Language: English (mozilla)
Youth Centered Transformation: How the kids from Willie Mae Rock Camp gave voice to the most famous vocalist from the Harlem Renaissance Era who never recorded.
Most people have never heard of Florence Mills, one of the first impactful artists of the Harlem Renaissance, in part because she died before she could be recorded. The students of Willie Mae Rock Camp studied the reviews and history of her work as a vocalist, actor, dancer, activist and philanthropist known as "Harlem's Little Black Bird" and collaboratively created a spatialized sonic landscape to honor her legacy. After an in-person presentation of this quadraphonic piece, we chose Mozilla Hub to archive and hold the memory of Florence inspiring our students and bringing Florence into the future so that others can log in with headphones, move around the space, and experience the students' impressions and tribute.
Participants will have the opportunity to experience this spatial audio and creative coding tribute to the late, great early Harlem Renaissance artist and activist created by Willie Mae Rock Camp's students ages 9 - 14.
WILLIE MAE ROCK CAMP PRESENTS FLORENCE MILLS SPATIALIZED. This piece was originally presented in conjunction with Carnegie Hall's Afrofuturism 2022 Festival. Featuring a collaborative quadraphonic composition created by Willie Mae Rock Camp students in tribute to Harlem Renaissance performer and civil rights advocate, Florence Mills. No recordings of Mills exist today. This composition represents an imaginative response by students to her legacy as understood through text and story.
LaFrae Sci is an imaginationist, multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer, and electro acoustic adventurer. Bedrock to her artistry is the roots and the fruits of the blues from spirituals to afro diasporic futuristic soundscapes that explore time travel, prayer, meditation, and the African American ecstatic tradition. To date, she has shared her intentional creativity in 39 countries. LaFrae is also the Executive Director/Director of Artistic Programming at Willie Mae Future Sounds named after Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. W.M.F.S. is a STEM based music program for girls and gender non-conforming youth in New York City.