3) Matur Tampiasih, 4) Sepi Alam Dese, 5) Lalo Midang, and 6) Merariq. All song lyrics are written in the Sasak language. The research uses the autoethnographic method to discuss the problem, how the idea of ​​creating musical compositions can be aligned with the diversity of musical culture in Lombok. After conducting an in-depth study, the author concluded that in order to create a compositional work that could represent regional culture and not cause controversy among the public, namely 1) the author inserted an exploration of the pelog and slendro melodic motifs in the vocal melody section as regional identity, 2) the author inserted the motif the melodies of pelog and slendro in the musical arrangement section, and 3) the author uses good and correct local language lyrics that are in accordance with the regional culture in Lombok.

Musical play in the early years: the impact of a professional development programme on teacher efficacy of early years generalist teachers

ABSTRACT Teacher Efficacy (TE) refers to teachers’ confidence in their ability to promote student’s learning. Research shows that generalist teachers’ TE for music education is generally low, with many teachers associating music education with innate musical talents – a problem exacerbated by music education programmes that focus on singing or playing instruments. Musical play is a form of music education in which young children more or less freely explore and create with sound with limited guidance from a teacher, requiring fewer musical skills. This paper reports on an in-situ professional development program (PD) that focused on musical play as a means of enhancing early years teachers’ TE for musical play and for music education in general. For this study, a mixed method exploratory multiple-case study was used. Three early years teams (N = 14) took part in a PD that focused on knowledge and skills related to facilitating musical play. Data were collected through surveys and interviews. Findings demonstrate that taking part in the PD enhanced teachers’ TE for musical play and for 50% of the respondents for music education in general. The PD’s design features longer duration, collective participation, active learning and qualitative curriculum materials had contributed to teachers’ learning.

Determining the Views of Music Teachers at BILSEMs on the Music Field Student Diagnosis Process: The Case of Bursa

Science and Art Centers (BILSEM) are state institutions in Turkey operating under the Ministry of National Education, which aim to ensure that gifted students in Turkey acquire a scientific study discipline and develop their creativity in line with their talents and interests. In these centers, there are three different special talent fields: music, visual arts and general talent. In this study, it was aimed to determine the views of music teachers working at Science and Art Centers (BILSEM), which are activity-based centers where gifted students in Turkey receive education, about the student diagnosis process of music field. Music teachers working at BILSEM in the city center and districts of Bursa participated in the study. The study is in the case study research design, one of the qualitative research methods. The data were obtained using a semi-structured interview form. The acquired data were analyzed using the directed content analysis method. In this direction, 5 themes and 34 codes were determined. In the study, most of the teachers stated that group (Tablet) scanning application for the student diagnosis process was not necessary for prospective music students, that the content and criteria of the questions related to aural skills and memory should be changed and that the content related to the field of musical awareness was insufficient and needed to be improved. In addition, the music teachers evaluated the conditions of the exam environment and expressed different opinions on the subject. At the end of the study, various suggestions were made on the subject in the light of the obtained data and evaluations.
 Key words: BILSEM, centers for gifted students, diagnosis, music course, gifted students

The Casting Out of Spirits

The Casting Out of Spirits

Categorization and Level of Appropriateness of Waray-waray Music as Mother Tongue-Based Teaching Materials for Grades One to Three Pupils in Tacloban City

The dearth of MTB-MLE materials for classroom use is widely felt by lower primary teachers. It is for this reason that this study produced teaching materials, by collecting and categorizing local printed songs in the vernacular to be included as MTB-MLE instructional materials for Grades 1, 2 and 3 Waray-waray speaking pupils in the DepEd, Division of Tacloban City, Philippines. The Grades One to Three teachers categorized the Winaray folk songs in terms of level of appropriateness, using a survey instrument designed for this particular study. Descriptive and correlation statistics were used to analyze and interpret the data. Based on the results of this study it is recommended that male teachers in the academe should be given equal chances to be assigned in the primary levels. Lack of gender diversity in elementary education has a negative impact on young children. Age should not be a prime criterion for assigning teachers to a particular grade level. For many adults, as they age, they accumulate life experiences which allow them to be confident in the teaching?learning situation. Attendance in music related-seminar trainings and workshops is recommended as well, to lift teacher?s morale and boost their confidence to teach music. Recruiting and assigning a music specialist in every district of the DepEd Tacloban City is highly recommended. This study echoes the suggestion that since Universities that offer a music degree are limited and the tuition fee is expensive, perhaps more scholarships should be provided to those individuals who cannot afford the cost but have the music talent and skills that are perfect for a music educator. One of the salient features and objective of the K to 12 program is to preserve and promote cultural identity and heritage. This is the best time for music educators to do more research on production of materials that fit the Philippine setting especially the ones which are culture-based, up-to-date and state-of-the-art educational instruction. Hence, it is highly recommended that further studies of this kind be conducted. For one, this study can be replicated by collecting other untapped songs that are pricedly kept by musicians found somewhere else in the region. The potential to collect mother tongue-based compositions from contemporary songwriters should also be considered in future research investigation along this line.

Travelling to improve yourself and to increase common good of humankind and your country: recommendations of Leopold von Berchtold in the context of the Enlightenement discourse

The recommendations of the Bohemian philanthropist of the late eighteenth century Leopold von Berchtold to travelers were not unique: there were others before and after. In the previous centuries other authors also tended to recommend their readers to pay attention to the economic state of foreign countries and provided them with a long list of questions they had to ask the people in the country of their destination. However, Berchtold’s recommendations were the product of his time, the age of Enlightenment, and they mentioned numerous topics and problems characteristic for that period. For instance, the author believed that self-improvement of a traveler had to begin long before the start of the trip. In Berchtold’s opinion, a traveler prepared for the journey was a kind of ideal, universal superhuman who was physically proficient, expert in all spheres of science, mechanics, economics, and medicine, who knew many languages, and was a talented artist and musician. Among the topics related to the Enlightenment, to which the author paid attention, were, for instance, patriotism of the traveler, which he understood as civil virtue, destined to improve not only his own country but also the whole of humankind. Moreover, patriotism in Berchtold’s interpretation did not contradict cosmopolitanism but rather it based itself on it. Philanthropy – which in the eighteenth century was a kind of secular religion – also featured a lot in Berchtold’s recommendations. Finally, the theme of doubt, as a basis for a critical assessment of reality and verification of authorities, pierced through the whole text of Leopold Berchtold. So did the topic of the public sphere, especially sociability and creation of social networks. The recommendations of Berchtold are thus valuable as a source that can tell a lot about the age of Enlightenment – not only about the practical side of traveling but also about the intellectual history of that period.

4차 산업혁명 시대와 실용음악 교육의 방향 연구 - 교육기관과 전공생들의 인식 연구를 중심으로 -

This paper aims to help the field of practical music education respond effectively to future education systems, describes the need for education using the 4th Industrial Revolution, and studies how universities teaching practical music and students majoring in practical music in Korea perceive and prepare for the future field of practical music. The research method analyzed whether or not universities in Seoul area recognize and educate future education centered on the 4th industry through curriculum analysis, and surveyed students on practical music major in the same area about how new technologies could change if they were applied those to their majors. As a result of the study, most practical music universities did not have curricula corresponding to future education and academic convergence, and it was analyzed that students' perceptions of them were also low. However, since the MZ generation experienced metaverse through various media and games before the older generation, they were quick to recognize or understand these technologies and were able to present creative ways to effectively apply them to detailed their majors. If in the music-education field students' abilities to recognize and respond to the future market are improved, they will be able to cultivate musical talent to effectively respond to the upcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Educational Psychology-Based Strategy for Instrumental Music Teaching in Normal College.

The study is intended to explore the teaching mode of instrumental music teaching in normal college, so as to have qualified instrumental music teaching talents. Based on relevant content of educational psychology, the current instrumental music teaching model of normal college should be reformed in terms of curriculum content, teaching mode, and teaching methods, and a more systematic and standardized education model should be established. As per Orff’s music teaching method, a music recommendation model is established based on the convolutional neural network model to provide students with a positive and happy learning environment for instrumental music, and music materials that meet their personal preferences and performance level through user data. The outcomes show that the designed music recommendation model has a music recommendation accuracy rate of 0.3 and a recall rate of 0.29 when the recommendation list is 30, which conforms to the general rules of the music recommendation system. The study is expected to provide reference for establishment of a standardized and systematic instrumental music teaching strategy in normal college.

Research on Autoarrangement System of Accompaniment Chords Based on Hidden Markov Model with Machine Learning

Accompaniment production is one of the most important elements in music work, and chord arrangement is the key link of accompaniment production, which usually requires more musical talent and profound music theory knowledge to be competent. In this article, the machine learning model is used to replace manual accompaniment chords’ arrangement, and an automatic computer means is provided to complete and assist accompaniment chords’ arrangement. Also, through music feature extraction, automatic chord label construction, and model construction and training, the whole system finally has the ability of automatic accompaniment chord arrangement for the main melody. Based on the research of automatic chord label construction method and the characteristics of MIDI data format, a chord analysis method based on interval difference is proposed to construct chord labels of the whole track and realize the construction of automatic chord labels. In this study, the hidden Markov model is constructed according to the chord types, in which the input features are the improved theme PCP features proposed in this paper, and the input labels are the label data set constructed by the automated method proposed in this paper. After the training is completed, the PCP features of the theme to be predicted and improved are input to generate the accompaniment chords of the final arrangement. Through PCP features and template-matching model, the system designed in this paper improves the matching accuracy of the generated chords compared with that generated by the traditional method.

A College Music Teaching System Designed Based on Android Platform

Today’s rapid evolution in information and communication technologies affects all sectors, including education, and has a positive impact. As a result, teachers need to use technology effectively and keep up with innovation to meet the needs of the next generation. The college music educational system was always an important part of higher education in China, and the corresponding music curriculum system has gradually been established. This curriculum system has been instrumental in the systematization and standardization of China’s music industry, and it has produced a large number of outstanding musical talents for the country. The goal of this research is to discover advanced and dependable teaching methods. With the growing popularity of mobile intelligent terminal devices and the expanding application of the Android platform, using a mobile intelligent terminal for university courses’ learning has become a more powerful technical feature. Through the development of an intelligent learning application using the Android intelligent platform, students can practice exercises and evaluate themselves, allowing them to analyze their weak points based on their evaluation value, whether in class or after class, and then facilitate their learning. In this paper, I present my original perspectives and proposals on music education in colleges and universities, based on literature, analysis, and study, as well as my years of practical experience. To assure stability of the suggested framework, scalability, and sustainability, I have used the Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. This framework is based on the mobile client of Android that teaches and queries college music remotely and controls smart music. According to the experimental data, online music teaching has a greater learning effect on music skills and enhances traditional music performance by 25%. In terms of increasing interest in musical courses, this online college teaching information platform has the ability to raise 74% of students’ awareness.

Research on Music Theory in Music Textbooks of PMP

Music textbooks of PMP is a set of mature teaching materials widely used in music course of elementary education in China. The study of the music theory knowledge in this set of textbooks can not only help the music teachers in primary and secondary schools to more deeply understand the compiling spirit of the textbooks, but also have a great significance to the cultivation of music education talents in normal universities. Through combing the music theory knowledge involved, this paper makes a brief summary of the characteristics of PMP textbooks.

Preschool teachers’ view about the effect of musical games on musical talent and their development

This study presents the results of a research work, which aims to highlight the impact that the development of musical games during the learning process in preschool education has on the emotional and social development of preschool children. The purpose of this study is to investigate of the preschool teachers’ views about the impact you have on the overall development of children in preschool age, ie the importance of applying these games in preschool. The research approach applied in the study is a qualitative research approach. The sampling of the study includes 4 teachers who teach in the preschool system, in the kindergartens of the municipality of Gjilan, Kosova. The instruments applied in the study include semi-structured interviews. The main results and conclusions of the study that preschool teachers stated that the application of musical games during preschool lessons has a positive effect on improving the emotional state of children, as well as improving their social skills. Referring to the results of the study, it is suggested that teachers who work with children in preschool educational institutions, in teaching practice, to apply musical games in every lesson, not only to make the lesson as diverse as possible, but above all to make children feel happy.

The genetic aspect of musicality, perfect pitch and congenital Amusia

As one of the most important aspects of art, music is also a part of human biology and has had a significant influence on human evolution and development. In addition, it is an essential component of cultural heritage. Both hereditary and environmental variables are thought to play a role in developing and manifesting musical talent. Although environmental variables affecting musical ability have been extensively studied, genetic influences are less well understood. The genetic influence was strongly supported in studies of a random population, twins, and families of talented musicians. Linkage analysis, variation in gene copy number, and scanning for whole-genome expression were among the modern biomolecular methods used to discover genes or chromosomal areas linked to musical ability. Singing and music perception have been linked to many loci on chromosome 4, while absolute pitch and music perception have been linked to specific loci on chromosome 8q. Music perception, memory, and listening have all been linked to the AVPR1A gene on chromosome 12q, while SLC6A4 on chromosome 17q has been linked to music memory and choir involvement.

SPECIFICITIES OF STIMULATING MUSICAL TALENT WITHIN FORMAL MUSICAL EDUCATION

The authors studying gifted and talented persons agree that adequate boosting of their development requires either specialized curricula or adaptation of the existing ones by acceleration and/or differentiation. The paper focuses on the specificities of boosting talent for music, taking into account the organized system of formal music education in Serbia. A special attention is paid to solfege teaching, as it constitutes the basis of musical literacy of future professional musicians. It is presumed that the implementation of the procedures highlighted in the paper, coupled with a special attention paid to the problems of organizing the work with talented pupils and students can lead to a degree of development enabling them to participate in various musical activities with a high level of motivation and no fear of lacking skills. The paper also points to the need to stimulate musical talent according to the pupils' and students' individual abilities, and in line with the specificities of the chosen field of specialization.

Unruly Puppets: Producing the Urban Poor in a Bangladeshi Television Idol Competition

Magic Tin Chakar Taroka (Magic Three-Wheeler Star) or Tin Chaka (Three- Wheeler) is a reality competition to find music talent exclusively from the urban poor of Dhaka city. This programme was shown on Bangladeshi satellite television in 2008. The present article is an ethnographic exploration of the Tin Chaka event which demonstrates how the cultural identity of the urban poor in Dhaka has been performed by the production of ordinary celebrities in the visual media. In doing so, a combination of on-screen and off-screen observations were undertaken for a period of six months which was complemented by semiological interpretation of adverts, jingles and other visual materials. In this article, I argue that, despite its admirable inclusivity and thereby remarkably instant acceptance by the audience, the reason behind the discontinuation of Tin Chaka in following years lies in the inscriptions of the show as a charitable undertaking, an act which has often been performed in the reality television programmes in the name of “democratisation”.