SOUNDING AND SIGNIFYIN’: REPRESENTATION AND THE THEATRICAL BLACK VOICE by Michael John Mohammed Dissertation Committee: Professor Kelly Parkes, Sponsor Professor Randall Allsup Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date May 20, 2020 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2020 ABSTRACT SOUNDING AND SIGNIFYIN’: REPRESENTATION AND THE THEATRICAL BLACK VOICE Michael John Mohammed This qualitative dissertation identifies musical strategies that black theatre singers use when presenting and re-presenting music that integrates western classical vocal aesthetics with stylistic genres of traditionally black forms like gospel, jazz, and blues. This study investigates the use of the voice by five black opera and musical theatre performers and the approaches that they take in the representation of music that requires integrated vocality, which integrates elements from western classical traditions with those from black popular and folk idioms. Data were collected through audio/visual analysis, interviews, and video stimulated recall, presented through narrative analysis. Three emergent themes are explored are as follows: Authenticity is rooted in the singer’s experience of cultural traditions and expression; technique is a means of personal and cultural expression and provides the opportunity for personal liberation, and; a singer positions themself at the nexus of their cultural legacy as a learner, exemplar, advocate, and transmitter of culture. The implications for educators at the tertiary level are discussed in the final chapter. Alignment of technique, personal expression, and identity infuses a singer’s sound with meaning; fostering the black singer’s use of their cultural capital helps them transform their life experiences into artistic interpretation. Representation, the use of signs that link a person to their cultural circles, is an act of re-humanization, combating dehumanization caused by systematic and societal exclusion by placing positive images at the center of their cultural legacy. In higher education, pre-professional training becomes humanizing when expression is viewed as a means of critical understanding of a student’s lived experience. Also, inspiring persons with marginalized identities requires re-centralizing power toward those who can imagine themselves transforming the entertainment industry into a more inclusive artistic space. © Copyright Michael John Mohammed 2020 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my father and mother who inspire my brothers and me to lead with intelligence and kindness. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My own enthusiasm for this project increased along the path to completion with each interview and each conversation I had with others. I first must express gratitude to the participants of this study. Each of these incredible artists invited me into their thoughts and processes with immense openness and truth. The four other members of my doctoral cohort as well as my fellow Team 4 Doctoral Seminar mates were integral to the development of the work, culminating in this document. I thank my professors at Teachers College who have left indelible imprints on my thinking and educating. Much appreciation is extended to my defense committee: Dr. Kelly Parkes, Dr. Randall Allsup, Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn, and Dr. Mark Anthony Gooden. When talking about my dissertation with people, the response was usually something like, “Really? That’s amazing!” This reaction was then often followed by a thought or a tidbit or the name of a particular performer whom I should check out. I am extremely grateful for these exchanges with friends, peers, and acquaintances, which deepened my own understanding of the work I was doing. My editor Fiore Sireci was extremely helpful in finessing the presentation of this document. My secondary, collegiate, and avocational students have no idea how inspired I am by them and their bravery in bringing themselves into their work. I am grateful to my family for their affirmation and support through the completion of the doctoral degree. Finally, my incredible husband Jonathan Smucker, who continues his own journey as an artist and iv teacher, amazes me with his intelligence and grace. I cannot communicate all of my gratitude for his constancy and emotional sustenance. M. M. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Personal Narrative .......................................................................................................... 3 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................... 6 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 7 Research Questions......................................................................................................... 7 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................... 8 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 10 Operational Definitions ................................................................................................ 11 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 15 Chapter II – LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 16 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 16 Cultural Capital............................................................................................................. 16 Black Aesthetics ........................................................................................................ 17 Black Vocality ........................................................................................................... 21 Signifiers of Vocality ................................................................................................ 23 Hybrid Forms and the Challenges of Hybridity ........................................................ 24 Singers who Define and Transcend Conceptions of Vocalism ................................. 27 Performativity and Authenticity .................................................................................. 30 Appropriation ............................................................................................................ 33 Expressivity .................................................................................................................. 34 Audience Construction of Meaning .......................................................................... 34 Acoustic Strategies Used by the Performing Artist .................................................. 36 Strategies for Teaching Expressivity......................................................................... 39 Lenses as Methods: Literature ...................................................................................... 41 Signification through Discourse Analysis, Hermeneutics, and Semiotics ................ 42 Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Intersectionality in Music and Applied Theatre ............................................................................... 43 Research in Recorded Material ............................................................................... 50 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 53 Chapter III – METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 55 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 55 Rationale for the Methodology ..................................................................................... 56 Research Design Overview .......................................................................................... 57 Interview.................................................................................................................... 58 Audio/Visual Analysis .............................................................................................. 59 vi Stimulated Recall ...................................................................................................... 59 Pilot Studies .................................................................................................................. 60 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 60 Themes and interview questions ........................................................................... 61 Participants ............................................................................................................ 61 Emergent themes ................................................................................................... 62 Recording Example ................................................................................................... 65 Participants ..................................................................................................................