Courses/Lectures
Each of the 34 courses available can be enrolled in individually, or in packages. Each course is an approximately 1-hour session that consists of the opportunity for the students to interact with the associated artifacts, and a discussion exercise tailored for your specific class in accordance with your teacher's curriculum/recommendations. If the Course List below doesn’t fit your needs, we can work together to develop the presentation you desire – from control of the discussion topics to selection of items to be presented.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers
Before there was blues, or jazz, or rhythm and blues, the Fisk Jubilee Singer became one of the first Black singing acts to achieve international acclaim. They were the sons and daughters of slaves, sent to Fisk University in search of better opportunities. Once there, they combined their singing talents with the songs and stories of their parents and ancestors – traveling the country and eventually the world singing these songs and telling these stories to captivated audiences. Their efforts not only helped to sustain Fisk, but helped the university to grow and remain in existence today.
Artifacts: Fisk Jubilee Singers Sheet music, 1st Edition 1881 Book on their history, modern recordings of their songs
Jubilee and Plantation Songs - One of the byproducts of the success of the Fisk Jubilee Singers was the creation of similar groups at black colleges and universities around the country. Another byproduct was the popularity of songbooks containing the songs they and other black jubilee groups sung during their performances around the world. The book shown here was published by the Oliver Ditson Company, and contains songs sung not just by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, but by the Hampton Jubilee Singers and other similar groups as well.
The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1881 (1st Edition) - Before B.E.T., the first Black singing group to receive international acclaim in the post-Civil War era was the Fisk Jubilee singers. The group toured not only the United States, but the world - sharing the spirit of sorrow and perseverence felt in their songs with people of all races and ages. So popular was the group that this book, a biography chronicling their works, was first published in 1881.