CELEBRATING AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICIANS: SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL
Jennifer Culver
Over the past year, a global pandemic, social unrest, and an increasingly politically divided nation have led us to unprecedented experiences. Reimagining how I teach in my “classroom”—be it in person or hybrid or remote—forced me to reflect on the content I present to my students and how to create meaningful lessons in these challenging times. I decided to dedicate time in class every day in February to highlight an African American composer, musician, or singer. It was important to me to present individuals from across the vast spectrum of music, representing various periods of history and all genres of music. I also strived to share the work of men and women equally, as well as composers of the past and present. My goal was to present examples of notable individuals and the overwhelming contributions they have made to the cultural fabric of our nation. A quick Google search for important African American composers led me to a variety of lists compiled from various sources, including websites of classical radio stations, National Public Radio, and the Smithsonian Magazine. After reviewing these resources, I identified individuals who were repeatedly mentioned and further researched their
lives and musical experiences. From this research, I created a series of Google Slides to share with my students. Each day, I presented a slide in class to my students. Information included a photo of the musician, a few biographical details about their life, and a link to an example of their work. These slides were housed in our Google Classroom, so students had the ability to go back and look at anything they may have been interested in exploring further. I was committed to spending the first few minutes of class every day to share these biographies, songs, and pieces with my students. In an effort to share this with the wider community, these musicians and their works were also a daily tweet on my teacher Twitter account. I modified the content I was sharing with students to fit the requirements of the social media platform but maintained a photo of the composer and a link to the work of each artist. I cannot begin to express how much I learned throughout this project. Did you know there is an oratorio about Martin Luther King, Jr.? There is, and it is titled Scenes from the Life of a Martyr by Undine Smith Moore, composed in 1981.
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