The middle schoolers are working on their first music integration project, which focuses on spirituals and how they were tools of resistance and sources of inspiration during the era of slavery in the US. By studying Amazing Grace, students are learning the history of the song form as well as how spirituals helped maintain important facets of culture for African Americans. They are also now able to identify how abolitionists used song and music to help slaves escape to the North.
We have also included text from Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, so they might have interaction with one of the most important abolitionists in our history.