NYU Kodály 2022 Annual Lecture with Dr. Jason Thompson

RSVP required by 12pm on 6/24/22 via this link: RSVP Here

Registration fees:

KONY members: $10

Non-KONY members: $20

Retirees: $5

Everybody loves a good story. They create their own bonds, represent cohesion, shared understandings, and meanings. Stories also enliven our understanding of complex issues and introduce new perspectives into our worldview. During this Annual Lecture, Jason Thompson will use this singing tradition of gospel music to uncover multiple, and perhaps contradictory stories and counter-realities of the human experience (provocateur) that provide solidarity for storytellers and, for listeners, the impetus for change (animateur). Attendees can expect to sing a variety of gospel music repertoire that frames and conceptualizes the story of gospel music as identity and involvement, exploring decisions music professionals must make regarding design and implementation of gospel music as a curriculum inclusion, along with the teaching strategies and materials needed to provide a rich musical experience for singers. By the end of this workshop, participants will have a deeper multidisciplinary perspective from which to understand, interpret, question, reflect upon, and employ a range of gospel music as part of a comprehensive music program.

Dr. Jason Thompson’s teaching and research explores the ways that culture influences and mediates teaching and learning, and how teachers develop the competencies needed for working effectively in culturally diverse environments. He is published in professional journals and his choral octavos are available through the Fred Bock Publishing Group and GIA. Thompson is co-editor of an upcoming book through Intellect Books called If Colors Could Be Heard They'd Paint Most Wondrous Tunes. With degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (BM, MM) and Northwestern University (PhD), Dr. Thompson has served as choral music education professor at Arizona State University and choral conductor at Appalachian State University where his credit-bearing gospel choirs at both universities boasted of more than 100 singers. Currently, Dr. Thompson is the Interim Director of Music Education and Visiting Assistant Professor in NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.