Get Ready to Groove!
The Roots of Music is set to host a Black Music Month celebration on June 27 at 5:30 p.m., featuring the talented Roots Studio Academy students and the Marching Crusaders. The free concert, which takes place at 1020 N. Prieur St., will include special guests like Veronica Downs-Dorsey, Yolanda Robinson, Jolynda "KiKi" Chapman, and Tonya Boyd-Cannon.
Black Music Month, founded in 1979, is celebrated every June to honor Black musicians and recognize Black pioneers and innovators in the music industry.
The Roots of Music
The Roots of Music, a non-profit organization established in 2007 by Grammy winner Derrick Tabb, employs three music education programs designed to empower creativity in the youth of New Orleans.
Kindergarteners and first-grade students attending KIPP Believe in Colombia Parc can attend a 45-minute after-school program twice a week, where Roots of Music instructors teach students the elements of music theory, singing, and movement. The program, made possible by The Bayou District Foundation, is designed to educate youth in a fun environment while reinforcing skills learned in their music classroom.
For youth ages 15 to 19, The Roots Academy holds a 10-month audio engineering and studio production program, teaching youth how to run a music production business. Graduates of the program leave certified in industry-standard software and experienced in live audio recording, studio recording and mixing.
Led by acclaimed musicians and educators, the award-winning and internationally-performing Marching Crusaders band serves youth ages nine to 14 from low-income households, providing students with hot meals and transportation to reduce participation barriers. Five days a week and 12 months a year, the program delivers over 2,500 hours of instrumental music education, over 30,400 hot meals, 1,400 bus trips, and up to 200 instruments for students to use free of charge.
To learn more about the Black Music Month Concert, or to volunteer, donate, or sign up with The Roots of Music, visit therootsofmusic.org.
