An excerpt from The Conversation -
Why Quincy Jones should be prominently featured in US music education − his absence reflects how racial segregation still shapes American classrooms
By Philip Ewell, Professor of Music Theory, Hunter College
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| The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Jones an honorary award in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2024, days after his death. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images |
You might think such a notable figure would factor prominently in American music classrooms. Yet my research shows that Jones, who was Black, is rarely mentioned in mainstream U.S. music curricula.
As a Black music professor, I believe his absence reflects the fact that music education in the U.S. is still segregated along racial lines, just like the country was for much of its history.
In 2020, music theorist Megan Lyons and I analyzed the seven most common undergraduate music theory textbooks used in the U.S. We found that only 49 of the nearly 3,000 musical examples they cited were written by composers who were not white.
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Early on, he performed with legends such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, and he produced and arranged music for vocal titans such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Diana Ross. His pivot to pop music in the late 1970s helped usher in a revolution of funk, disco and early hip-hop.
I see Jones as an essential piece in the history of American music. Yet he’s absent from the music classroom, as are so many Black artists throughout history.
This absence is leading more music educators to recognize what my research also finds: American music education remains deeply rooted in an ideology that has dominated U.S. history – white supremacy.
Faye - This article is excellent and well worth your time. Cherry picking it doesn't do it, or Mr. Jones justice.
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