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William Dawson:

An Interview with Mark Malone

ME RRIN GUICE GILL

What originally drew you to want to research Considering the intellectual and socio-politi-
William Levi Dawson? Did you have personal cal landscape of the 1970s, did you find that
experience with Black music and musicians? your curiosity about this Black American com-
poser was welcome by your committee, and
As a member of the choir at Hialeah High School was it treated with the same enthusiasm as
(HHS), a suburb of Miami, Florida, I had rich expe- other composer studies?
riences singing arrangements and settings of African
American spirituals. William Dawson’s works were My mentor at Florida State University during my
my favorite. As a junior, I was selected for an honor master’s degree was Dr. Colleen Jean Kirk, who later
choir and was absolutely enthralled with the clinician, became my major professor during doctoral stud-
Jester Hairston. ies. Colleen Kirk was one of the thirty-five founding
Despite the concerted efforts of many to achieve members of ACDA in 1959 and eventually served as
racial equality in America, the results of the Civil national president from 1981 to 1983. Dr. Kirk knew
Rights Movement and subsequent legislation in 1964 of the creative accomplishments of William Dawson
and 1968 were slow to take effect. As such, the Dade and encouraged my interest. She also knew that I had
County, Florida, public schools were still racially seg- been accepted into the doctoral program in choral
regated in the late 1960s. As a senior in high school, music education and that an in-depth study of Wil-
public school faculties were finally integrated in Feb- liam Dawson would not only provide much-needed
ruary 1970, but not the students. Despite the fact of information about this important musician, but would
continued supposed “separate but equal” schools, I be of high quality as a dissertation topic.
and my peers in the HHS choir frequently heard the Under her aegis, I contacted Dawson and an initial
segregated/all-African American Miami Northwest- interview was confirmed in January of 1979. The fo-
ern High School Choir and greatly admired the rep- cus of this first investigation was to reveal the impact
ertoire of spirituals the ensemble performed under of Dawson’s life and work and was my choice for a
the direction of their charismatic and talented con- required project to complete the master’s degree in
ductor. music education. The master’s project on Dawson af-

Merrin Guice Gill
Associate Professor of Music
Director of Choral Activities
Bethel University
meg25835@bethel.edu

14 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2024 Volume 65 Number 2