ListenOK

Description

Am’re Ford, teacher and musician, discusses his upbringing in Oklahoma City and how he discovered and honed his love of music through church and his musically-inclined family. He explains his use of accessible language direction in music and dispels the distinction between classical and informal training that is often used to downplay the expertise of Black church musicians. Ford discusses his teaching career and the unique opportunity to teach music at an all-Black school in a way that centers Blackness and Black music as classical music. He describes some of his collaborative work with other artists along with directions he’d like to take his music in the future, and explains how music is a powerful coping mechanism for everyone everywhere.