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.

Did you know Wynton Marsalis composed a jazz oratorio titled Blood on the Fields and that he won a Pulitzer Prize for it in 1997? It tells the story of two slaves and their long journey to freedom.

Have you heard about the opera based on the life of Harriet Tubman? It is titled Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, and it is by living composer Nkeiru Okoye, written in 2014.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these compositions and artists, as did my students.

We are living in a significant moment in history, one where the stories of our shared past must be reconciled with our current realities. In these moments, we have the opportunity to search beyond ourselves and the comforts of our communities to truly see one another and all that it means to be American. As educators, we are tasked with the challenges and opportunities to broaden the minds of those in our classrooms and by extension, our communities. Music provides an incredible opportunity to present ideas and stories to people from all walks of life through this shared language.

Jennifer Culver has taught music in Cuyahoga Falls City Schools for the past twenty-two years and currently serves as the Fine Arts Department Chair for the district. She has taught a variety of courses, including instrumental music, AP Music Theory, Adaptive Music Appreciation, and a CCP course through Kent State University. She earned her undergraduate (BME) and graduate degrees (MM) from Kent State and holds a Master Teacher Designation from the state of Ohio. In 2017, she was named Teacher of the Year for the Ohio State Board of Education District 7. You can follow her on Twitter @MrsCulver_music.

Note from the editor: I enjoyed reading Mrs. Culver’s tweets throughout Black History Month and was excited that she was willing to share her work with TRIAD readers. As stated in the article, Mrs. Culver presented information about Black composers and musicians to students in her classes. Then, in an effort to share this with the wider community, these musicians and their works were also presented in a daily tweet on my teacher Twitter account” (p. 45). The following pages include a gallery of tweets and some additional slides representing some of the artists she highlighted. You can follow her on Twitter @MrsCulver_music.