Traditionally, the Stax Music Academy has hosted live, in-person performances in celebration of Black History Month. That’s now history due to the COVID-19 pandemic and safety-related issues.
This year, an online variety show will be made available for free to students, schools, and youth organizations. A pay-what-you-can donation option will be available for others to enjoy this show honoring Black history.
The performance event, Rhythm & Revolution: Expressions of Struggle, Collaboration, and Peace, will feature songs by well-known artists in a blend of R&B classics mixed with original music from Stax Music Academy students, plus Civil Rights Movement music and more.
Courtesy of Stax Music Academy
Young Stax Academy performer
“As important as the Black History Month lessons are in this virtual production, it is more than anything a show of sheer entertainment,” says Stax Music Academy executive director Pat Mitchell Worley.
Companion study guides will be available for those who register as “Educator” on Eventbrite. The guides will offer a deeper educational experience helping young people to process some of the thoughts and feelings that arise in the concert topics. Youngsters in grades 4-12 can also enter a songwriting competition with a cash prize for the winner.
Significant locations in Memphis including Stax Museum will be featured in the show. Also online for Black History Month is the Stax Museum Virtual Tour, featuring elements of a traditional museum tour with other components highlighting the history of Stax Records and Memphis music through those who lived it and continue to be impacted by its legacy.
Black History Month Celebration: Rhythm & Revolution: An Expression of Struggle, Collaboration, and Peace, Online from Stax Music Academy, staxmusicacademy.org, and Stax Museum, staxmuseum.com, Wednesday, Feb. 17, free with registration.
