CIM Scholar Chris Jenkins Organizes National Conference: Theorizing African American Music

A national conference on African American music is taking place next month with significant support from CIM.

The conference, Theorizing African American Music (TAAM), takes place Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the University of Colorado Denver prior to a joint gathering of the Society of Music Theory and the American Musicological Society. 

For the second time in as many years, CIM is a sponsor of the event, along with several other institutions, and current CIM student Chris Jenkins (DMA, Irvine/Ramsey) is one of its lead organizers.

“CIM was instrumental in the first iteration of TAAM – it could not have happened without them” said Jenkins, author of Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education, which examines the modern conservatory experience through a Black lens. “We are so appreciative that their support is continuing.”

As Jenkins notes, the upcoming Denver conference marks the second edition of TAAM. The first such event took place in June 2022 at CIM and Case Western Reserve University, also with significant support from CIM and others. 

Then, too, Jenkins, who also serves as an associate dean and visiting assistant professor at Oberlin Conservatory, figured prominently as a member of the conference's steering committee. 

According to the conference website, TAAM welcomes scholars including theorists, musicologists, ethnomusicologists, music critics, and performers for presentations highlighting marginalized African American perspectives on music and music theory. The 2023 Keynote Speaker is Fredara Mareva Hadley, professor of ethnomusicology at The Juilliard School.

The event's primary objectives are to address the erasure of African American scholars from the field and to feature new analytical perspectives on areas of American music with African American roots. It's a critically important gathering whose significance continues to inspire participants and planners alike. 

“This conference has surpassed even our highest hopes,” Jenkins said. “Never, in 2021, when we first discussed the possibility of a conference focused on analyzing African American music, could we have imagined how impactful and transformative this project would turn out to be.” 

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