Apparently noted musician/composer Quincy Jones “is rarely mentioned” in American music curricula, and as such a Hunter College music professor says this proves “racial segregation still shapes American classrooms.”
Philip Ewell, the music theory professor who called his (Communist) father “racist” for admiring (white) composers like Beethoven and Bach, believes Jones is an “essential piece in the history of American music,” yet the ideology of white supremacy — “deeply rooted” in our society — refuses his recognition.
Elite music schools, such as Julliard and Eastman School of Music, continue to study mainly Western composers like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Chopin, Ewell writes in The Conversation.
“These are all white, European men who died long ago,” he says.
What’s more, universities “frequently” do not count courses related to jazz — “a genre deeply rooted in African American musical traditions” — toward a major in music.
Since “American music academies […] generally reflect the social norms of the day,” Ewell says a “relevant” music curriculum would begin with the “first great American musician” Francis “Frank” Johnson, move on to 19th-century pianist Basile Barès, and then to conductor/composer Harry Lawrence Freeman, creator of 21 “remarkably underexplored” operas.
All are African-American. And Ewell notes he “didn’t even mention any blues, hip-hop, Motown, rock or R&B artists.”
Apparently noted musician/composer Quincy Jones “is rarely mentioned” in American music curricula, and as such a Hunter College music professor says this proves “racial segregation still shapes American classrooms.”
Philip Ewell, the music theory professor who called his (Communist) father “racist” for admiring (white) composers like Beethoven and Bach, believes Jones is an “essential piece in the history of American music,” yet the ideology of white supremacy — “deeply rooted” in our society — refuses his recognition.
Elite music schools, such as Julliard and Eastman School of Music, continue to study mainly Western composers like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Chopin, Ewell writes in The Conversation.
“These are all white, European men who died long ago,” he says.
What’s more, universities “frequently” do not count courses related to jazz — “a genre deeply rooted in African American musical traditions” — toward a major in music.
Since “American music academies […] generally reflect the social norms of the day,” Ewell says a “relevant” music curriculum would begin with the “first great American musician” Francis “Frank” Johnson, move on to 19th-century pianist Basile Barès, and then to conductor/composer Harry Lawrence Freeman, creator of 21 “remarkably underexplored” operas.
All are African-American. And Ewell notes he “didn’t even mention any blues, hip-hop, Motown, rock or R&B artists.”
“Jones’ career demonstrates that blending jazz, pop, funk and even classical elements can create something innovative and accessible,” Ruiz said. “Students can learn to break free from the constraints of single-genre production, seeing instead how various musical styles can work together to create fresh, engaging sounds.”
Jones’ “storytelling through arrangement” can “resonate” with students, as well as his penchant for collaborating with others — such “demonstrates the value of open-mindedness and adaptability,” Ruiz added.
In 2020, Ewell was embroiled in controversy after U. Northern Texas music theory professor Timothy Jackson took him on over his claims that whiteness is “structural and institutionalized” in their field, and that 19th century music theorist Heinrich Schenker was an “ardent racist” whose ideas exist “to benefit members of the dominant white race of music theory.”
Despite admitting he did not read the full volume of the journal in which Jackson and others made their arguments (“I refuse to participate in my own dehumanization”), Ewell had urged his followers on X (then Twitter) to sign an “Open Letter on Antiracist Actions” which denounced the journal’s supposed “violation of academic standards of peer review” and “singling out” of Ewell.
Last year, Ewell was among those who denounced Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town,” claiming it is “part of a phenomenon of subtle yet unmistakable ‘anti-Blackness.’”
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Written by staff reporters at College Fix.
Photo “Quincy Jones” by Quincy Jones.
