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Primary
Duke University

Molly Green; In Dahomey (Historic American Sheet Music)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site shows the original sheet music for the first black musical, "In Dahomey," which was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Will Marion Cook.
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Handout
Duke University

Shuffle Along Orchestra

For Students 9th - 10th
This section focuses on the people created the hit musical, "Shuffle Along," which helped to spur the Harlem Renaissance. Other information on the site about the importance of other black theater during the period.
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Website
Other

Musicals: Ragtime

For Students 9th - 10th
Musicals.net offers a synopsis and songlist for "Ragtime," as well as a forum for comments and questions about the show. While "Ragtime" isn't strictly a black musical, the Coalhouse Walker, Jr. - Sarah storyline is so significant that...
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: The Tech: Five Moe's Amuses With Laughs, Crowd Interaction

For Students 9th - 10th
This site reviews the 1993 production of "Five Guys Named Moe" at Boston's Wilbur Theater. It gives a good summary of the musical, as well as a critique of that production.
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Bert Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article gives a good overview of the life of Bert Williams, a black entertainer of the early 1900's who broke many color lines.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Louis Jordan

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Louis Jordan, an American saxophonist-singer prominent in the 1940s and '50s who was a seminal figure in the development of both rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The bouncing, rhythmic...