The KIT 'n' Kaboodle Blog

 Come close and listen,
    all you who honor God;
    I will tell you what God has done for me:
Psalm 66:15 (Common English Bible)
Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries
  • Welcome
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Ensemble
    • Our Dream
    • A.C.T. Intl
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Highlights
  • Theater
    • Online
    • Historical
    • Holidays
    • Outreach
    • Unshackled
  • Worship
    • Spoken
    • Music
    • Vikki J. Myers
    • Chos3n
    • Instrumentalists
  • Training
    • Performance
    • Leadership
    • Communications
  • Give
    • Partnering
    • Booking
    • Testimonials
  • Connect
    • Networking
  • Resources
    • Music & Audiobooks
    • KIT-n-Kaboodle Blog
    • Prayer
    • Postcards

Music of "Freedom Song"

2/4/2019

0 Comments

 
Vikki J Myers music album cover
Hear "Free Indeed," based on John 8:36, on KIT's "Freedom Song" YouTube Playlist.
All music that tells the story of redemption through Jesus Christ is gospel music.  Yet in some circles "gospel music" is confined to a niche -- a certain style of music; a style of music associated with African-Americans. 

In that sense, components of "gospel music" are symbolized by two easily identifiable symbols: a choir and robes.  These symbols come from a powerful aesthetic in African-American heritage; yet there are dangers in defining gospel music and African-Americans by these two symbols alone.

One danger is that of co-opting the sound of gospel music for other messages.  Think, for instance, how often you have heard "gospel music" in a film, television program or commercial, none of which is associated with the gospel of Christ? Enjoyable as the sound may be, the listener must discern the context.

The other danger is underestimating the impact of other styles of music upon liberating Africans in America.  That liberation developed as the robed-choirs connected the music of the times with the lyrics from which they were rooted:  the Hebrew and New Testament scriptures those that professed good news gospel music of Jesus Christ as He intended -- to link man and God.
Harry Belafonte music album coverHear "Free Indeed" based on John 8:36 on KIT's "Freedom Song" YouTube Playlist.
Exploring that link, and telling the story of how gospel music has developed in the United States is the purpose of "Freedom Song," one of the ensemble plays from the Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries history cycle.  The script was created in 2011 as reader's theater presentation in response to a  request for a church's African-American History month program.  Since then, "Freedom Song" has been presented annually as part of church and corporate commemorations in February. 

​Because of those performances, "Freedom Song" has received subsequent off-season productions - not just during African-American history month.  The  themes extend beyond just February and beyond the topic of physical slavery in the U.S.  The weaving of Scripture, song history and musical genres create a tale of liberation through Christ from an assortment of enslaving circumstances and behaviors.

Over 30 songs from America's colonial slavery to millennial technology bondage are sampled, dramatized and  in the program that is staged as an abbreviated one-act or movie-length  outreach complete with a post-performance talk-back.  In the course of the evening, the audience receives new insight into traditional, beloved gospel music, and is introduced to newer selections that don't have the gospel music sound, but deliver the gospel of Christ message.   

Researching the songs that inspired the script provided more insight than performance times allow.  Nevertheless, the insights and sounds are too important to NOT share.  And so, we compiled most of the songs that inspired the script's creation into a playlist, assembled on our KIT Ministries YouTube Channel, and have written short essays about each song or song sequence.  We will post those essays and the songs on these pages and our social media pages in coming days as our commemoration of  how Scriptures have shaped African-America.

For starters, we present the entire playlist here along with a brief introduction to the show.   By listening to the playlist, you'll find unlikely musical connections between  Czechoslovakian classical composer Anton Dvorak and American folk icon Paul Robeson; poet James Weldon Johnson and rappers Doughboy the Midwest Maestro and DJ Kool Rod;  Peter, Paul  & Mary, and Mavis Staples.  You'll also see rare performances by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson and Richie Havens, and provocative movie clips the voice of African-Americans and  gospel music in film.


​ Visit our Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages for daily posts on individual songs.  Most of the songs will be posted during African-American History Month.  
Playlist of music videos.
Visit our YouTube Channel for entire "Freedom Song" Playlist.
​ However, don't stop reading and looking after Feb. 28.  Just as African-American history occurs beyond the end of February, the gospel of Christ cannot be contained to just 28 days.

Please consider adding the entire "Freedom Song" playlist to your YouTube channel.

A History of Gospel Music

Make a Joyful Noise Logo
For those who wish to learn about the genre of "gospel music," we recommend, "Make a Joyful Noise!  A Brief History of Gospel Music Ministry in America," available in print or audiobook.  The book was written by Kathryn B. Kemp and is narrated by KIT Ministries Founding Director Michael Edgar Myers and award-winning audiobook actor Barbara Ann Martin.

Dr. Kemp gives great detail and colorful anecdotes about how many gospel songs in the U.S. developed through painstaking adaptation and recording from their roots among African Tribes and maintained throughout despite the efforts to disassociate the slaves from those roots on these shores.

Kemp also relates the development of those songs on record, mostly through the efforts of Rev. James Cleveland, founder of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.
LEARN MORE

Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries is a department of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl, a fully registered 501(c)(3) organization since 1973. ​ Please partner with us presenting the gospel by giving a donation. Your donation is completely tax-deductible, and you will receive a receipt for all your contributions for tax purposes. ​
Donate
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    The KIT 'n' Kaboodle Blog

    The essays here are culled from our travels, conversations, worship experiences and discoveries.  

    ​Many are reprints from our newsletter, The KIT 'n' Kaboodle, or Facebook notes over time.

    ​They're written by our ensemble, Garlan Garner, Michael Edgar Myers or Vikki J. Myers -- solo, or collectively.


    Tweets by KitMinistries


    Archives

    November 2024
    June 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    November 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    55 For 55
    A.C.T. Intl
    Andrea Bocelli
    An Evening With Kingdom Impact Theater
    Bausch Visuales
    Biblical Counseling
    Black History Month
    Broadway
    Cabaret
    Cami Myers
    Chicago Marathon
    Christ Centered Worship
    Christ-Centered Worship
    Christianity
    Christmas
    Christmas Carols
    College Stress
    Communion
    Connection Church
    Converge MidAmerica
    Corona Virus
    Counseling
    Divorce
    Dr. Tony Evans
    Easter
    Eddie James
    Elk Grove Village
    Faith Hope And Love
    FBC Glendarden
    Fear
    Freedom Song
    Friendship Village
    Gary Rohrmayer
    Gethesemane
    Ghost Stories
    Gospel
    Gratitude
    Halloween
    Harvard Schools Of Public Health
    I'm Every Woman
    James Dean
    Jesus Christ
    Julius Caesar
    Kingdom Impact Theater
    Leadership
    Lord's Supper
    Mahalia Jackson
    Marriage
    Mental Health
    Migrants
    Ministry Stress
    Missions
    New Testament
    Old Testament
    Pastor Darryl Jenkins
    Pastors
    Pop Music
    Prayer
    Proverbs
    Psalm 51
    Quarantine
    Racial Reconciliation
    Rebel Without A Cause
    Relationships
    Ron Kenoly
    Running
    Sandy Cove Women's Conference
    Santa
    Scripture
    Shakespeare
    Sharon Jaynes
    Southern Baptist Convention
    Spirituality
    Spirituals
    St. Jude Children's Hospital
    Stress
    Teens
    Thanksgiving
    Theapy
    The Barn
    The Five Love Languages
    Ukraine
    Vikki J Myers
    Waukegan Community Church
    Whitney Houston
    Women
    Women's History Month
    Workshops
    Worship
    Worship Music
    Yeshua

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Welcome
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Ensemble
    • Our Dream
    • A.C.T. Intl
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Highlights
  • Theater
    • Online
    • Historical
    • Holidays
    • Outreach
    • Unshackled
  • Worship
    • Spoken
    • Music
    • Vikki J. Myers
    • Chos3n
    • Instrumentalists
  • Training
    • Performance
    • Leadership
    • Communications
  • Give
    • Partnering
    • Booking
    • Testimonials
  • Connect
    • Networking
  • Resources
    • Music & Audiobooks
    • KIT-n-Kaboodle Blog
    • Prayer
    • Postcards