In celebration of Black History Month, Branson Music Teacher Jaimeo Brown shared an article he wrote for Vice that discusses how the earliest African American music – the work songs of Africans enslaved in this country – has helped to shape the music we listen to today. 

Read the article: https://www.vice.com/en/article/mvx8w8/the-worksongs-of-enslaved-africans-have-shaped-american-culture-456

At Assembly on February 17, Jaimeo shared a taste of his work with Branson students, faculty, and staff. He started with a video presentation that blended together elements of work song, movement, contemporary dance, and more for a visual representation of the connection between past and present. 

He then spoke of the history of work songs of enslaved African Americans and how they’ve shaped many aspects of current American culture, including all the different musical forms that Branson students enjoy today.  Afterward, Jaimeo engaged the entire school community in a collaborative polyrhythmic call-and-response drumming exercise, co-lead by students in his music course, that demonstrated the way a community can come together through the common language of music and rhythm.