Abstract:
The integration of music archives into university teaching in
Kenya remains limited despite the cultural and pedagogical
value of archival resources. Existing engagements between
universities and music archives are often informal and
dependent on individual lecturer initiative rather than
structured institutional collaboration. Guided by Cultural-
Historical Activity Theory, this paper examines lecturer-
informed strategies for strengthening university–music archive
collaboration in support of culturally responsive music teaching
within selected Kenyan public universities. Drawing on
Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the study used lecturers’
perspectives to explore how interactions between universities
and music archives are mediated by policies, institutional
arrangements, and pedagogical practices. Qualitative data were
generated through semi-structured interviews with music
lecturers and analysed thematically. The findings reveal that
effective collaboration requires a multi-level institutional
approach beyond the mere availability of archival materials.
Lecturers identified key strategies including formalised
partnerships between universities and music archives, joint
research and training initiatives, digitisation of archival
collections, increased institutional funding, lecturer
professional development, and community-engaged archival
programmes. Although focused on selected Kenyan public
universities, the study contributes to broader discussions on
archives, institutional collaboration, and culturally responsive
music pedagogy within African higher education. The study
further highlights the need for structured institutional
frameworks and policy alignment to strengthen the integration
of African musical knowledge within higher education
curricula.