Whose Songs in Their Heads?

Abstract This article examines the musical experiences of children in Nandom, northern Ghana. Children use music to structure and order their world, sometimes not understood by the adult world. The differences involve the extra-musical meanings loaded onto the music; the significance of one music over another that indicates allegiance to traditional Dagara culture, to Ghanaian culture, to the Christian church, or to membership of a global popular music audience, with a particular focus on the perceived wealth of the USA. The radio station and the church also play a crucial role as the providers of alternative cultural materials.