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What drew you to the arts and humanities as your life’s work?
My journey into Music Education is a pretty unique one, in that I have been a lifelong educator, and a lifelong musician, but for most of my life, these identities were largely separate. My father is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, I majored in International Relations as an undergrad, and have a passion for seeing the world and hold a global outlook, which is reflected in my music. After college, though, I was drawn more and more into education. I taught youth in a variety of settings, including as a History teacher and ESL teacher, and I love the work of connecting with young people– teaching them and learning from them. At the same time, I was performing as a professional hip hop MC and jazz trumpet player, in a variety of bands, putting out albums, etc. I was an educator and a musician, but not a music educator, at least in the traditional sense. However, over time, through a variety of events and opportunities, these identities have merged. I realized that my expertise in the field of education broadly, combined with my experiences teaching hip hop music to youth in many different settings, and my performance experiences with music of a variety of genres, could all be a major asset in the Music Ed world. I love playing music and see deep value in that, while also viewing music as a powerful vehicle to engage with youth and address societal issues.
How does your creative or scholarly practice connect with the world beyond the university?
Some of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences in my work have involved working directly with K-12 youth in local Champaign, Urbana and other area schools, and facilitating opportunities for my U of I students to do the same. I am frequently partnering with local schools (Kenwood, Stratton, International Prep Academy, and Booker T. Washington in Champaign and Yankee Ridge in Urbana just to name a few) on a variety of musical projects, many of which have involved songwriting, particularly focused around hip hop music creation. I speak both French and Spanish, and this trilingualism is a major asset as I have been able to engage in songwriting projects with students where they have created songs in a variety of languages, including English, French, Spanish, Lingala, and Q’anjob’al. I collaborate not only with local music teachers, but also with School of Music colleagues & students, community leaders, ESL teachers, and others, to build a community network of folks all engaging with youth, sharing music with them, and more importantly empowering them to find/share their voice through music and the arts. In addition to all this, I am Co-Director (along with Adam Kruse and Lamont Holden) of the Illinois Hip Hop Camp, which brings 20-30 (mostly local) youth to campus every summer to create original hip hop music, which is always one of my favorite weeks of the year. It takes a village, and I seek to be a part of that village.
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What’s a project, performance, or piece of writing you’re especially excited about right now?
I am working on an album, Bridges not Walls (under my MC name, Afro D) which will blend different aspects of my musical journey into one 8-song project. The album celebrates diversity, community, multilingualism (including songs where I rap in French and Spanish) and peace and justice, among other themes. Musically, it features hip hop, jazz, Mariachi, and Congolese Rumba, among other styles of music. It prominently features my own rapping/lyricism and trumpet playing, as well as a variety of Champaign-Urbana collaborations, including music from Global Soundwaves, Nebulous, Mariachi Libertad, Jean-René Balekita and more. The artwork for the album is being designed by my friend and fellow U of I Professor Stacey Robinson.
The recording of the album has been completed and it is currently in the mixing and mastering stages (I’m working with Anthony Gravino at High Cross Sound in Urbana), with a projected release party on Friday, November 15 at Gallery Art Bar in Urbana. I’m planning to release the album on CD and vinyl, for my fellow old-school heads, and will also sell it on Bandcamp.
Who or what has been a surprising influence or inspiration in your work?
A few years ago, I never would have dreamt that one of the primary styles of music that I would be playing would be Mariachi. I lived in Colima, Mexico for a year back in 2010-2011, and was exposed to Mariachi during that time, but never really tried playing it myself. Fast forward over a decade and multiple Mariachi ensembles have started up right here in Champaign-Urbana. My journey into playing Mariachi began when Urbana high school teacher/orchestra director Tamra Gingold invited me to support the student trumpet players in the Urbana High School/Middle School student Mariachi, Los Tigres de Urbana, and I realized that I loved playing Mariachi. Several months later, a Champaign-Urbana based adult community Mariachi started, Mariachi Libertad, and I now perform on trumpet with them regularly. In addition, I serve as the faculty advisor for a U of I Student Mariachi (and official RSO), Mariachi Alma. The growth of Mariachi in the CU community over the past couple years has been incredible to witness, and I am proud to play an important role in this, as performer, teacher and advisor. I am also proud of the song on my upcoming album, “Superpoder” which blends hip hop and Mariachi. The song features music from Mariachi Libertad (written by Edgar Gutierrez), as well as my own original rap lyrics (one verse in Spanish and one verse in English) about the idea that being multilingual is a superpower.
Anything else you’d like to add or emphasize?
Just a shout out to my family. My wife/life partner Melissa is an elementary school ESL teacher and she inspires me every day (she was recently named one of the News Gazette’s “40 under 40” for her excellence as a teacher and as someone engaged in and committed to the local community. Our children are a constant source of inspiration for me as well. As invested as I am in my teaching and my community-engaged work, I strive to be equally invested in my family and be the best partner and father I can be.