A Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) course on the Civil Rights movement in America recently capped off the class with a special visit and performance by famed American jazz musicians Richard D Jones and Brianna Thomas. The performance was organised in partnership with the Jazz at Lincoln Center in Doha.
Visiting professor Dr Maurice Jackson, the course instructor, said: “I teach about jazz as a human endeavour, and how music has served as a link between the soul and the struggle.” His course highlighted the role of jazz and black musicians to inspire and propel the civil rights movement in the United States both during the time of slavery and in the decades following emancipation.
Student Arwa Sanosi took the class in her final semester at Georgetown, and found that the visit from the Jazz Center of Doha brought to life the historical events they were learning about in the classroom. “We studied contemporary jazz musicians, learning about their work through our textbook and YouTube videos, but when the musicians came to our class, and we were already prepared with an understanding of the historical story behind jazz, it was an amazing experience. I think I will probably remember more from that performance, than what we read.”
Coordinator of Cultural Affairs Sarah Elzeini graduated GU-Q in 2014 with a major in International Politics. She is working to develop Jazz at Lincoln Center in Doha where she organizes community engagement programs to promote the importance of music. She decided to organize the event for Georgetown because it fit very well with the University’s approach to education that frequently takes students out of the traditional classroom setting.
“I am deeply confident in the power of art, music and poetry, as I am a poet myself. The arts are not only an expression of thought, and a crucial element of culture and identity, they also build human capital. Like sports, learning an instrument teaches discipline, patience, even teamwork. These are qualities that societies need.” Sarah is also contributing to other Education City and Hamad Bin Khalifa University initiatives involving the arts and social development.
Following a musical performance that included Richard Jones playing the piano and Brianna Thomas on vocals, the musicians then shared personal stories of the continued struggle for racial equality. The famed jazz vocalist, who is herself African American,spoke to the students about the importance of collaboration in both music and in their educational pursuits, saying “Out of collaboration comes new inspiration and comes new things. As long as the pot is being stirred, a desire to learn about what came before, then you can make something new with the knowledge you have.”
The Peninsula
