Honors Program Explores Southern Music and Culture

KEENE, TEX. – As Southwestern Adventist University’s Honors Program prepares for its upcoming summer tour to Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans, where students will explore the music and culture of the American South, students who wish to participate are taking a course that will provide context for the experiences awaiting them in May. 

Southern music, deeply rooted in African-American traditions dating back to pre-Civil War times, emerged from circumstances where enslaved people were denied musical instruments. As a result, the human voice became the instrument of choice, for people will make music regardless of the circumstances. One of the earliest distinctly American musical traditions, the spiritual, combined religious lyrics with African melodies and work songs. These lyrics often contained coded messages to preserve African-American culture and offer hope. For example the spiritual “Deep River” conveys hope for a heavenly promised land but also suggests that crossing the “deep river” (the Mississippi) could lead to freedom and peace.

In Memphis, students will visit the National Civil Rights Museum to delve deeper into the political dimensions of Southern culture. They’ll also see how Memphis’ musical traditions evolved from spirituals to blues music, which influenced popular music recorded in the city by legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and B.B. King.

In Nashville, students will tour the Ryman Auditorium, a large historic church with stained-glass windows that eventually became the home of the Grand Ole Opry, the mecca of country music. 

In New Orleans, they will witness the mighty Mississippi River emptying into the Gulf while enjoying jazz performances by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and talented street musicians.

Honors students continue to engage in research alongside faculty mentors. Their projects range from studying diabetes education at Texas Health Huguley Hospital to investigating whether UV lights in restrooms effectively combat bacteria.

From exploring American music to conducting original research, the Honors Program offers students unique opportunities to learn about our nation’s roots and serve others through impactful research.

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