Berklees Africana Studies Division Expands Curriculum to Include Gospel Music The area of focus will be the first of five that will be part of future programming in Black music and culture.
By
Colette Greenstein
September 13, 2022
Students and educators on the final night of the Gospel Performance Summer Program.
Image by Michael D. Spencer
Berklees Africana Studies Division is expanding its offerings to include a focus on the performance and study of gospel music.
The gospel music focus, which will include both curricular and cocurricular offerings, is the first of five such areas that are being planned as part of the Bachelor of Arts degree program in Black music and culture that is currently in development. This fall, Berklee faculty and gospel musicians, including Dennis Montgomery, Gabrielle Goodman, David Alexis, Jonathan Singleton, Lil' John Roberts, Mark Copeland, Nichelle Mungo, Jerome Kyles, Vaughn Brathwaite, and Dr. John Paul McGee will conduct clinics and workshops centered on their respective areas of expertise in the genre. Additional course offerings are envisioned as soon as the spring of 2023 semester, and the new degree program hopes to welcome its first students in fall 2024.
The Africana Studies Division was founded as a response to student, staff, faculty, and alumni activism and advocacy. Scholar and educator Emmett G. Price III was hired as the division's inaugural dean in August 2021. Price is working with colleagues in the division, and across the College and Conservatory, to design a comprehensive academic program that will combine music performance with historical and social contextualization and integrated study of business and industry, with an eye towards innovation and entrepreneurial acumen.
Birthed from the blues, negro spirituals, and protestant hymnody, gospel music gave rise to not only a deeply moving and emotive style of performance but also expanded a thriving segment of the entertainment and media industry while having an undeniable impact on various cultures and societies around the globe, said Price. From Arizona Dranes, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey, and Reverend James Cleveland to Minister Kurt Carr, Donald Lawrence, Yolanda Adams, and Kirk Franklin, gospel music has emerged as a major force for hope, healing, and resilience worldwide.
Students focusing on gospel music will study innovators such as the African Queen of Gospel Rebecca Malope through a curriculum that focuses on performance, contextual history, and analysis of the dynamic impact of the art, industry, and culture of gospel music around the world.
The Africana Studies Division plans to expand its reach to Berklees campuses in Valencia, Spain, and New York City. It will be the preeminent global hub where mastery in performance and academic excellence intersect to reflect the brilliance, resilience, and hope of Black culture.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, Dr. Teresa Hairston, a gospel music scholar, will complete the second of her two-year appointment as a Berklee visiting scholar in residence. She is the trailblazing publisher of Gospel Today magazine, which she founded in 1989 as a four-page newsletter. Kurt Carr, a four-time Stellar Award winner recognized for his achievement in the gospel music industry, will be a visiting artist in residence during the 2022-2023 academic year.
I have been involved in all aspects of the gospel community for many years, and this program is sorely needed, said Hairston. Dr. Emmett Prices dynamic leadership in orchestrating this program shows that he and Berklee are willing to be holistic in their offerings to students. It also represents cultural innovation and sensitivity. Gospel music is the bedrock of American music. It has influenced everyone from Ray Charles to the Queen of Soul to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but gospel hasnt been afforded the respect in academia that it deserves. Finally, the time has come when systems are changing to embrace todays vibrant and diverse culture! Im excited to be a part of it!
Price's multi-prong approach will include working with the Berklee Career Center to build a student-centered, community-facing program that engages and partners with both the music industry and local and national congregations. The combination of both academic and experiential education will not only provide students access to display their talents in a practice-oriented manner but also for the college's industry, community, and congregational partners to benefit from the exceptional talent at Berklee. The second goal will be to leverage the institution's global platform to contribute to the research that is being conducted and the scholarship that is being produced globally on the rich influence and impact of gospel music on art, industry, and culture.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Lena Glikson-Nezhelskaya B.M. '15 won an Emmy Award for her sound editing on Netflix's Stranger Things.
Image courtesy of the artist
Berklee Alumni Win Emmy Awards for Stranger Things, Barry, and More Four alumni were recognized for their accomplishments in composition, sound mixing, and sound editing.
Latest
Niu Raza B.M. '18 performs with the City Music Ensemble at the Encore Gala.
Image by Mike Ritter
Encore Gala Raises $1.4 Million for Berklee City Music This year's event featured performances by the Family Stone, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, the Berklee Indian Ensemble, and more.
Kevin Harris
Image by Luisa Harris
Live Music Returns to Wally's Cafe with Performances by Berklee Faculty, Alumni, and Students Kevin Harris, associate professor of piano, is coleading the legendary jazz club's house band.
Students and educators on the final night of the Gospel Performance Summer Program.
Image by Michael D. Spencer
Berklees Afric
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...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
Berklees Africana Studies Division Expands Curriculum to Include Gospel Music The area of focus will be the first of five that will be part of future programming in Black music and culture.
