This seminar will be held in-person. Alternatively, active online participation is possible via Zoom.

This teacher seminar examines African American history through music. From work songs and spirituals of the times of slavery to jazz, blues, and bebop of the Harlem Renaissance; from the anthems of the Civil Rights Movement to hip hop and today’s diverse soundtrack of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, we will take a closer look at how music reflects and shapes the cultural context in which it is created and performed. In this interactive seminar we will explore the long and varied history of African American music by analyzing iconic songs against the background of the historical moment in which they were created. What is the role of music in protest movements? How does music represent and influence ideologies and to what extent does music project an agenda for social and political change? We will discuss musical examples by a range of artists, from the Fisk Jubilee Singers to Jelly Roll Morton, from Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke to Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, as well as NWA, Kendrick Lamar, and Beyoncé, among many others.

Schedule:
09:00 Introduction: African American Music and History
09:30 Slave Songs, Field Hollers, and Spirituals
10:00 Jazz and Blues: Sounds of the Harlem Renaissance
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 From the Anthems of the Civil Rights Movement to Black Power
11:45 Political Hip Hop and Conscious Rap
12:15 The Soundtrack of #Black Lives Matter
13.00 Open Discussion
14:00  End

Speakers: Ernest Butler, M.A., Dr. Bärbel Harju, LMU Munich
Registration fee: € 10. Active participation is possible in-person or digitally.


Please register via our registration form (below) or online via FIBS.
FIBS: Stiftung Bayerisches Amerikahaus gGmbH

Photo: ©Samuel Regan Asante / unplash.com