The Music Center's Artsource® Curriculum Dr. Jester Hairston

That Ole’ House Is Ha’nted

The late, extraordinary Dr. Jester Hairston was a grandson of slaves.  However, it was the storytelling and musical traditions of the African American people that inspired him.  Hairston recalled with great relish the evenings in his Pennsylvania hometown when his relatives would spin tales, especially ghost stories.  Remembering those evening, he wrote That Ole’House is Ha’nted to recapture the tales and style of storytelling and singing he grew up with. Lessons feature stories from different cultural traditions and how to tell them through music, song and the spoken words.  The Human Family is a focus for this unit.

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