Music - Black Gospel Research

The linked ideas that creative work is scholarly work and music history is history are central to Black Gospel Archive’s instructional partnerships and activities. Black Gospel music is an integral part of American, popular, and religious music history, and is thus integral to the study of these interconnected musics, people, and systems. But beyond that, Black Gospel is vital to the study of religion, popular culture, American history, and the African diaspora. As we continue to expand access to and understanding of Black Gospel through the Black Gospel Archive (BGA), we actively seek to remove barriers to student and community engagement and learning, and seek more faculty and campus collaborators for pedagogical development and curricular integration.

The resources on this page include lesson plans and listening guides that facilitate active learning with BGA resources, and that we have found to be successful for classes visiting the BGA. These resources were developed by Music Librarian Bethany Stewart and are free for you to download, adapt, and use on your own, using the digital collection to access recordings. If you would like to arrange an in-person visit to the Black Gospel Archive and/or collaborate on a customized lesson plan, please reach out to Bethany_Stewart@baylor.edu.

Concept 1: Exploring Black Gospel within the American Musical Ecosystem

Concept 2: Exploring the Spiritual Roots of Black Gospel