Music Learning as Life in an African American Family: The Story of Charlie Gabriel in New Orleans

Abstract

The focus of this study is the early music education of Charlie Gabriel who learned to play jazz as a child in New Orleans and went on to enjoy a successful, international performance career. The work is based on an oral history account where the primary data collection process was interview. The key issues that emerged from the oral history are (1) the ubiquitous presence of music in Mr. Gabriel’s life experience and the musical enculturation this presence enabled, (2) the life-sustaining role of music in the lives of family members, which gave rise to a drive to participate actively in music and a pervasive striving for musical excellence, and (3) ever-present mentorship and apprenticeship in Mr. Gabriel’s home and in the musical community. These issues are discussed in the context of related literature on the roles played by musical families; the musical community; music for income/supporting survival, including federal support during the Great Depression; striving for musical excellence in both informal and formal learning contexts; and African roots of early jazz pedagogy