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This is the first time that a scholarship program and labs have been included in NextGen programming. Applications for the Spotify NextGen Scholarship Program are open today at spelman.scholarships.ngwebsolutions.com (May 31st is the deadline for next year’s scholarships, according to the site). The lab program starts on his March 27th, but students can book a place by visiting lifeatspotify.com/students. The Audio First curriculum will be open to more students during the next enrollment period.
Michelle Hite, Associate Professor of English at Spelman College, is currently piloting an audio-first curriculum in Emmett Till’s class of 16 students. Titled “Emmett Till: The Cultural Afterlife of an American Boy,” the course explores Till’s posthumous life and encourages students to use audio as a primary tool to share those stories. Hite’s students are divided into her three groups and work on the phonetic element. As a final assignment, she will create a 30-minute podcast.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
“[Using audio]they are trying to tell a story about these markers along the Emmett Till Trail,” says Hait. “Part of what we teach at Spellman is loving black people as political resistance, which means we’re rooted in stories about loving black people, not about race. …I mean, it’s about black lives beyond grievance, and it’s about how we thrive.When you apply to Emmett Till with that lens, what’s missing from his story is What? Spotify is helping students tell that story.”
It’s unclear what the next iteration of the Audio First curriculum will look like, but Spotify plans to offer one audio course per semester.
“That’s what an audio-first curriculum can do: broaden the way we think about black lives and give people who love black the chance to hear what it sounds like to look back on black lives. When there’s an investment, Audio-first is a nice place for that kind of investigation anytime,” Haidt said.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Spelman’s Creator Day also included a crash course on creating podcasts, a statement by US Congressman Nikema Williams, and a chat with popular content creators Wunmi Bello, Rickey Thompson, and Denzel Dion. Bello co-hosts the Spotify Original “Nailing It,” a podcast that addresses life, relationships, and femininity, and whose host Nails is recording at her salon. Real-life best friends and social his media influencers Thompson and Dion will host “We Said What We Said,” another of his original shows on Spotify centered around pop his culture. The pair share over 7 million followers on Instagram.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
“Have fun,” Thompson says of his advice to aspiring content creators. “Absolutely be yourself and honestly don’t question yourself. It was one of the first big things I went through, but when I stopped questioning things, I skyrocketed.”
Spellman’s senior, Elizabeth Gowans, is the director of The Blue Records Podcast, a social justice podcast that uses black feminism to explore the gap between Spellman’s past and present. Launched in 2020, The Blue Record is Spelman’s only official podcast.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Gowans is pleased that the school is expanding its commitment and investment in audio media. She hopes the podcast will help her receive more funding.
“Even if you get funding from groups, it takes time to buy equipment, so that can be a problem for black people who don’t have a lot of money or don’t know what equipment is good to use. said the 22-year-old. “Usually voice transcription software costs money. Editing software costs money. Microphones and headphones cost money. All of that costs money.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Spelman freshman Kayli Joy Cooper creates and distributes self-care kits to unprotected teens through her nonprofit Girl Well. She hopes to apply what she learned from her Creator Day to her own organization and plans to sign up for her scholarship program.
“I’m really interested in finding ways to reimagine self-care. One way to do that is to make self-care accessible online, and starting a podcast has been on my mind for a few years. How Spotify can help me.”
For more information on the Spotify and Spelman partnership, please visit shorturl.at/rIMRX.
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