"Kumbaya," "Were You There?," "Free At Last" - sound familiar? Turn the radio on, flip the channels on the TV, or go to the movies and you will surely hear at least one of these songs. They form part of our American tradition - why?
Join us and find out. Find out, too, why and how the "Africanness" in African music was lost when it came into English. Learn about the other types of songs - work songs, love songs, trains songs - and the role they played and continue to play in the Early Black Music Tradition. Read about the young girls who rescued spirituals from oblivion and the sacrifices they made to do so. Make the connection between this early music and the songs of the civil rights era. Then, take your own journey backstage for an interview with the founder of a nationally famed singing group. So, get your vocal chords ready and your ears in tune!
See our Teacher's Guide for this issue!