Introducing the AAMPA Griot Lab
The word griot means “a member of a hereditary caste in African culture whose function is to keep an oral history of the tribe or village and to entertain with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.” LAB is an abbreviation for laboratory which is a building or designated area where scientific experiments, analyses, and research are carried out. So, like its origin words, the AAMPA GRIOT LAB is a place where African American masters (griots) will teach, examine, and present works that honor the history of black performance art to continue our legacy of artistic excellence and pay tribute to our countless contributions to landscape of American culture and arts.
Kenny Keys is a keyboardist, pianist, composer, producer, session musician and teacher of music. He has collaborated and played with an array of esteemed musicians, including: the late queen of soul Aretha Franklin, Steve Arrington & Slave, Buddy Guy, Donell Jones, Jon B, Chico DeBarge, and others. This class will cover four areas: History/Fundamentals, Harmonic Expansions, Contextual Listening, and Harmonic Dictation.
- How music genres relate to each other
- How music genres intersect each other
- Cultural music dynamics (Asian, African, India)
- Music Entrepreneurship (music therapy, health and wellness)
- Different arrangements of the same songs
- Simple & Complex song structure
- Traditional Rock
- Jazz
- R&B
- Hip Hop
- Getting familiar with musical personnel
- Liner notes
- Digital music platform credits
- Writer, Composer and Musician relationships
$500 FOR THE SERIES
$175 PER CLASS
Co-founder Harry Lennix will host a two-phased master course.
Part I: What is Acting?
Different components of the craft
Ontological elements—existence of being
What are the obligations of being an actor?
Part II: Acting: Theory and Praxis
Examining the process of translating theory into action
CLASSES TO BE ANNOUNCED
$750 FOR THE SERIES
$250 PER CLASS
Award-winning actor, director, comedian and writer Robert Townsend will lend his expertise to host Script To Screen, a course on best practices for producing a successful movie from a screenplay.
CLASSES TBD
$750 FOR THE SERIES
$250 PER CLASS