Talking Up Music Education is a podcast from The NAMM Foundation about music education. Recorded live from The 2019 NAMM Show, episode 70 includes an interview with members of the historic black college and university, HBCU Band Directors’ Consortium.
The NAMM Foundation’s Mary Luehrsen interviewed Thomas Warner Jr. who currently serves as assistant director of bands at North Carolina A&T State University, Professor Roxanne Stevenson who directs bands at Chicago State University and presides over their new program called Gospel Music, and Al Davis who is director of bands and assistant professor of music at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“[At the HBCU Band Directors’ Consortium] we come together to collaborate, said Warner Jr. “[We try to] find opportunities that are going to help our students to thrive and that are unique to our situations at historically black colleges and universities.”
The HBCU Band Directors’ Consortium is a collaboration of historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta, Georgia.
Listen to the Podcast
Sound Bites From the Podcast
“We definitely want to be able to give all the students that are connected with HBCUs just more opportunities, more career opportunities, just so they can be happy in their field.” - Thomas Warner Jr.
“This year, we have a new president, and we'll be starting a marching band. And this will be the first that there's been a marching band. It took 27 years to finally, for them to understand what it would take.” - Roxanne Stevenson
“At North Carolina A&T, we were just nominated number-one marching band in the country. If you want to participate in the marching band, you must participate in at least one of the large ensembles. You have to be a part of a spring ensemble to enhance your musicality.” - Thomas Warner Jr.
Subscribe to Talking Up Music Education
Where to subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
Talking Up Music Education is a podcast produced by The NAMM Foundation about music education. Host Mary Luehrsen chats with teachers, parents, students and community leaders who share stories about what they are doing to create music learning opportunities. Please download, share and subscribe to keep up with the stories that make a difference in music education advocacy.