Black Music Sunday: Teaching Black history with music
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Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music. This is our 250th story covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new. Despite the attacks being waged against both the celebration of Black History Month and teaching Black history in U.S. schools, it’s important that everyone, whatever their background, become both teachers and students and pass the history on. From my perspective, Black History Month should really be year-round, since Black history is an integral part of American history. I’m in complete agreement with former President Barack Obama, who recently posted: From our earliest days, Black history has always been American history – and Black folks have profoundly shaped our American culture through music, art, literature, sports, and beyond.— Barack Obama (@barackobama1961.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM One month a year is not sufficient to celebrate the power of the movements and the people who have fought for the rights we enjoy today.— Barack Obama (@barackobama1961.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM Many organizations are using a #BH365 hashtag to encourage the teaching of Black History 365 days a year, and incorporating Black music to teach that history. Every adult should utilize the rich history resources—including music—that are available online to teach the children in your life. This is not information only Black youngsters should learn. Join me in exploring some of the readily available resources online for teaching and learning Black history, using music that documents multiple Black experiences through time. In 2019, Spotify declared that “Music is Black History.” This video emphasizes my point. YouTube Video Let’s take a look at some of the programs across the country that are utilizing music to teach Black history. Back in 2018, John Seabrook wrote in The New Yorker about the founding of the TeachRock program by guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, who many of you know as “Little Steven.” He is a fierce promoter of using music as a teaching tool. Seabrook introduced his efforts. Steven Van Zandt’s New Rock-and-Roll High School In his TeachRock program, Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video becomes a text about the slave trade. He learned everything he needed to know from rock and roll, he said. His timing was impeccable. He was thirteen on February 9, 1964, when he saw the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” “For those of us who were already the freaks and misfits and outcasts of the future, it was literally as shocking as a flying saucer landing in Central Park,” he said, in a voice full of awe and Jersey. The Beatles engaged him as his teachers had not. “You’re responding emotionally to something,” he said. “Bits of information come through. So, suddenly, you find yourself learning about Eastern religion”—from the Beatles—“or about orchestration. Learning about literature from Bob Dylan. You didn’t get into it to learn things, but you learn things anyway.” For the past decade, Van Zandt has been working on a way to re-create that dynamic, out-of-school learning experience inside classrooms, through his Rock and Roll Forever Foundation. The foundation’s team, which includes two ethnomusicologists, has crafted more than a hundred and twenty lesson plans based on popular songs and videos. Van Zandt calls the program TeachRock. For example, he said, “The first Elvis hit single, ‘That’s All Right,’ came out the same year as Brown v. Board of Education. And it reflects what’s going on and provides a basic context.” All the music is licensed and the lesson plans are available to teachers for free online. A TeachRock promotional video from 2019 documents TeachRock’s curriculum in action, as a high school class looks at U.S. history—through the music of Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. YouTube Video Lamar is also headlining this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which is a great way to bring him—and his music—into a conversation. TeachRock’s resources and lesson plans are available to everyone, and some courses can even be taught to kindergarteners! Another amazing and detailed source is available at the Democracy and Me website, compiled by history professor Dr. David Childs. From his introduction to the “Learning music through Black history” lesson plan collection: A major back drop and cultural thread through every era of Black history has been music. It is important to understand how it has shaped Black culture and also how Black culture has been shaped by music. Music created by African Americans (Black music) is varied and complex, coming in many shapes and sizes. Indeed, African American music is a very broad phenomenon that describes a wide range of musical styles and genres. Black music was shaped by historical conditions that was a response to a variety of emotions including happiness, joy, suffering, disappointment, despair, exhilaration and pain. [...] Classrooms can come alive when teachers incorporate the rich reservoir of African American music that can now be easily accessed via a computer and the Internet. Be sure to peruse and utilize his lesson ideas. In 2017, Detroit’s PBS station featured Quincy Stewart, a music teacher at Detroit’s Central High School who integrates Black history into his lessons. Sadly, right after his segment aired, Stewart faced a $30,000 pay cut and was forced to start teaching in the suburbs. Watching Stewart in action shows just what his Detroit students lost as a result. YouTube Video Many curricula start Black history with the Transatlantic slave trade, or U.S. plantations, only briefly acknowledging Africa as the place of origin of Black folks’ ancestors. Yet we are the descendants of multiple ethnic groups, from diverse civilizations across the African continent. Black history does not begin with slavery. Vocalist, songwriter, playwright, actor, and civil rights activist Oscar Brown Jr. celebrated the beauty of our African heritage when he wrote the lyrics to and recorded jazz musician Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro-Blue.” Dream of a land my soul is from I hear a hand stroke on a drum Shades of delight, cocoa hue Rich as a night, Afro blue Give it a listen. YouTube Video Paul Robeson’s rendition of “Go Down Moses” is an example of enslaved people’s powerful use of biblical references to sing about freedom. In the context of teaching Black history, the song is also an excellent jumping off point to teach about Robeson himself. Robeson and his history are rarely taught because of his leftist politics, but Black Music Sunday celebrated him. YouTube Video I’ve also used his recording of “No More Auction Block” in my classes. YouTube Video One of the ironic highlights of the Black gospel tradition is “Amazing Grace.” It’s ironic because it was written by slave trader-turned-minister John Newton, profiled here on the Library of Congress website. There are many versions of it, by multiple artists, but one of my favorites will always be Aretha Franklin’s live version. It was recorded in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, featuring the Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. YouTube Video Escaping from enslavement and the heroic role of Harriet Tubman in those efforts are powerfully portrayed in song by Cynthia Erivo, in “Stand Up” for the motion picture “Harriet.” YouTube Video I admittedly have barely scratched the surface of songs that are useful for teaching Black history. I hope you will visit some of our 250 past efforts to contextualize Black music in history. As always, I look forward to hearing your selections and suggestions in the comments. Celebrate Black History 365! Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/9/2300194/-Black-Music-Sunday-Teaching-Black-history-with-music?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music. This is our 250th story covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new. Despite the attacks being waged against both the celebration of Black History Month and teaching Black history in U.S. schools, it’s important that everyone, whatever their background, become both teachers and students and pass the history on. From my perspective, Black History Month should really be year-round, since Black history is an integral part of American history. I’m in complete agreement with former President Barack Obama, who recently posted: From our earliest days, Black history has always been American history – and Black folks have profoundly shaped our American culture through music, art, literature, sports, and beyond.— Barack Obama (@barackobama1961.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM One month a year is not sufficient to celebrate the power of the movements and the people who have fought for the rights we enjoy today.— Barack Obama (@barackobama1961.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM Many organizations are using a #BH365 hashtag to encourage the teaching of Black History 365 days a year, and incorporating Black music to teach that history. Every adult should utilize the rich history resources—including music—that are available online to teach the children in your life. This is not information only Black youngsters should learn. Join me in exploring some of the readily available resources online for teaching and learning Black history, using music that documents multiple Black experiences through time. In 2019, Spotify declared that “Music is Black History.” This video emphasizes my point. YouTube Video Let’s take a look at some of the programs across the country that are utilizing music to teach Black history. Back in 2018, John Seabrook wrote in The New Yorker about the founding of the TeachRock program by guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, who many of you know as “Little Steven.” He is a fierce promoter of using music as a teaching tool. Seabrook introduced his efforts. Steven Van Zandt’s New Rock-and-Roll High School In his TeachRock program, Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video becomes a text about the slave trade. He learned everything he needed to know from rock and roll, he said. His timing was impeccable. He was thirteen on February 9, 1964, when he saw the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” “For those of us who were already the freaks and misfits and outcasts of the future, it was literally as shocking as a flying saucer landing in Central Park,” he said, in a voice full of awe and Jersey. The Beatles engaged him as his teachers had not. “You’re responding emotionally to something,” he said. “Bits of information come through. So, suddenly, you find yourself learning about Eastern religion”—from the Beatles—“or about orchestration. Learning about literature from Bob Dylan. You didn’t get into it to learn things, but you learn things anyway.” For the past decade, Van Zandt has been working on a way to re-create that dynamic, out-of-school learning experience inside classrooms, through his Rock and Roll Forever Foundation. The foundation’s team, which includes two ethnomusicologists, has crafted more than a hundred and twenty lesson plans based on popular songs and videos. Van Zandt calls the program TeachRock. For example, he said, “The first Elvis hit single, ‘That’s All Right,’ came out the same year as Brown v. Board of Education. And it reflects what’s going on and provides a basic context.” All the music is licensed and the lesson plans are available to teachers for free online. A TeachRock promotional video from 2019 documents TeachRock’s curriculum in action, as a high school class looks at U.S. history—through the music of Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. YouTube Video Lamar is also headlining this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which is a great way to bring him—and his music—into a conversation. TeachRock’s resources and lesson plans are available to everyone, and some courses can even be taught to kindergarteners! Another amazing and detailed source is available at the Democracy and Me website, compiled by history professor Dr. David Childs. From his introduction to the “Learning music through Black history” lesson plan collection: A major back drop and cultural thread through every era of Black history has been music. It is important to understand how it has shaped Black culture and also how Black culture has been shaped by music. Music created by African Americans (Black music) is varied and complex, coming in many shapes and sizes. Indeed, African American music is a very broad phenomenon that describes a wide range of musical styles and genres. Black music was shaped by historical conditions that was a response to a variety of emotions including happiness, joy, suffering, disappointment, despair, exhilaration and pain. [...] Classrooms can come alive when teachers incorporate the rich reservoir of African American music that can now be easily accessed via a computer and the Internet. Be sure to peruse and utilize his lesson ideas. In 2017, Detroit’s PBS station featured Quincy Stewart, a music teacher at Detroit’s Central High School who integrates Black history into his lessons. Sadly, right after his segment aired, Stewart faced a $30,000 pay cut and was forced to start teaching in the suburbs. Watching Stewart in action shows just what his Detroit students lost as a result. YouTube Video Many curricula start Black history with the Transatlantic slave trade, or U.S. plantations, only briefly acknowledging Africa as the place of origin of Black folks’ ancestors. Yet we are the descendants of multiple ethnic groups, from diverse civilizations across the African continent. Black history does not begin with slavery. Vocalist, songwriter, playwright, actor, and civil rights activist Oscar Brown Jr. celebrated the beauty of our African heritage when he wrote the lyrics to and recorded jazz musician Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro-Blue.” Dream of a land my soul is from I hear a hand stroke on a drum Shades of delight, cocoa hue Rich as a night, Afro blue Give it a listen. YouTube Video Paul Robeson’s rendition of “Go Down Moses” is an example of enslaved people’s powerful use of biblical references to sing about freedom. In the context of teaching Black history, the song is also an excellent jumping off point to teach about Robeson himself. Robeson and his history are rarely taught because of his leftist politics, but Black Music Sunday celebrated him. YouTube Video I’ve also used his recording of “No More Auction Block” in my classes. YouTube Video One of the ironic highlights of the Black gospel tradition is “Amazing Grace.” It’s ironic because it was written by slave trader-turned-minister John Newton, profiled here on the Library of Congress website. There are many versions of it, by multiple artists, but one of my favorites will always be Aretha Franklin’s live version. It was recorded in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, featuring the Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. YouTube Video Escaping from enslavement and the heroic role of Harriet Tubman in those efforts are powerfully portrayed in song by Cynthia Erivo, in “Stand Up” for the motion picture “Harriet.” YouTube Video I admittedly have barely scratched the surface of songs that are useful for teaching Black history. I hope you will visit some of our 250 past efforts to contextualize Black music in history. As always, I look forward to hearing your selections and suggestions in the comments. Celebrate Black History 365! Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/9/2300194/-Black-Music-Sunday-Teaching-Black-history-with-music?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main