Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC 

On one of my recent weekly trips to the store, I stopped by one of my favorite departments: children’s books. Every time I browse this section, I hope to find stories that I can use in my music therapy sessions. This time I struck gold when I found Clap Your Hands: A Celebration of Gospel by Toyomi Igus. This book taught me so much about the history of gospel music and its importance to American history and culture, and I wanted to share this excellent resource with all of you. 

I would like to make it known that I am not an expert when it comes to gospel music. This storybook opened my eyes to how important gospel music is to American history. Each page of this book has a timeline at the bottom. The first page starts with 1485 and the last page ends with 2018. On each page, there is a poem summarizing the era featured in the timeline. I’d like to share with you one of the poems that stood out to me: 

 Clap your hands to the rhythm of our lament 

As people of all races sing our discontent 

Through gospel’s Freedom Songs. 

The Staples demand, “Respect yourself!” 

“That’s enough,” wails Dorothy Coates. 

“People get ready,” warns Curtis Mayfield 

With his uplifting falsetto notes. 

The voices of the people start to fly, 

And “We Shall Overcome” becomes the movement’s battle cry. 

I see the passion of the students who come into our town 

To convince us we must stand our ground. 

“Register to vote, fight for your rights,  

Don’t settle for less, get up and unite!” 

My mother takes a deep breath, clears out her throat, 

Combs back her hair, puts on her coat, and says, 

“It’s time, I’m registering to vote.” 

My father, in silence, looks at her with pride, 

Then he puts on his hat and stands by her side, 

And I watch them leave together, my eyes open wide. 

I see the rhythm of the Freedom Songs and 

I have a dream. 

On this particular page, the timeline starts in 1955 and goes to 1964, encompassing the Civil Rights Movement, bus boycotts, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act into law. The anthem that the author refers to is the song “We Shall Overcome.” This song focuses on the importance of standing up for what you believe in and working towards a better tomorrow. This song is just as relevant today as it was in the 1960s. There are so many great versions of this anthem online. Here is one that inspired me: 

When sharing this book with your child, don’t be afraid to ask tough questions. The author added discussion questions in the back of the book including: “Clap Your Hands is written as a series of poems. Why do you think the author chose to do this? Do you see a connection between poetry and music?” and “The book includes a discography of important gospel songs throughout history. Look up one of the songs online and listen to it. How would you describe the song? What emotions does it convey? How does it fit in with the book?” 

This book truly opened my eyes and showed me how events happening in the world can influence music for generations to come. This is especially true for gospel music. I would encourage you to read this book with your child in small chunks as there is so much information on each page. I would suggest reading a page or two and then refer to the discography at the back of the book, find the heading that matches the page you just read, and listen to the suggested songs online. You will be able to hear how gospel music has evolved over time and learn more about its importance to American history. 

We hope you enjoy using this storybook in your child’s schooling adventures, whether they be attending in-person, remotely, or both!  

If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, click here. 

Happy reading! 

The post Book: Clap Your Hands: A Celebration of Gospel was written by Kayla Davitt and first published on Upstate Music Therapy Center.