Alternative Title
The Pastoral Musician as a Master Griot/Griotte
Subject Area
Humanities, Music, Religion, Theology/Religious Education
Abstract
The writer of Psalm 137 asks a question that poignantly resonates with the experiences of enslaved Africans who were taken captive, exiled from their homelands, and told to forget their languages, worship practices, and tribal traditions. Their dehumanization was intensified by expectations that “required a song and . . . mirth.” The question was “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” In response to this question of engaging in song as a community while in a strange land of deep and persistent systemic suffering, enslaved African-descended people founded a unique tradition within Christianity that responded to their persistent suffering by naming said suffering and actively engaging their suffering in a variety of ways that empowered them to survive and thrive. A central question energizing this thesis is, “How do we, through our music ministry leadership, engage and assist communities whose suffering is so great that they have lost their song and/or their ability to sing?” In response to this question, this thesis claims that the Black Church tradition offers vital insights for pastoral musicians seeking to empower and enable song in communities impacted by deep and persistent suffering given its origins in suffering and wide range of responses to suffering.
Degree Date
Spring 5-17-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
D.P.M.
Department
Pastoral Music
Advisor
Dr. C. Michael Hawn
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael Greene
Number of Pages
161
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Howell, Dollie, "“How Can We Sing in a Strange Land?” The Pastoral Musician as a Master Griot/Griotte" (2025). Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses. 19.
https://scholar.smu.edu/theology_music_etds/19
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Music Practice Commons, Music Therapy Commons, Practical Theology Commons, Religious Education Commons, Social Justice Commons
