We Shall Overcome Essays on a Great American Song [Hardcover]

The origins and legacy of the folk song 'We Shall Overcome' are complex and varied, which makes the study and teaching of this 'great American song' a difficult task. Bobetsky has collected eight essays (by librarians, teachers, and professors) that consider the creation of the famous tune and lyrics; touch on the larger context of music and civil rights; explain the fluid process of American folk practice; describe how the symposium on which this book is based came about; grapple with the choral and popular inheritances of the song; and provide clear lesson plans on how to deliver this information to a middle school classroom. Given the multiple aims of the book, it is impressive how well it succeeds. Directed mostly at music educators, the book is packed with history, analysis, and practical advice. In the end, this concise book illustrates the importance of culture, religion, labor, and interracial activism in civil rights America through case studies of a magnificent and ever-changing song. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, teachers, and general readers.Victor V. Bobetsky has presented us with a valuable resource to be used not just in the music appreciation or general music classroom but in any class that seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the African-American civil rights movement and the song central to its conflict that has been used to inspire people around the world who struggle for peace and justice.&. [The] book is a valuable resource for teachers in performance, music appreciation, or general music classrooms. The volumes many references and citations lead in a variety of directions that could provide a primary or secondary educator with substantial material to enrich their students education.We Shall Overcome: Essays on a Great American Song, edited and compiled by Victor V. Bobetsky, comprises essays that explore the origins, history, and impact of this great American folk song.We Shall Overcome is an American folk lCá