Our Voice: the Roots of Black American Music

Join the multi-talented for this engaging, memorable presentation. Alison is a multi-genre vocalist and t, a certified vocal tech instructor, faculty at Shenandoah University, and the founder and executive director of Generations of Vocal Jazz. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome her to our Library, and hope you’ll join us to learn how Black American Music like Blues, Jazz, and Gospel came to be.  Ms. Crockett traces its roots from the drum, African American speech and dialect, and religious and cultural practices from slavery through the 20th century in this interactive lecture using video, speaking, and singing. This experience speaks about the ways hidden language influences how musicians make the music and why the blues is still the center of American music today. This program is made possible through the Humanities Grants for Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.