Music tells a story. It is a narrative that inspires and moves many.
Daniel Ketter and Emlyn Johnson, faculty from the department of musicat Missouri State University, share about their work with Music in the American Wild and how they are celebrating the Centennial of the women's suffrage movement.
They began Music in the America Wild in 2016 as a celebration of the National Park Service Centennial.
"We toured around the country playing in a bunch of different parks. We realized that what was really valuable was beyond playing and exploring these amazing places. It was connecting with audiences about some really exciting idea, something that we could really all get behind," Johnson said.
Since then, they've continued to tell stories of different Americans throughout history.
"We have been particularly inspired to celebrate American women. And with this 2020 Centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment, the Women's Suffrage Amendment, we are really excited about telling stories of some Midwestern American women," Johnson said.
This spring, they are focused on telling the stories of Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman.
"We really wanted to try and find some inspiring women that lived close to where we were living now, to tell stories that were relevant to the places that we would be performing the music," Ketter said.
This project is supported in part by an award from Mid-America Arts Alliance with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
They will perform this work throughout the region this spring, and specifically, will be in concert at Missouri State University on April 13.
