Documenting the Music of the Berom People of Plateau State: Instruments, Songs, and Contexts

This study documents the musical traditions of the Berom people of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, with specific attention to musical instruments, song repertoire, and performance contexts. The Berom, one of the indigenous ethnic groups of the Jos Plateau, possess a distinctive musical culture that has received limited formal scholarly documentation despite its cultural richness. Traditional Berom music encompasses harvest celebrations, warrior songs, initiation ceremonies, and social dances that reflect the community's agrarian lifestyle and historical experiences. This research employs ethnographic fieldwork methods, including audio and video recording of performances, structured and unstructured interviews with Berom musicians and cultural leaders, and participant observation in selected communities within Jos North and Barkin Ladi local government areas. The Hornbostel-Sachs instrument classification system is applied to categorise and describe identified instruments. Song texts are transcribed, translated, and analysed thematically to reveal embedded cultural values and historical narratives. The study also assesses the current state of Berom musical tradition, noting the impact of urbanisation and religious change on performance practice. Findings will constitute a foundational ethnomusicological record for Berom studies and serve future researchers, cultural institutions, and music educators. Keywords: Berom music, Plateau State, ethnomusicology, documentation, cultural heritage.