Global Citizenship

In African American music I had the opportunity to analyze songs from black musicians. I have learned the material presented in class is that African American spirituals are a representation of African heritage. These spirituals are now used as the framework for shouts of protest, blues, gospel, jazz, rock & roll, and hip-hop music. Also, I learned that music was a way of life in Africa. Music was the one thing slave owners could not strip away from slaves because music has been infused in culture and heritage at an early age.  My favorite song that I listened to in the class was, “For you There Is No Song” composed by Leslie Adams. The meaning of this song is that he is broken and only has tears left to cry. He is unable to form a song that expresses the love and the memories he has lost so all that is left on the page are tears. Throughout the class I was taught to focus on the melody and frequency of the song to understand how notes are captured in such a powerful manner. This was interesting as I learned about textures of sound with layers and how that fits into the rhythmic patterns of the music. I loved how music can affect a person and how music is another lens for an individual to express their thoughts into words so the release of their emotions can be their escape into the music. This class allowed me to grow a deeper understanding and appreciation of African Culture, African Music, and the continuous battle for African American voices and composers’ stories to be told and remembered.