“There was a time in history when it was illegal for blacks to read. And there’s a reason for that. Because there is power in that,” says Dave Christopher Sr., executive director and co-founder of Louisville’s Academy of Music Production and Development (AMPED).
“There was an issue, and there still is an issue, with the literacy and achievement levels of black males,” he says. “So, what we said was, how can we reach them and get them into reading more? Music. Everybody connects to music. So, we figured, okay, let’s connect literacy to music.”
Menaissance is an innovative educational program for teenage African-American males. By linking literature to cutting-edge recording technology, Menaissance aims to make classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” relevant to the students’ everyday lives – and as a result, instill a lifelong interest in reading.
Menaissance is a joint partnership between Jefferson County Public Schools and AMPED, and uses the facilities at Level Seven Recording Studio in downtown Louisville. It’s a four-to-six week program enlisting 15 black male high school students, meeting twice a week.
According to Christopher, the students read a selected novel and hold group discussions with a teacher. They then begin to write in their journals, jotting down thoughts, poems, creative ideas, and analysis.
In the latter weeks, the students flesh out their material and then take it to the studio. They learn the basics of audio recording and, by the end of the course, create their own original work inspired by their learning.
Uncovering Connections between Art and Life
The students read and discuss “To Kill a Mockingbird[’s]” early passages, making connections between Harper Lee’s portrayal of life in the mid-20th century segregated South to their own present-day upbringing. Teacher Kelly Franklin leads the discussion, exploring characters from the novel in more detail, then she asks for feedback.
“What [the students] come to understand is, that ‘I’m in every book that’s written,’” Christopher explains. “And so now that I know that I’m in every book that’s written, I want to find myself in this book.”
Turning Thoughts into Expression
By week four, the students are recording their spoken word and musical pieces at Level Seven and learning about everything from operating the mixing board to setting microphone levels.
AMPED’s Christopher says that the Menaissance program has been a success, and has helped give confidence to the students, many of whom were were formerly quiet and withdrawn.
In the future, Christopher wants to “bring Menaissance to scale” – to make it last the entire school year, and to conduct several concurrent programs with Jefferson County public schools in order to reach more at-risk youth.
“We want it to be a big program where we’ve got more than one cohort going at a time,” he says. “Because I think it’s making a difference in these young men’s lives.”
