Black History Month Education Program

February is Black History Month, and for the first time in 2012 the HJF education programs will be expanded to include this social and cultural holiday. A school workshop and concert series will use music to present key figures and events from the Civil Rights Movement, and relate them to today’s students’ lives.

Bay Area bandleader Marcus Shelby will be the focus of the 2012 program, presenting “Martin Luther King and Jazz” workshops for grades 3-6 students at 8 area schools. His latest project is “Soul of the Movement,” released on CD in 2011. Featuring original compositions and arrangements for jazz orchestra and vocalists of traditional music, it presents the story of the Civil Rights Movement through musical works on significant figures and events in Black History.

Assemblies will be held at different schools throughout the month of February culminating with a concert on February 29th. Classrooms are included at Healdsburg Elementary and the charter school there, Fitch Mountain, St. John’s, Geyserville Elementary, the Healdsburg School, Westside Elementary, and Healdsburg Junior High. In addition, there will be two “Soul of the Movement” concerts for student audiences only at the Raven Theater, performed by the Marcus Shelby Trio with vocalist Faye Carol – herself another veteran of HJF’s education program Jazz in the Schools.

• “MLK and Jazz” workshops for Gr. 3-6 students. Workshops will use music from the Civil Rights Movement to convey the values of respect, dignity, honesty, and non-violence. The students will write poems about the topics presented.
• Two “Soul of the Movement” concerts adapted for student audiences at the Raven Theater performed by the Marcus Shelby Trio with vocalist Faye Carol.  HJF will invite students to attend these free concerts after completing the school workshops. Unfortunately there will not be room for public attendance.
• Our objectives will remain constant: To use music to inform our audiences about African-American history and culture and to foster a broader acceptance of cultural diversity.

The workshops and concerts are free of charge for students at the participating schools.

About the Artist

Marcus Shelby, Bay Area bassist-bandleader-educator, is among the most gifted and far-sighted composers in jazz today.  His repertoire ranges from works for small ensembles and jazz orchestra to film and theater scores, ballet and modern dance.

Marcus Shelby has created a series of pioneering musical works on significant figures and events in Black History, including “Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman,” “Port Chicago,” “Brown Dreams,” and “Midtown Sunset.” HJF intends to join with Mr. Shelby to present these works to the community during Black History Months in the years ahead.