Past Event: Music Ministry in the Black Church | Challenge and Innovation

Challenge and innovation panel

This event has passed.

Location: Niebuhr Hall
409 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Open to: Yale community only

Admission: Free

Description: Discussion with the leaders of music ministries, including The Potter’s House (Dallas), the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta), and Greater Centennial AME Zion Church (Mount Vernon, NY), and more.

Part of the “In the Sanctuary Symposium” event April 21-22

Presentations and Bios

Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle has recently been named the inaugural associate dean of equity and inclusion at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She is currently dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, where she has created initiatives and strategies for furthering equity and inclusion efforts on campus such as a mentoring program for student athletes, bias incident response protocols, and cultural intelligence and competency training. She cofounded DIEMA (Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Musical Arts) Consulting Group LLC to help schools of music address DEI related challenges and initiatives. Crystal holds a doctor of musical arts degree from The Ohio State University and  bachelor of music and master of music degrees from Bowling Green State University and Roosevelt University respectively.

Kent R. Brooks (he/his/him) performs dual roles at Northwestern University. As the director of Religious and Spiritual Life, he works within a team dedicated to creating an inclusive space supporting the quest for meaning and purpose. As an assistant professor in the Department of Performance Studies, his work focuses on the language, execution, and social/historical implications of Black Gospel Music. Personally, Kent is a composer represented by BMI, a seasoned church music director, worship leader, and recipient of the Walji Gospel Music Award – twice. His commissions include Heal the Land – the theme for the Raleigh-Durham area’s first observance of the Black Churches Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS – and Let Your Dreams Take Flight, the theme for the Special Olympics World Games for which he assembled a 200-voice choir. In addition, Kent’s composition Fanfare for Celina opened the inaugural International Igor Stravinsky Festival at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; his string quintet, A Prelude for Spirituals, debuted the same year. For four seasons, Kent performed with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra as chorus master, and arranged its annual gospel concert. In his final year, the GSO performed Kent’s original gospel ballad, You Are My Everything. This same piece was presented at the 2009 Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA). In 2013, his setting of Psalm 117 was also recorded by the GMWA’s Mass Choir. To mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, he arranged an old battle song, Hoist Up the Flag, for a special concert performed by the Springfield Symphony Chorale and Orchestra. Before coming to Northwestern, Kent servied as Director of Music and Worship for High Street United Methodist Church in Springfield, Ohio. There, he also conducted the Imani Gospel Choir, and served as chapel organist at Wittenberg University. Kent currently transcribes and arranges for The Gospel Music Workshop of America, The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses and the Hampton University Church Music Conference. Kent has professional memberships with the American Guild of Organists, the Gospel Music Workshop of America, and the American Choral Directors Association, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whence he received degrees in music composition and music theory.

Joshuah Brian Campbell is a singer, composer, songwriter, ministry worker and actor from Cheraw, South Carolina. He is the co-writer, along with Cynthia Erivo, of the Grammy and Oscar-nominated and World Soundtrack Award-winning “Stand Up” (performed by Cynthia Erivo and produced by William Wells and Solomon Fox) from the feature biopic Harriet. Joshuah grew up groomed by Southern Black gospel traditions, and this grounding serves as his vantage point to all the music he performs and composes. At Harvard College, he studied music and French and Francophone Studies, and he finished a master of divinity at Union Theological Seminary (NYC) in May 2021, where he did work in Hebrew and Greek translation, Christian/faith education, biblical interpretation, and Black religious studies. Counting Vijay Iyer, Yosvany Terry, Imani Uzuri, as well as his childhood choir directors among his most important musical teachers, Joshuah currently serves the student population at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, NC as director of music and arts and director of the University Gospel Choir. Of Bapti-Metho-Costal roots, Joshuah is a preacher and Christian educator in the A.M.E. Zion Church.

Dr. Leo H. Davis, Jr., D.M.A. is first and foremost a steadfast believer in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and grateful for the ability to honor, glorify and serve him through gifts of music. He currently serves as the minister of worship at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, Tennessee, the largest African-American congregation within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States. Dr. Davis manages Sunday worship services on two campuses, along with seasonal and special events and concerts, and provides management, spiritual nurture, and training to all professional and volunteer music team members. There he leads a 120-voice sanctuary choir, praise ensembles, instrumental ensembles, choirs for children and youth, drama and deaf ministries, and a staff of musicians, administrators and volunteers; oversees technical production; and serves as a member of the senior pastor’s leadership team providing vision, long-range planning and leadership for all music related ministries. In helping to bridge church and the arts communities, Dr. Davis has served as executive producer, musical director, and/or conductor for a number of choral and artistic productions, including: Good Friday Presentation: Saga of the Cross with composer and performer Cyrus Chestnut; Mississippi Blvd. Umoja Production with actor Laman Rucker; the Memphis Symphony Chorus; TOO HOT TO HANDEL at Orpheum Theatre; Tribute to Edwin Hawkins; the Luminary Awards/MLK 50 at the Canon Center for the Performing Arts; and the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference. He has collaborated with such artists as Richard Smallwood, Tramaine Hawkins, Joseph Joubert, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Whalum, Donnie McClurkin, and LEDISI. As an adjunct professor, he has taught music theory courses and online worship certificate courses for LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis Theological Seminary, and United Theological Seminary. Dr. Davis founded NO Gimmicks, a church consulting ministry that has supported pastors and music ministry leaders and teams for churches across the country, including Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, NY (Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts); Saint Paul’s Baptist Church, Richmond, VA (Reverend Dr. Lance Watson); and Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, OH (Reverend Dr. Jawanza Colvin). He is the author of No Gimmicks – Relevancy, Commitment and Excellence in Worship and No Gimmicks, Volume 2; and was a core team member of the hymnal project: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: An African American Ecumenical Hymnal (James Abbington, ed.), published by GIA Publications in 2018.

Omar J. Dickenson is director of university choirs and assistant professor in the department of music & performing arts at Hampton University. He also serves as director of music for the Hampton University Memorial Church and as music director for the Choir Directors’ & Organists’ Guild of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Mr. Dickenson served as director of fine arts at the Bethel Baptist Institutional Church in Jacksonville, FL. While in Florida, he held a faculty appointment at Florida State College of Jacksonville as conductor of its Gospel and Concert Choruses.  Mr. Dickenson holds degrees in mathematics from Hampton University and in music from Edward Waters University. He also earned the master of music degree from Norfolk State University and master of education degree in music and music education from Columbia University Teachers College, where he is currently completing the doctor of education degree in music and music education. He is a published composer and arranger and maintains an active schedule as a clinician, panelist, and church music consultant.

Born and raised in Ohio, Min. Avis Denise Graves has devoted her life to serving God and his people. Noticing her God-given talent, Graves’ mother enrolled her in piano lessons at three years old. As she grew, Graves was nurtured musically and spiritually by figures like Marcella Caffie and David Smith. She attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she served as student director of the Spelman College Glee Club, was a member of Delta Sigma Theta, and became a founding member of the Atlanta University Gospel Movement. This movement, which spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout Atlanta, also shared their platform with Civil Rights activists such as Julian Bond, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young. Upon graduating from Spelman College with a B.A. in Music and Piano Studies, Graves returned to Ohio, where she continued to serve at her local church, as well as Mt. Olive M.B. Church, St. Agnes Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, The Glories of Gospel, Christian Music Academy, Leonard Burks, The Voices of Praise, and The Company in His Image. In 1994, she acknowledged her call to share the message of Jesus Christ through the preached word, and graduated from Notre Dame College of Ohio with a Master of Education degree the following year. Next, she relocated to North Carolina, where she served as Minister of Worship at The Park Church under the leadership of Bishop Claude R. Alexander, Jr. Her first sermon was delivered in 1999, and she was licensed as a minister of The Gospel. She served The Park Church for 15 years, cultivating a 150+ member choir, as well as a dance team, drama team, step team, and musician’s guild. From 2013-2020, Avis served as the Assistant to the Director of Worship & Arts at The Church Without Walls under the leadership of Dr. Ralph Douglas West in Houston, TX. Of all her accolades, her proudest personal achievement is raising her daughter, Aja. She considers her life a reflection of Luke 12:48––“…of those to whom much is given much is required.” Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership, with an emphasis in Christian Ministry.

The Reverend Rylan Andre Harris is a native of Philadelphia whose musicial and ministerial journey ultimately began at the age of four, when he was introduced to the piano. As he grew older and his technique and skills sharpened, he was afforded the chance to open and perform on stage with some of the world’s most renowned artists: Apollo’s Ray Chew & the Crew, Melba Moore, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Chrystal Rucker, Kierra Sheard, Brian Courtney Wilson, Darwin Hobbs, Lisa Page Brooks, and Jekalyn Carr, among others. Rev. Harris did his undergraduate studies at the historic Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where he served as student director of Hampton Choirs and leading and singing with every ensemble, including forming a chapel choir under his direction. At Hampton, he was afforded opportunities such as the humble honor of playing organ for commencement during his freshman year — just feet away from the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack H. Obama! A sought-after preacher, worship leader, singer, musician, and speaker, Rev. Harris was called to the Gospel Ministry of Jesus Christ in 2011, preaching his first sermon on April 4, 2012, on the campus of Hampton University. After much prayer, study, and observation, his father formally licensed him in 2015, which was followed by his official ordination on September 19, 2021. Rylan released his first single, “In Spite of Me,” which was followed by his debut LIVE Recording in July 2017. His group GLORY was officially formed in the same year and together in November 2019, they released their freshman project entitled “Hide Me Behind The Cross: LIVE In Philadelphia.” Reverend Harris currently serves as minister of worship & arts at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, GA under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale. A proud and active member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc., and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., he is currently completing a master of religious leadership degree with a concentration in worship and music at Emory University, Candler School of Theology, and will subsequently look to pursue the Th.M. and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Above all else, Reverend Harris is a proud advocate for the preservation of the Black Church, its sound, and its music; its history, its defining role and relevance in society on all levels; and its necessary sustainability for the generations not yet born.

Wife, mother, and musician Charletta Mack Hines was born in Salisbury, Maryland, to the late Rev. Dr. Charles H. Mack and Gladys Roberts Mack. Her formative years were shaped by this small-town community and their life in the church. The eldest of three children, Hines had always loved music and singing; at just five years old, she began taking piano lessons. Emulating her father, the pastor of St. James AME Zion Church, she frequently accompanied the St. James Junior Choir as pianist. Later, Hines received her B.A. in Music Education from Livingstone College, where she sang in the concert choir and the Livingstone Prayer Meeting Gospel Choir. For thirty years, Hines served as a K-5 music teacher in Durham, Orange, and Currituck, North Carolina. For forty years, she has also served as Minister of Music at Kyles Temple AME Zion Church. A life-long learner, she has gone on to study music at North Carolina Central University, Appalachian State University, and East Carolina University, and she has recorded with the Durham Community Choir, as well as The Martin Luther King Community Choir and Ensemble.  Most recently, she recorded and toured with Dr. Braxton Shelley and Testimony. Hines enjoys life with her husband and college sweetheart of 49 years. In her spare time, she lends her talents to the Auxiliary to the Durham Academy of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, and the Triangle Park (NC) Chapter of The Links, for which she serves as chaplain.  She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, and former member of the Durham Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. She loves the Lord, and knows without doubt that falling in love with Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to her.

Stephen F. Key is known throughout the United States for his talents in composition, musical direction, and keyboard musicianship.  Mr. Key’s acclaimed compositions have received performances in major concert halls throughout the country. He has performed with and arranged for many nationally renowned artists including the late Edwin and Bishop Walter Hawkins, Richard Smallwood, Yolanda Adams, Oleta Adams, and Donnie McClurkin.  In July 1998, Mr. Key organized a seventeen-member ensemble to participate in several international music festivals in Holland, Norway, Austria, and France.  The troupe received rave reviews for their standing-room-only performances.  Mr. Key served as a member of the Editorial Committee for The African American Heritage Hymnal, published in March 2001, designed to preserve the rich oral tradition of African American sacred song in printed form.  In October 2014, Mr. Key produced “Go Tell It”, the fourth Compact Disc recording of original compositions and arrangements performed by his ensemble “Steve Key & Company”.  Most recently, in May 2017, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department, Mr. Key assisted in conducting Gospel Music workshops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These workshops were designed to enhance English language learning.  Presently, Mr. Key serves on the musical staffs of the Third Street Church of God and Asbury United Methodist Church, both in Washington, DC.  A graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, he is currently employed as an Information Technology Specialist for the U.S. Air Force and is also Founder and President of his own music publishing company –StepKey Music 

Affectionately known at “Dr. T.,” Dr. Tony McNeill is a sought-after workshop clinician, lecturer, consultant, mentor, and guest choral conductor throughout the country.  Dr. McNeill currently serves as director of choral activities and chairman of the department of performing arts at Clinton College in Rock Hill, SC.  Prior to his appoint at Clinton College, he was visiting professor and Interim choral director at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston, TX.  Dr. McNeill also served four and a half years as the director of worship and the arts at Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, “America’s Freedom Church.” He has presented lectures and workshops for the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, the forum for Theological Exploration (FTE), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, Duke Divinity School, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, The Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM), The American Baptist College, The National Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators Conference (APCE), Shaw University Ministers’ Conference, and currently serves as Consultant and Artist-in-Residence for the Princeton Theological Seminary Black Theology and Leadership Institute (BTLI). Dr. McNeill is a member of the gospel recording group Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers and the founder/curator of THE CALL 2 WORSHIP GROUP, an online resource community for musicians and clergy. He is a board member of the Western NC Chapter of the gospel music workshop of american, Inc. In March of 2022, he collaborated with ethnomusicologist, Dr. Birgitta Johnson of the University of South Carolina, and the heritage celebration chorale, to launch the “More Than Rhythm Black Music Series” at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. Dr. McNeill earned a bachelor of music education degree, with a concentration in piano and choral music, from Appalachian State University (Boone, NC); a master’s degree in choral conducting from Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL); and a doctor of worship Studies from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies (Jacksonville, FL).  

A Washingtonian, Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr. is a member of the GRAMMY’s, a former music scholar for the Smithsonian Institute, a prolific composer, music producer, and teacher. He attended Howard University where he studied music and entertainment law and holds an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the Breakthrough Bible College. Dr. Payton taught choral music for over twenty years at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. Currently, he serves as choral music teacher at Lanham Christian School in Lanham, MD. For over thirty years, he served as the minister of music at the New Bethel Church of God in Christ under the leadership of the late Bishop Sherman S. Howard, who also appointed him as the State Minister of Music for the Washington, D.C. jurisdiction, Church of God in Christ, where he also served as the executive director of the office of the president, and was later promoted to serve as vice president.

Dr. Payton, along with Dr. Sheila Johnson Newman, formerly of Black Entertainment Television, cofounded the nationally renowned Urban Nation H.I.P. – H.O.P. Choir, an acronym for Hope, Integrity, Power – Helping Our People. In keeping with his strong commitment to peace and social justice, Rickey is also the cofounder, former board member, composer and musical director of City at Peace, a youth organization that uses the performing arts to teach tolerance and cross-cultural understanding. With the group, he has had performances at the John F. Kennedy Center and a featured story on “Nightline” with Ted Koppel; City at Peace was released as a 90-minute feature documentary on HBO. Dr. Payton is on the board of Hollywood Heart, a youth organization in Los Angeles that provides programs for young people who are infected with or families who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS.

He shared his gift with the world when his song “Let’s Build A Bridge All Across America” was one of the highlights of President Bill Clinton’s second inaugural ceremony in January 1996, and in 2008 he composed the song “Yes, We Can” for President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. Dr. Payton has traveled extensively around the world, with appearances at the International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, and command performances at the White House and the Vatican. He has worked with such superstars as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, John Legend, and Patti LaBelle.

Dr. Patrice Turner is an accomplished classical, jazz, and gospel pianist, vocalist, and clinician. She received her Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, and Master’s of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University, and her Master and Doctor of Music and Music Education degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation is entitled Mentoring Music Educators in Gospel Music Pedagogy in the Classroom. She has been published in the Music Educators Journal and the Journal of Religious Thought. Turner’s musical career began at age three, when she first started playing piano; at five, she transposed a gospel hymn for trumpet and piano. Since then, she has composed and arranged many songs for her home church, The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of Columbus, Ohio – pastored by her father, the late Rev. Dr. G. Thomas Turner, Sr. – as well as her own ensemble, Spiritually Fed. As a choral leader and music educator, Turner has been a teacher for Johnson Park Middle School, and has conducted two groups of Capital University’s Columbus Youth Choir. Notably, she served as the WeBop! Program instructor for Jazz at Lincoln Center for fourteen years. In 2008, she appeared on Sesame Street as the WeBop! accompanist; in 2011, with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Turner performed with Wynton Marsalis and Reggie Workman. Turner has performed internationally, at venues such as Smetana Hall in Prague, Carnegie Hall, and the Konserthaus in Stockholm. She has acted as Artist in Residence at the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem for seven years, and as Associate Music Director of Broadway Inspirational Voices. A video of Turner singing Kurt Carr’s “For Every Mountain” with the Broadway Inspirational Voices ensemble went viral in 2019, earning over four million views. On January 1, 2018, Turner became the first female Director of Worship & The Arts at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock is Senior Pastor. At Ebenezer, the spiritual home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Turner serves as chief administrator for all worship and arts ministries. In 2021, Turner appeared in the landmark PBS documentary The Black Church by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. One of Turner’s favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Dr. Oscar Williams Jr.  has an extensive background in music. He released his freshman CD entitled, “Unstoppable” in 2004 on Warner/Ryko/Aleho Records. The CD was charted on the top 40 Billboard Gospel chart. Soon after, Oscar began his international travel with a tour through Germany, Switzerland and Italy. To date Oscar and his band have participated in several high profile performances including: Vatican Christmas Celebration for Pope John Paul II, (Rome 01’-’02), Touring background singers for European popstar, Elisa, Christmas tours in Czech Republic, Austria and France. In 2010, Oscar competed and was chosen out of over 100 applicants, as a Rhythm Road: Music Abroad artist and named an Ambassador of Music for the United States of America. Since 2010, Oscar has been traveling extensively overseas working with U.S. Embassy’s with his own tour called, “Speak life” – changing the way people communicate using the universal language of music. This tour has afforded them the opportunity to travel all over South and Central America, parts of Asia, the United States and Europe doing concerts, master classes and lectures on the importance of American Music art forms. Oscar is an accomplished musical playwright with credits including, “The Story of Jesus”, “Kill the Dragon save the World”, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and “I want to be a Star”. He has served as musical director for such productions as “Godspell”, “The Whiz”, “Ain’t Misbehavin” – St. Louis Black Repertory Theater; “Whitney the Musical”, “Michael the Musical”, “Rhapsody in Rhythm” and the Emmy Winning musical concert, “A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King” – The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Inc. One of his most famed accomplishments is serving as musical director and composer of an original musical production written by Curtis King entitled, “Hip Hop Broadway” featuring Erykah Badu, Harrolyn Blackwell, and Melba Moore. Oscar currently holds a B.A. in Music with an emphasis in Piano from the University of Missouri – St. Louis; a M.M. in Music Composition from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX; and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Management with an emphasis in Charter Schools from Dallas Baptist University. He serves as the Executive Director of Music and Fine Arts for the Potters House Church/TD Jakes Ministries in Dallas, TX and is the founder and CEO of Speak Life Academy of Arts and Music.

G. Preston Wilson, Jr. hails from Durham, NC, where he attended public schools and where his love of music was cultivated. He was very active in his church and in his community. In the seventh grade, he was anointed and called to play the organ at his home church, Refiner’s Fire Community Church, where Dr. Willie L. Jones, II is the Pastor. In his junior year he moved to the keyboards and was promoted to assistant musical director, a position he held until he left for college.

He received his bachelor of science in music education from Fisk University, where he was a member of the world-renowned, Grammy award-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers® under the direction of Dr. Paul T. Kwami. As a member of the Jubilee singers, he performed in Ghana and Spain and was featured on the recording project Sacred Journey. He received a master of music degree in choral music education from Bowling Green State University, where he was awarded the Winifred O. Stone Graduate Fellowship and was named the Presidential Graduate Scholar.

After graduating from Bowling Green, he taught in the Toledo Public School system. At Start High School, he oversaw five ensembles and the school dance team, and served as an advisor for the African American Culture Club. He was also the vocal coach and co-director for the Toledo Youth Choir, a community youth ensemble, and taught voice and piano for the Mustard Seed Academy of Arts.  In addition, he served on the music ministry at Friendship Baptist Church, under the leadership of Bishop Duane C. Tisdale, where he was the principal accompanist, directed the Youth and Young Choir, and served as worship leader for district and state Full Gospel events.

Dr. Wilson earned a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Missouri – Columbia. His dissertation focused on the lived experiences of urban music educators. His other research interests include the interrogation of music curriculum pedagogy through a critical race lens and practical applications of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the contemporary classroom. He was awarded the prestigious Mizzou 18 Award, given to selected graduate students for their outstanding research, collaboration with faculty and staff, and demonstrated leadership with undergraduate students.