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Mcarthur Chose a Sm for the School That Was Squarely in the the Fisk Choir-The Jubilee Singers Led Byjohn W

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Mcarthur Chose a Sm for the School That Was Squarely in the the Fisk Choir-The Jubilee Singers Led Byjohn W FOR Tiff: LOVE Of llfUS!C also knew by experience that there was growing oppor­ tunity for Mrican Americans in the arts, particularly in music. While working for the school system, she had begun to offer private music lessons in her home to both children and adults before resigning from her job to open her own music school. McArthur chose a site for the school that was squarely in the middle oflndianapolis's Mrican-American busi­ ness community. Located at 808-10 Indiana Avenue, the McArthur Conservatory was across the street from arrangements. McArthur absorbed Dawson's musical a federally built housing project, Lockefield Gardens, philosophy, with its emphasis on the cultural worth of and next door to a shoe-repair shop, a barbershop, and black music from the days of slavery. a tavern. Down the street from the school was the Sunset Mter completing her bachelor's degree in music at Terrace, a large black-owned jazz club. Opened in 1937, Tuskegee, McArthur went on to Fisk University in the club featured touring vaudeville and Broadway floor Tennessee for graduate training in musicology and shows, national bands, and areajazz orchestras. choral technique. Once again, she trained under outstanding choral musicians. During the 1930s McArthur chose a sm FOR THE scHooL that was squarely in the the Fisk choir-the Jubilee Singers led byJohn W. middle of Indianapolis's African-American business Work III-was so impressive that it was asked to perform in front of royalty and at Carnegie Hall. community. Located at 808-10 Indiana Avenue, the McARTHUR With America's entry into Wo rld War II, McArthur CoNSERVATORY was across the street from a federally built cut short her graduate training at Fisk after only a housing project, lockefield Gardens, and next door to a shoe­ year and returned home to Indianapolis. or the first half of the 1940s, McArthur repair shop, a barbershop, and a tavern. served as the music supervisor for the seg­ regated elementary schools of the Indianapolis The Sunset was only one of numerous jazz clubs publicF school system. As music supervisor, McArthur, operating along Indiana Avenue fr om the 1920s to whose office was at Attucks, dealt with the fr ustrat­ the 1950s. These clubs attracted to their stages such ing limitations of segregation every day. A growing renowned names as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Mrican-American population made these limitations Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Count Basie, and all the more obvious. Lionel Hampton, to name just a few. The Jazz at Both housing and education in Indianapolis were the Philharmonic series visited town once a year segregated, as were many restaurants, hotels, and during the 1940s and fe atured some of the hottest movie theaters. As thousands of people arrived from stars on the national jazz scene. In 1946 saxophone the South, an increasing percentage oflndianapolis players Lester Yo ung and Coleman Hawkins came blacks were by default living in run-down, white­ to Indianapolis, and in 1948 the great jazz musi­ owned rental properties where rents ran an average cians Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, and Dexter of 20 percent higher than the rents whites paid for Gordon came to play at the Murat. similar housing. Public education had been segre­ Jazz was a constant along the Avenue during the gated fo r many years, and Indianapolis's public early days of the McArthur Conservatory. Norman schools were run by a conservative school board Merrifield, a music teacher at Attucks, had already whose policy of segregation was entrenched. contributed a great deal of energy to a new genera­ McArthur's family had enough income to allow her tion on the Indianapolis jazz scene, and local band­ to attend Attucks and two outstanding all-black south­ leaders such as Buddy Bryant and Russell Brown gave ern colleges, but her situation was unusual. She under­ young musicians ample opportunities to play. Such stood very well that access to education was an great jazz musicians as J. J. Johnson, Jimmy Coe, economic issue and that education in turn had a direct Freddie Hubbard, and Wes Montgomery all had their effect on a young person's economic future. McArthur start in Indianapolis in the 1930s and 1940s. TRACES Summer 2002 .
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