Perception of Music as a Career Among Secondary School Students in Kaduna State

This study investigates the perceptions of secondary school students toward music as a viable career option in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. Despite the economic success of Nigerian musicians in the global entertainment industry, prevailing attitudes in many Nigerian families and educational institutions continue to discourage students from pursuing professional music careers. This research examines the factors shaping these perceptions, including parental influence, peer attitudes, religious values, school curricula, and access to music training. A descriptive survey design is adopted, utilising structured questionnaires administered to 300 final-year secondary school students selected through stratified random sampling from public and private schools across three senatorial districts in Kaduna State. The study is anchored in social cognitive theory and recent literature on career guidance and arts education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Data analysis employs descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess relationships between demographic variables and career perception. Findings are expected to reveal significant differences in perception based on gender, school type, and religious affiliation. The study recommends the integration of music career guidance into school counselling programmes and the use of successful Nigerian music industry professionals as role models in career education. Keywords: Career perception, music profession, secondary school students, Kaduna State, arts education.