My unsung hero is James Reese Europe. He was a jazz composer who wanted to show how African American music was different from classical music. James was really passionate about music and wanted to share his music with the world. He created the Clef Club in 1910, which was a contracting agency for Black musicians. James then left the Clef Club in 1903, and formed the Temp Club. When WWI began, he joined the National Guard and was ordered to form the best band he could. He gathered the best musicians from everywhere around the world. 

James’s music and band made a big impact on the music that was known then. He believed that Black music was significantly different from the music heard during that time and wanted to show everyone the difference between classical music and his music. 

My piece is called Battle of the Bands. It represents James Reese Europe’s ways of showing how his music was different from classical music. I used clay for the people and made a background out of 3D printed wood to create a stage. Doing this project made me realize how different genres of music can mean a lot to different people. It also taught me that making clay humans is a lot harder than you might think.