Florida A&M Band Director shares rich history of African -American music

Tallahassee, Fla. (WCTV) – African Americans have made many contributions to music – as an artistic expression and also as a sign of unity and resilience.

According to Dr. Shelby Chipman, director of bands and music professor at the Florida A & M University, is the influence of black culture in blues, jazz, gospel, R&B and hip hop as we know it today.

“Where we now have music that all people can refer to, regardless of the nationality they are, black goods are an important part of it, people with color and certainly African Americans,” said Chipman.

The man behind the music in the Famu said that African -American music was back into the days of slavery. Slaves sang work songs to raise their mood and at the same time create a feeling of unity and connection to each other.

Some of the earliest traces of gospel music can be attributed to Negro -Spirituals, which became a way for slaves to deal with trauma.

“If you think about music like amazing grace, good old spirit, old time -religion and I am so happy that Jesus has lifted me, these are all songs that have helped us to care for and look after us and bring us through different times,” said Chipman.

Jazz also has a rich and cultural history alone.

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Grace Macfoy, who marches 100 band member of Famu, said she always loved the essence of jazz music. “It calms me down when I hear it and when I play it,” said Macfoy. “It was adapted from Negro -Spirituals and folk songs to express us and our people.”

When the music teaching student saw Evolution in music, she also saw progress in black music artists.

“In today's society, more black women will express themselves in music,” said Macfoy. “It is not something that has been very common in the past.”

Jazz has extended to various genres such as R&B and Soul. The rhythms can also be heard in today's HBCU band culture of the HBCU, including the march 100.

The notorious ensemble was organized in 1892 and continue to break glass ceilings in music and culture.

“Our legacy depends on some of the double marshahs that we could generate, and the instrument horn swing that creates this excitement and lightning,” said Chipman.

He is the fourth band director of the March 100. Chipman said with every note and voted from her instruments, the marching band works to pay homage to those who came in front of them.

“The culture and inheritance that was founded many years ago is certainly suitable for something we should always see,” said Chipman.

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