Launching today, the new children’s book Who Is Florence Price? tells the story of the first Black female composer to have her music performed by a major American orchestra.
The book was written and illustrated by 45 secondary school students at Kaufman Music Centre’s Special Music School - New York City’s only public school that teaches music as a core subject.
A concert event will take place today, on 18 November, to signify the release of the book. At the event, which is invitation only, pupils from the school will perform music by Price, including Song for Snow, The Glory of the Day was on Her Face and Hold Fast to Dreams.
The book started as a project by English teacher Shannon Potts, who was searching for materials about Price’s life at the lower school reading level. After collaborating in class with her students, the book was self-published as a classroom project, and grew from there.
Kaufman Music Centre's executive director Kate Sheeran says, ‘We’re so proud of our Special Music School students for taking the initiative to create this book, which is a beautiful example of what can happen when we remove barriers to music education. A comprehensive music education from the earliest grades opens doors and helps children make connections between disciplines.’
14-year-old Caden Castro-Kudler, a percussionist and co-author of Who Is Florence Price?, says, ‘The book definitely shows our passion for music and our passion for academics, and amalgamates all those things into this beautiful finished product. It’s an unbelievable feeling to see all the work we put into this as a final product that is tangible and that we’re all really proud of and love.’
‘In classical music there isn’t a lot of diversity, and being a woman of colour myself, it’s inspiring to see somebody who’s made it out there’, says 14-year-old violinist and co-author Rebecca Beato.
Purchase the book here.
