Marjorie Crenshaw
As a child, I studied piano and pipe organ. My parents were both musicians, and the value of discipline was instilled in me as my mother began her piano practices before school at 7 a.m. and after school beginning at 4 p.m. My parents passed the love and joy of music on to me. Everyone in my family was required to learn to play a musical instrument. I continue to play music today at St. Andrew United Methodist Church and in schools across our city.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in music from Wiley College, home of the Great Debaters, and a master’s in music education (MME) from the University of North Texas. Following 2 years teaching in Atlanta, Texas, just out of college, I taught music in Fort Worth elementary schools for 32 years. I served then and continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Music and its local 72-147 Dallas / Fort Worth Union.
After I retired from teaching, I began preaching the history of jazz to all I knew and to the students in schools throughout Fort Worth through Imagination Celebration.
I met Ginger Head 22 years ago when Imagination Celebration was just in the planning stages. She asked me to teach her about Jazz – its deep cultural roots in our nation - and the City of New Orleans. She asked me to tell of the true history of its people and this amazing and truly American genre - based on the drums and rhythms of Africa.
Now for the past 21 years, I have worked with Imagination Celebration weaving together the story of jazz’s journey from its roots in New Orleans, through Davenport, Iowa, Kansas City, through Chicago, and finally to New York and then on to cities across our nation and the world.
Many thousands of children in schools in every corner of our city have experienced a live jazz trio accompanied by a thumbnail sketch of the history of jazz.
Imagination Celebration’s jazz program brings live musicians throughout the year to the schools to give children exposure to this uniquely American art form.
“Children must be introduced to music and the arts at a very young age, even as babies, before their ideas are formed in high school. Those who get started early enough lack inhibitions about performing that gives them the right start for learning in the arts and for improvising in jazz.”
Together with Imagination Celebration, we did what no one else had done and that is to teach our children in Fort Worth about America’s classical music – Jazz! Imagination Celebration helps to build self esteem in children. They receive so many experiences that they would not ever have an opportunity to have otherwise. Imagination Celebration believes in all children and in all people. It reaches all children regardless of race, color, or creed. It has been doing that for 21 years.
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