Musical Story Time: Hair Love

Musical Story Time is our series where we pair original compositions by Black composers with children’s books written by Black authors.  We debuted the experience at 3 Chicago Public Libraries on the South Side which included Woodson Regional, South Chicago, and Beverly. 

We kicked off the series with an original composition by Ahmed Alabaca scored to Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love. 

The string trio brought Zuri’s story to life through music and was performed by Caitlin Edwards on violin, Wilfred Farquharson on viola, and Tahirah Whittington on cello.

Narrating the experience was bilingual storytelling by Mama Edie Armstrong who also educated our youth in attendance on the various parts of the African Diaspora. 

It created an environment where children and their families could be exposed to the music of Black composers in an engaging and familiar way.

This event was supported by the Breakout Foundation.

Photo Credit: Ally Almore