Music in our Schools Month
“For more than 30 years, March has been officially designated by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) for the observance of Music In Our Schools Month, the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation”. -NAfME
WEEK 1
Leontyne Price
Musicianship: Voice
Genre: Opera
Short Biography
Is an American Operatic Soprano Singer. Born on February 10th, 1927, in Laurel, MS to Anhtony and Kate Baker Price. Price showed an interest in music from a young age; beginning formal music training at the age of 4 at St. Paul Methodist Church. Price is most renowned for her early stage and television work, Leontyne Price made her opera stage debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1957, and her debut at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House in 1961. One of the first African American singers to earn international acclaim in the field, Price became known for her roles in Il Trovatore, Antony and Cleopatra and Aida, before retiring from the opera in 1985.
WEEK 2
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Musicianship: Guitar and Voice
Genre: Rock & Roll and Gospel
Short Biography
Is an American Gospel, Blues, and Rock & Roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist. Born in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas to Willie and Katie Nubin Atkins. was popular in the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s. Her Blues-oriented style of guitar-playing and singing was an important influence on such musicians as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, as well as the overall formation of Rock and Roll. Some have referred to her as "the original Soul Sister" and "the Godmother of Rock and Roll." At a time when virtuoso guitar skills were stereotyped as a sign of masculinity and most professional guitarists were men, Sister Rosetta held her own artistically and technically on the guitar.
WEEK 3
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musicianship: Composer, Rapper, Voice
Genre: Musical
Short Biography
Is a Puerto-Rican American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer who created and starred in stage productions that blended modern musical forms with classic musical theatre. Born January 16, 1980, New York, New York, U.S. to Luis and Luz Miranda, His best-known works are Hamilton, a hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton, Disney’s Moana How Far I’ll Go, and the Disney Soundtrack of Encanto.