Welcome to
Sankofa Songs! Inc.
We are a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization
Our mission is to cultivate
exceptional Africentric arts
education practice.
PROfessional development
Sankofa Songs! Inc. offers arts educators tools for growth through tailored workshops.
We accomplish our mandate by nurturing community among aspiring and experienced Africentric arts educators, providing professional development, producing events, spearheading research, and developing teaching tools that support K-12 arts educators and their instruction.
partnerships
Sankofa Songs! Inc. collaborates with schools. community organizations, professional organizations, and more!
We envision a world in which all learners — from the youngest toddlers to the most esteemed scholars — acknowledge, embrace, celebrate, and engage the Africentric foundation of American culture and claim the heritage knowledge their forebears gifted them through the arts.
research
Sankofa Songs! Inc. explores topics centering Africentric arts education.
Africentric arts education is for everyone; teachers and students of all races, ethnicities, and cultures can learn and benefit from these uniquely Africa-descended peoples’ practices! Whether you are an experienced veteran, new to the profession, a pre-service teacher, arts administrator, or teaching artist, engaging an Africentric arts education approach will transform your practice and motivate your students! We weave research, practical field experience, and an African American perspective to provide all music and arts educators tools for successful work with all students in all communities.
Summer Institute
Sankofa Songs! Inc. Arts Educators Workshop Series for our ‘24-’25 season brings together Africentric arts educators from classrooms, colleges, and the community!
Sankofa Songs presents:
Arts Educators Workshop Series
This year Sankofa Songs is hosting a series of three Arts Educators Workshops. Updates to our new series will be posted in August. Check back to see how you can join us as we teach, discuss, and reflect on culturally relevant strategies for teaching music of the African diaspora. We will explore Africentric music education, existing teaching tools, creating new teaching tools, examining relationships with culture-bearers, and more! Arts educators will immerse themselves in highly effective teaching, learning, understanding, and participating through Africentic arts education.
Join us for Sankofa Songs! Arts Educators Workshop Series ‘24 - ’25!
Augment your learning experience with the rich, historic, and scenic offerings associated with each workshop site!
Group discussions provide participants opportunities to ‘unpack’ new ideas and explore opportunities for practical applications.
Hands-on workshops encourage learning at your own pace.
Engage with Boston’s past, present, and future through BOSS Teacher inspiration and peer-to-peer collaboration.
Sankofa Songs Summer Institute is a groundbreaking initiative that sets the stage for teaching and learning about music of the African diaspora with authenticity, context, and confidence. We unpack Black music traditions, modalities, and values and examine ways in which they are foundational to American culture. Teaching Black music and its culture as a core part of American music education will transform your practice.
Join us in July 2025!
For more information email swhitehope@sankofasongs.org.
Read our blog post, published by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).