Melody: J. Rosamond Johnson/J. Weldon Johnson / arr. Terry Mizesko “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

J. Rosamond Johnson

BORN: August 11, 1873, Jacksonville, Florida DIED: November 11, 1954, New York City, New York

BIOGRAPHY (in Student Book)

John Rosamond Johnson was one of the most successful African American composers of his time. Born in 1873 in Jacksonville, Florida, he left in 1890 to study at the New England Conservatory. He then moved to London to continue his studies for a short period of time, before returning to his hometown of Jacksonville and becoming a public-school teacher. Around the same time, he also formed a songwriting duo with his older brother, poet James Weldon Johnson. In 1900, Johnson moved to New York City to work with his brother and fellow composer Robert Cole. Together, the team worked on a vaudeville show and put together a couple of Broadway operettas, remaining collaborators until Robert Cole’s death in 1911. Johnson continued in show business in various ways for the rest of his life, touring with vaudeville groups, writing songs, performing in shows, and editing music collections. He also worked to teach the next generation, founding the New York Music School Settlement for Colored People, a music school in Harlem.

FUN FACTS (in Student Book)

• J. Rosamond Johnson arranged over 150 spirituals and over 160 musical theatre songs! • Although famous as a composer and arranger, he was also a talented performer, appearing in multiple Broadway shows during his time in New York. • He was a musical prodigy and was considered to be an accomplished pianist by age four.

FEATURED WORK: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” was originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music to turn the poem into a hymn. The hymn was first performed at a segregated school in Jacksonville, Florida, by 500 schoolchildren as a way to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. In 1919, it was designated as “the Black national anthem” by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also known as the NAACP. A hymn celebrating the path to freedom, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was performed throughout the civil rights movement and more recently by popular artists including Beyoncé and Alicia Keys. This program uses a vocal arrangement by composer and former North Carolina Symphony musician Terry Mizesko.

FUNDAMENTAL OF MUSIC: Melody

Melody is a sequence of individual notes that form a satisfying whole. When harmony is added, the melody is the principal singing part. In a choral environment, it can be tempting for singers to follow the melodic line. Harmony is quite important to the melody—it supports and balances the melody so that it can shine through as the easiest part to recognize.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY #1: Listening and Responding

NORTH CAROLINA ESSENTIAL STANDARDS IN MUSIC:

4.ML.1.1 Apply expressive qualities when singing or playing a varied repertoire of music representing genres and styles from diverse cultures. 5.CR.1.1 Understand how music has affected, and is reflected in, the culture, traditions, and history of the United States.

OBJECTIVE:

Students will learn the history and meaning behind the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Students will learn to sing and sign the first verse of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and sing the second verse. Students will use proper technique when singing. Students will apply expressive qualities when singing.

MATERIALS:

• Book or Video of Sing a Song by Kelly Starling Lyons Melody-Sing a Song • Recording of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” • Student score • Sign language video*

PROCESS:

1. Introduce “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 2. Ask if any of the students have heard the song before. Where? 3. Using the student book or classroom score, examine the lyrics with your students. Use the worksheet below to guide a classroom discussion and reflection. 4. Read the book Sing a Song or play a Read Aloud version on YouTube. 5. Revisit the questions discussed on the worksheet. Have any of the students’ answers changed? Discuss with them why or why not? 6. Rehearse and learn to sing the song. 7. Use the ASL video to learn the sign language for verse 1. *Special thanks to Jamie Smith, librarian at River Bend Elementary, for creating this video. Before becoming a teacher, she was a librarian at Gallaudet University, a school for the Deaf in Washington, D.C.

NORTH CAROLINA ESSENTIAL STANDARDS IN MUSIC:

4.ML.3.2 Create compositions and arrangements using a variety of traditional and non-traditional sources.

OBJECTIVE:

Students will define melody. Students will listen to and identify melodies in Google Song Maker. Students will use Google Song Maker to fill in missing sections of known melodies. Students will use Google Song Maker to compose their own melodies.

MATERIALS:

• Song Maker – Chrome Music Lab Melody-Chrome Music Lab

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

“Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” (optional) • Student devices (computers or tablets) or teacher device to project for the students • Video: Explaining Song Maker Process Melody-Song Maker

PROCESS

1. Ask students to define melody—a series of musical notes or tones arranged in a definite pattern of pitch and rhythm. a. Students will listen to the first melody—“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”—in Song Maker and identify the melody and fill in the missing sections. b. Students will listen to the second melody—“Row Your Boat”—and identify the melody and fill in the missing sections. c. Optional: Students can listen to the third melody—“Lift Every Voice”—and identify the melody. A missing-note activity could also be done or students could add harmony and percussion. There is one “mistake” in the melody, which may be an extra challenge for students to see if they can find the one wrong note. 2. Students create their own original composition or arrangement of a known melody using Song Maker.