About This Lesson
Introduce students to Black American, non-binary musician Mazz Swift (they/them) to teach about Black American Music and Culture, plus artistic community, creative growth, musical improvisation and more! This lesson is great for Music and Social Studies classes.
About this Episode
In My Music with Rhiannon Giddens Season Two Episode Three, host Rhiannon Giddens visits with Black American musician Mazz Swift, a violinist, vocalist, and improvisational conductor whose musical journey includes education at Juilliard, playing music in the New York subway, and working with goats on a farm. This episode is relevant for American Railroad History and Black History. It also connects to Neurodivergence, Non-Binary (/LGBTQIA+) Representation, Music Lessons and History through Music.
About the Learning Guide
This learning guide can help you teach about:
- Creativity and Curiosity
- Community and Creative Support
- Cultural Preservation and Reclamation
- Social and Scientific Constructions of Memory
- Language, Art, and Accessibility
- History of the American Transcontinental Railroad and Native Americans
- History through Music
- Music Lessons
The learning guide contains background context about the Transcontinental Railroad, a Pre-viewing Activity, and Active Viewing Recommendations.
It also includes glossaries / lists of useful terms, discussion questions, related resources, and extended learning activities. The extended learning activities can include our supplementary Music Listening Handout and Song Analysis Handout.
About the Series: My Music with Rhiannon Giddens Season 2
Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens hosts a half-hour series of musical performance and conversation with multicultural musicians in the Silk Road Ensemble’s American Railroad project. The outstanding guest artists of the series are innovative and accomplished musicians and storytellers who have forged unconventional paths to find their voices. My Music with Rhiannon Giddens brings US history alive to explore the development of the Transcontinental Railroad during western expansion in the United States. The series also deepens understanding and connection and can build community around the cultures that were first connected by the building of America’s Transcontinental Railroad.
This is a great resource to teach with for Black History Month (February), Music in Our Schools Month (March), Neurodiversity Pride Week (March), Jazz Appreciation Month (April), Black Music Appreciation Month (June), Neurodiversity Pride Day (June 16), and International Non-Binary People’s Day (July 14).
Get the Google Slideshow version of this presentation and learn more about teaching with My Music with Rhiannon Giddens, including where to watch it, from Journeys in Film.
