
Panel Explores the Healing Power of Music in Communities of Color Hosted by Africana Studies and the Center for Music Therapy, the event brought together artists, community leaders, clinical experts, advocates, and students.
By
Daniel Pesquera
October 28, 2022
Music therapy major Alecia Taylor
Image by Colgan Johnson
A recent Berklee panel brought together prominent artists, community leaders, clinical experts, advocates, and students for a discussion on the healing power of music and the arts in BIPOC communities.
Hosted by the Africana Studies Division and Center for Music Therapy, the event also featured a performance preview for We Move in Color, a musical revue presenting the African American narrative through music, poetry, dance, and visual art. The performance-the full version of which played at Boston's Strand Theatre earlier this month-tells a multigenerational story, from precolonial Africa through the epochs of the Middle Passage, the struggles and triumphs of modern America, and the aspirations of an emerging and increasingly digital future.
Image by Colgan Johnson
Songwriter and producer Gen Rubin, who won a Latin Grammy for his work on Aqui Estoy Yo by Luis Fonsi, produced the soundtrack for We Move in Color and was a featured panelist at the event.
For me, healing has always been about the arts. It started more as a personal thing, but once my music started reaching a broader audience, hearing their stories and hearing other people's music it gives you that sense of community and healing, said Rubin. A step beyond that is then to take it and examine social causes. I actually have my young daughter to thank for that. She wrote a song about the #MeToo movement when that was going on, and it really struck a nerve for me.
Other panelists included recording artist and actor Wyatt Jackson, who designed We Move in Color, and singer-songwriter and voice-over artist Anita Faye, who lent her voice to the revue.
In addition, the Reverend Liz Walker, a vocal champion and spiritual leader of Boston's African American community, joined virtually to deliver an opening statement that kicked off the discussion.
Video message from Reverend Liz Walker
Image by Colgan Johnson
Black people carry generations of personal pain that predate slavery, that moves all the way down through history from the era of Jim Crow into the era of George Floyd, said Walker in a prerecorded message. But we use music and storytelling and all forms of music and the arts to heal our community. And it's working. Our creativity is healing because it helps us connect with all the parts of who we are, and that is how we restore wholeness in individuals and communities. Right now our world faces more chaos than ever before . Somebody has to offer us a way back to wholeness. Artistic expression is what is being offered today.
If I don't touch the instrument every day, I'm out of alignment. The challenge is that we are often taught that we don't have time to [pursue artistic endeavors] because that is a hobby and not a vocation, said Dr. Emmett Price, dean of the Africana Studies Division. My self-care is not a hobby; it's mandatory. It's a spiritual ritual for me.
Berklee music therapy student Alecia Taylor rounded out the panel with powerful performance of 16 Shots by Mykia Jovan.
Watch a recording of the event.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Image courtesy of Lena Glikson
Stranger Things Music Editor Lena Glikson on Creating Iconic Moments The 2015 alum reflects on her recent Emmy win, scoring for TV versus film, and her journey from performing to music editing.
Latest
John Abercrombie
Image by Roberto Masotti/courtesy of ECM Records
Berklee Establishes John Abercrombie Scholarship The tuition-based scholarship will enable jazz musicians to pursue their creative and career goals.
Left to right: Berklee Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs David Bogen; BMI Senior Director of Creative, Film, TV, and Visual Media Reema Iqbal; student award winner April DiDomenico; composer Alan Silvestri; Screen Scoring Assistant Chair Esin Aydingoz; and Screen Scoring Chair Sean McMahon
Image by Elizabeth Friar
Berklee Celebrates Annual BMI Day with Acclaimed Composer Alan Silvestri Silvestri and BMI executive Reema Iqbal presented the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship to student composer April DiDomenico.
Students from the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, pictured here with Kris Davis (top right), the institutes associate program director of creative development, will perform at the MassArt Art Museum on Saturday, October 29.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and MassArt Art Museum Premiere New Student Works The free event will take place at the MassArt Art Museum on Saturday, October 29.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...