African American Composer Study: Scott Joplin

African American Composer Study: Scott Joplin | Heritage Mom

source: https://heritagemom.com/index.php/2020/02/21/african-american-composer-study-scott-joplin/

Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 - April 1, 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. He achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was dubbed the King of Ragtime. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag. [Source: Wikipedia]

We used the following resources for our Joplin Study:

Disclosure:

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using these links, at no additional cost to you.

Raggin': A Story about Scott Joplin. "Scott Joplin came from a music-making family in Texarkana, Texas. As a small boy, he loved the lively, rhythmic African melodies and the soft, touching spirituals that he heard his father sing. By the age of twenty, Joplin had left home to make a living as a musician. Barbara Mitchell's Raggin' is the story of this talented composer/musician who overcame prejudice and hardship to create such favorites as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer"-music that still makes people tap their toes."

We read a little of the story each week before listening to the music until we were done. In addition to the songs studied during lessons (below), we listed to a Scott Joplin compilation during dinner many evenings.

Musical Selections:

Treemonisha Opera (The first all African-American opera) Though it encompasses a wide range of musical styles other than ragtime, and Joplin did not refer to it as such, it is sometimes referred to as a "ragtime opera". The music of Treemonisha includes an overture and prelude, along with various recitatives, choruses, small ensemble pieces, a ballet, and a few arias.

We watched a little of this opera each week throughout the term until we finished it. It's in English, but the words are often difficult to make out. It has subtitles, but unfortunately, they're in Portuguese. I held my phone up to the screen and read the words aloud using the Google Translate app camera function. I know that sounds crazy, and it was. But it was also worth it.

We had the rare opportunity to see the Treemonisha Overture played live as part of an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert just last week, and that was the cherry on top of a very sweet composer study.

Delighting in the Days by Wild+Free - Heritage Mom

Share on Facebook Save to Pinterest I'm excited to be featured in Delighting in the Days, a new 132-page book of some of Wild+Free's best articles on childhood over the past few years. Beautiful thoughts from the Bewildandfree.org: "The beauty of this life with our children is that we not only get to reclaim childhood [...]

Books & Things: Agreeing to Disagree - Heritage Mom

I've made a point not to disparage curricula, books, services, or products that fellow homeschool moms have created for this community. In fact, I've gone out of my way to state that I respect the work that has been done to provide booklists, lesson plans, and other resources.

Including #OwnVoices Books - Heritage Mom

Q: Amber, how do you feel about books featuring Black characters or people written by non-Black authors?

Stories From Modern Day Africa - Heritage Mom

For world history and geography studies, I like for my kids to read plenty of stories from modern-day Africa. I've shared picture books and chapter books about African kingdoms in the past, and I love those stories, but books covering African people and events of the 20th and 21st centuries are also imperative.

20th-Century Black History Books - Heritage Mom

Share on Facebook Save to Pinterest These 20th-Century Black History Books cover a period of history during which segregation tightened and racial oppression escalated across the United States. Uniquely, it also includes years of immense progress and explosive creative expression among Black Americans who found ways to survive and even thrive amid incredibly unjust circumstances.

Delighting in the Days by Wild+Free - Heritage Mom

Books & Things: Agreeing to Disagree - Heritage Mom

Including #OwnVoices Books - Heritage Mom

Stories From Modern Day Africa - Heritage Mom

20th-Century Black History Books - Heritage Mom

Common Place Company

Categories

Social Footprints