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Abstract

My culminating experience project seeks to delineate and explore aspects of Philadelphia’s musical history, through research analysis and music composition. With the research, I argue for Philadelphia as an important home for innovators in Black American Music, due to its location as a destination point in the Great Migration. After studying the formation of the Philly Soul sound of the early 1970’s, I composed a 3-part suite based off the classic hit song “TSOP.” I recorded the suite with a sextet, featuring Philadelphia vocalist Kayla Arthur on the last track. For my fourth piece, I paired some video clips from a documentary about Philly tap dance, with a tap and drums duet I recorded with Ian Berg. To conclude my presentation, I proposed some future explorations such as performing the music in the Jazz Gallery in New York City, as well as reviving a free-of-cost educational program in Philadelphia in which I studied as a high-schooler. The project was helpful for myself and others, and in the future I just want to be more careful about sharing the contributions of Philadelphia’s Black musicians, and clarify my own role as an ambassador of the music.

Publication Date

7-1-2023

Campus

Boston Campus

Sounds of Philadelphia: Exploring a City’s Musical Lineage Through Creative and Spontaneous Composition

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