i see the rhythm is a book that tells the history of African American music using pictures, text, song lyrics, and timelines. The book begins with the African roots of the music and ends with hip hop, the most recent form of African American music. As African Americans, Michele Wood (the artist) and I both felt a strong connection with the music of our people. As I researched and learned about the music of each era, I became more and more amazed at the strength and power of African American music. When I learned about the history of the musicians, I was also learning about the struggles of my own people and of American society.

History isn't boring when it is the history of your own family. I remember my grandmother listening to old swing songs and my father talking about how he used to get dressed up to go hear bebop. I remember hearing the same gospel songs in church over and over, year after year, never knowing how old some of those songs really were. And now that I have children of my own, I hear a lot of hip hop.

The title of the book, i see the rhythm, refers to the way the artist Michele Wood was able to "see" and paint her visions of each form of music. I used words—poems, text, and lyrics—to describe what I heard in the music of each period, what I saw in Michele's pictures, and what I felt was important about the music's history.

Every era of African American musical history is described in this way throughout the book. With our words and our pictures we have tried to help you "see" the music, and the history, in a new way.

In this workshop, you are going to write a one-page tribute to an African American musician or singer from one of the periods discussed in i see the rhythm. A tribute is a "shout out"—it's where you get to share what makes the person special and why you admire him or her. This is your chance to express all that you think and feel. In this part of your assignment, you will pretend you are writing a speech for the Grammy Awards. Here's what I want you to do:

• Go through the book and pick any time of musical history that interests you - except hip hop or rap. Maybe you like the picture, the lyrics, or the history of the period. Read about the history and look at the pictures while you listen to a piece of music from that period.
• Now choose a musician from this time period to write about. It can be the musician you heard in the music or one that is shown in a picture or one that is referred to in the book. For example, if you chose the Jazz Women section, you might want to write about Ella Fitzgerald (the large woman in the picture) or you might want to learn more about Billie Holiday and her song, "God Bless the Child." Or maybe the story about Marian Anderson described in the timeline interests you.
• Begin to research this musician's life. Here is a guideline to help you. See if you can find the answers to all or most of the following questions:
  • Who is the person you are honoring?
  • Why should they be honored today or why are you writing about them?
  • When did they live?
  • What was the major accomplishment in their life?
  • Where did they grow up or go to school or get training?
  • What was their most famous piece of music?
  • Who liked their music? (Young people? Older people? Black people? White people?)
  • Describe the music. What did the music sound like? How did it make you feel? Why did you like it?
  • Did he/she die? If so, when? Was he/she famous when he/she passed away? If not, did they become famous later?
  • What did you learn from this person's life or what touched you about their life or their music?

• Now, take all that information and write your tribute. Your tribute should have five paragraphs, and each paragraph plays an important role in the piece as a whole. Here are some ways to think about the structure:
• Your first paragraph should be an introduction. It should include a greeting, such as: "Hello, I am here today to honor (name of musician) for his (or her) contributions to the history of African American music." Make sure to introduce your musician by name, to tell the audience what type of music your musician was famous for, and to briefly describe your musician's contribution to American music, and why what he or she did was important.
• The second, third and fourth paragraphs should elaborate on your musician's life and achievements. The second should talk about your musician's early life - what his or her childhood was like and what inspired him or her to write, play or sing music. In the third and fourth paragraphs, try to get specific about your musician's career. How did he or she break into the music business? What was the public reaction to the music? What made his or her music special? What was his or her unique contribution to the music world?
• The last paragraph is your closing statement. It should share your personal connection to the music. Why should this person be honored today? What did the music sound like? How did it make you feel? Why did you like it? What have you learned about this person? What do you want other people to know?