Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Bert Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article gives a good overview of the life of Bert Williams, a black entertainer of the early 1900's who broke many color lines.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Rap/hip Hop

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry gives a brief history of rap and hip hop and the influences of the music on modern culture.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Queen Latifah

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry extols Queen Latifah as the most influential female rap singer. You can read about her evolution as a rap singer and actress.
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Black Past

Black Past: Watts, Andre

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article gives a brief biography of Andre Watts, the first internationally known black classical pianist.
Website
Other

African Genesis: Black Gospel Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This Black Gospel Music site provides information on the history, artists, and spirituality of black gospel music.
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 47: Get Up, Stand Up

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This activity uses music from three different areas of the world and three different time periods in the 20th century to address the issue of civil rights for black populations.
Website
Indiana University

Archives of African American Music and Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains resources on black culture and music from the early 1900s to the present.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Motown

For Students 9th - 10th
Information on the popular style of music called Motown that developed from a recording company of the same name.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Divisions: Black & White

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Article
Nederlander Organization

Broadway Direct: 20 Benchmark Musicals in Broadway History

For Students 9th - 10th
The history of Broadway musical theater is demonstrated through brief examinations of twenty groundbreaking musicals, from The Black Crook in 1866 to Hamilton in 2015. Nine videos accompany the descriptions of some of the musicals.
Website
Other

Black History Canada : The Arts

For Students 9th - 10th
An informative look at the influence of African music in Canada.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Cooke, Sam (1931 1964)

For Students 9th - 10th
Sam Cooke's influence on music, as the pioneer in cross-over from gospel to rhythm and blues, is described in this encyclopedia entry. His music was important to the African-American identity in the Civil Rights movement.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Joplin, Scott

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a brief encyclopedia biography of the ragtime composer, Scott Joplin, whose music was influential in the growth of jazz.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Muhammad Ali: Boxing Legend ... And 2 Time Grammy Nominee

For Students 9th - 10th
In 1964, the fighter was up for the music honor for a comedy album. Twelve years later, he was nominated again. The accomplishments of Muhammad Ali are renowned: Olympic gold medalist, heavyweight boxing champion, humanitarian, civil...
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Public Enemy

For Students 9th - 10th
In this encyclopedia entry, you read about the rap group, Public Enemy, their songs, and the evolution of their message. There is a link to a website for more information.
Website
Other

Black Gospel Music: The History of Gospel Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explores the history of Gospel music, including how gospel music began and some of the various incarnations it has gone through.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Anacostia Museum: The Renaissance: Black Art of the Twenties

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides an informative description of the "Black Arts of the Twenties," which was better known as the Harlem Renaissance. Learn about the culture, art, music, and writings of this period.
Website
Digital History

Digital History:the Great Migration

For Students 9th - 10th
The Great Migration for African Americans began during World War I as blacks left the segregated south to find jobs in the north. Read about how segregation followed them into their northern neighborhoods. See also how the Harlem...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Jack the Rapper

For Students 9th - 10th
Jack the Rapper (Jack Gibson) helped open the first African-American-owned radio station in the United States, WERD in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1949. Gibson learned about radio while working as a gofer for deejay Al Benson in Chicago. He...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Lloyd Price

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Lloyd Price, an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Price made his mark in rock music history with his exuberant tenor and his flair for recasting rhythm and blues as...
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed: Josephine Baker

For Students 9th - 10th
Entry, from an online encyclopedia of African American history, for Josephine Baker.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Berry Gordy, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Berry Gordy, Jr., an American businessman, founder of the Motown Record Corporation (1959), which became the most successful black-owned music company in the...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Taj Mahal

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Taj Mahal, an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and one of the pioneers of what came to be called world music. He combined blues and other African-American...
Website
Other

Africlassical: Black History and Classical Music

For Students 9th - 10th
Africlassical profiles musicians and composers of African descent since the time of Mozart.

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