At the beginning of this semester, my sophomore year here at Spelman, I struggled to find a course that would satisfy my credits for graduation and simultaneously teach me in a way that was intriguing. Then I stumbled upon this course, Survey of African American Music, taught by none other than Dr. Johnson. In September, I was a bit nervous about starting the course because I didn’t feel musically qualified to take a class underneath the Glee Choir director of Spelman College. All of this changed when I realized that music is more than knowing chords, notes, and technical language of sound. Music is what connects our past to our present and eventually to our future through soul. It depends very much on the artist’s societal presence, as we have seen through Jay-Z’s “Story of OJ”. Music has become more than just being my favorite pastime. Because of this class, Music has become a teacher of influence, of history, etc. Honestly, I am glad that I took this course; it is definitely one of my favorites since I started my journey here at Spelman. The end of the semester proves to be bittersweet, and I will most definitely take all that I have learned with me and apply it wherever I may end up. Thanks Dr. Johnson for an extraordinary classroom experience