The African-American Experience as Learned Through 20th Century Jazz

 
Welcome to the Multicultural Kids Blog Carnival. This is the one time a month that we talk about one topic. January’s topic is Music and Art around the world. I hope you enjoy the posts of participating bloggers as they enrich the lives of our children and families.
 

 
With Martin Luther King Day approaching quickly, and Black History Month just a few weeks away, I want to give my children an insightful, understandable (on the elementary level) but meaningful look into the continuing plight of African-Americans in this country.  The only way to understand the situation now going forward, is to have a firm understanding of where we have been and the struggles of the past.  I wanted my teaching to be more broad than Martin Luther King Jr. – because to understand his contribution, you must be able to understand the situations leading up to his eventual rise.

Wanting art and music to be the core of our curriculum, in our homeschool, we are going to celebrate and study the contribution, struggles, and successes of African-Americans through Negro Spirituals and 20th and 21st century music and art.

To start, I have chosen a few 20th century artists, which I believe beautifully expressed the early experience of Africans and African-Americans in this country.
 
 

 

 
Artist: Duke Ellington – Horn
Album: Black, Brown and Beige Suite
Release: 1958

This suite received mixed reviews. This 20 minute piece breaks the African slave – 1930’s into 3 different time periods.

~Piece 1 representing Coming from Africa as a Slave – West Indian Dance
~Piece 2 representing the plight of the newly freed slave – Emancipation Celebration
~Piece 3 representing The Affluent life of some African-Americans living in Harlem during the 20′ and 30’s – Sugar Hill Penthouse
 

 

 

Artist: Oliver Nelson
Album: Afro-American Sketches
Song: Disillusioned
Release: 1962

Disillusioned represented the disappointment but perseverance of Southern Blacks as they moved North in search of a better life during the great migration of early 20th century.

 

 

 

 

Artist: John Carter – clarinetist
Album: Fields
Song: Juba’s Run
Release: 1988

Juba’s Run represents the Slave’s fight for freedom.

 

 

Artist:  Wynton Marsalis

Album: Blood in the Field

Release: 1997

 

A 3 CD compilation that depict a slave couples journey to freedom

 

 

 

Artist: Wadada Leo Smith
Album: 10 Freedom Summers
Song: Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 381 Days

This song brings attention to the 1 year struggle to desegregate buses in Alabama.

 

 

 

I think this song, more than any other – the general public can relate to.  It doesn’t feel right to have a discussion of Music representing the plight of African-Americans without discussing Lift Every Voice and Sing.  While not jazz like the others listed, this song speaks to the struggles and important figures of the African-American community as they struggled to live under Jim Crowe and Segregation.  It’s very well-known – having been established from a poem by James Weldon Johnson.   I think it’s a good tool for teaching generally about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movements. – as it is associated with that time period.

African-Americas have come a long way, but It’s far from over.    Government sponsored segregation is over, but the work or rectifying the self segregation has still yet to be done.

 

 
 
The reason why I wanted to host this blogging carnival, is because I think it’s so important to expose children to other cultures and different ideas so they can fully grow into global citizens. Please take a look at the posts from participating blogs. There are a myriad of ideas, crafts and richness contained in each and every post.

 

General Arts

• Mixing of Art Material Objects by Raising a Trilingual Child
• Travel the World Through Music by All Done Monkey
• Art Inspiration when Traveling by Mother Tongues
• 3 Simple Solutions for Incorporating Music and Art into Homeschooling by Homeschool Ways
• Scarborough Fair by Laugh and Learn
• Mondrian for Kids Art Project by Pragmatic Mom

 

Central and South America

• Exploring Bolivia through Music and Art by Joyful Parenting
• Bolivia in Childhood Art by Joyful Parenting

 

Australia

• Exploring Geography in Australia by Joyful Parenting

 

Asia

• Russian Art for Kids Art Collections by The Educators Spin on It
• Karoke Mama by Journey of a Fabulist

 

Europe

• Craft it Up Around the World by Crafty Mom Share