The History of Black Music:
A Living Continuum

A 10-part video course with guided study, quizzes, and certificates — designed for schools, arts organizations, and community programs.

Bring a structured, culturally grounded learning experience to your community with simple access codes and optional instructor tools.

View Program Overview

UNIFIED STUDY GUIDES

Part 1 - Black Music Origins: Unified Study Guide

This section establishes Africa as the first “music conservatory” and introduces the musical systems, instruments, and philosophies that would later travel across the Atlantic and shape the music of the African diaspora.

Part 2 - Arrival in the Americas: Survival, Adaptation & Resistance

This part frames Black music in the Americas not as imitation, but as cultural survival under pressure - a continuation of African systems reshaped by new realities.

Part 3 - From Spirituals to the Blues: The Birth of the Individual Voice

This part frames the blues not simply as a genre, but as a cultural technology for survival—an expressive system through which individuals claimed voice in a society still structured by racial inequality.

Part 4 - Jazz: Imagination Takes Flight

This part frames jazz as both a continuation of African musical logic and a radical reimagining of musical possibility within modern urban life.

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This course is a structured online curriculum

built for real learning outcomes.

Includes:

10 video segments (chronological, story-driven instruction)
Unified study guides for each part (key ideas, context, references, visuals)
10 quizzes (8–10 questions each) for reinforcement
Certificates of completion + digital badges
Mobile-friendly access for participants

WHO IT’S FOR

This program is a strong fit for:

Arts commissions and state arts agencies
Public libraries and cultural centers
K–12 enrichment and after-school programs
Colleges and university departments
Museums, heritage programs, community orgs
Professional development for educators and teaching artists

BENEFITS FOR INSTITUTIONS
Why organizations choose this program

Cultural
value

Supports Black music history education as a living tradition

Preserves knowledge through documented, guided learning materials

Program
value

Works for workshops, classrooms, enrichment programs, and public programming

Participants leave with proof of completion (certificate + badge)

Operational
value

Easy deployment through access codes
Optional cohort support (private group discussion + moderation)

Designed to scale — serve 25 learners or 500+

Reporting value (if needed)

Helps partners document participation and outcomes for grants or programming reports

OPTIONS FOR PARTNERS
Choose the access model that fits your program

Institutional Access (codes)

Best for organizations who want simple distribution to participants

Cohort / Classroom Edition (custom)

Private cohort group for discussion

Optional instructor back-end tools

Optional moderation support

Teaching Pack (educators)

A facilitation-ready package for instructors:

course map + pacing suggestions

discussion prompts

optional assignments (if you want to add later)

Ready to bring this program to your community?

Request Institutional Access and we’ll respond with the best option for your program size and timeline.

View Program Overview

J Plunky Branch

Presenter

Rasul Elder

Program Director

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The History of Black Music: A Living Continuum