Teacher Improvisation and Systemic Challenges in Indigenous Music Education within the CBE Framework in Nyandarua County, Kenya

Abstract Although Competency-Based Education (CBE) has incorporated indigenous music to instil cultural identity, creativity and competency, integrating this instruction in resource-limited rural schools continues to face challenges due to a gap between curriculum policy and its implementation. This study explored how teachers improvise in indigenous music education within the CBE context in Nyandarua County, Kenya, and the constraints they encounter. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design, purposively selected 30 primary school teachers from 10 sub-counties (Kinangop North, Kinangop South, Kipipiri, Ol Kalou, Ol Jorok, Gathanji, Njabini, Engineer, Mirangine, and Ndaragwa), and was grounded in the Culturally Responsive Pedagogy framework. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, and were analysed thematically. The results show that teachers relied on improvisation to maintain continuity in teaching. The practices developed to sustain curriculum continuity and engage learners were driven by severe institutional constraints during the curriculum transition. The research findings indicate that teacher-improvised instruction is important in the face of adverse circumstances, but cannot replace systematic investment. Sustainable implementation of indigenous music education within the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework requires sustained, system-wide, and equitable pre-service teacher preparation, teacher professional development, and resource allocation to build institutional capacity and ensure effective implementation of the CBE framework with an indigenous music learning approach. This study adds to the literature by illustrating how teacher improvisation enables indigenous music instruction in a context of limited resources, whilst concealing systemic shortcomings in CBE delivery.