Musical Resources for Black History Month

This morning's mail included information on a website that you may find helpful as you plan activities for Black History Month.

Dear Dr. Buck,

I am a retired administrative law judge and also have a background in Civil Rights. My mission in retirement is a nonprofit educational website on Black composers and musicians, http://www.AfriClassical.com

The African American composer William Levi Dawson (1899-1990) was born in Anniston, Alabama. He attended Tuskegee Institute and in 1931 he joined the faculty as a Professor of Music. During his 25 years in the Music Department he led the Tuskegee Institute choir to greatness.

Dawson is well known for his many arrangements of spirituals, and he combined three spirituals in his Negro Folk Symphony, which has been recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Chandos 9226 (1993). Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, former Director of the Center for Black Music Research, www.cbmr.org, has made generously his research on William Levi Dawson available to this website.

Here are some other highlights of the website:
Audio: More than 100 sound samples, from spirituals to symphonies
Biographies: 52 Composers and Musicians of African Descent
Black History Quiz: 52 questions, organized on three levels of difficulty
Recent Endorsements: WDET-FM Detroit - Dec. 28, 2005; Teaching Tolerance Magazine - Spring 2006

An E-mail flyer on AfriClassical.com is available on request. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this resource for Black History Month.

Sincerely,
William J. Zick
Webmaster
http://www.AfriClassical.com
Ann Arbor, MI