Those who have visited this website recently might have noticed something different about the “Contact” section. No, there is nothing wrong with the page. I just needed to apply several necessary alterations to it. Besides including my contact e-mail (for business and networking purposes) and adjusting the pricing ranges, visitors to my site will now see a clickable link to a “Contact Form” that I created through Google Forms.  Today’s post will provide some explanation as to what this form is, why I chose to create a “Contact Form” for this website, and the contents of that form.

The new “Contact Form” on this website provides potential clients with a questionnaire that attempts to help me figure out what kind of music that they need. I say “new” because Weebly has its own “Contact Form” function in the website builder. If that is the case, then why did I stop using that feature? The answer to that question is simple. I got really fed up with getting spammed. I had to remove and replace that feature on my website because I kept getting nonsensical e-mail messages from random users abusing the site.

I have tried to make the questions on the “Contact Form” as direct as possible. Ignoring the obvious segments of the form (“E-mail” and “What is your name?”), I concentrate more on the following:

• The profession of the client
• What they are looking for
• Whether their proposed commission or project is “Safe for Work” (SFW)
• Whether their proposed commission or project offers compensation
• The possible deadline

While many of the choices that I offer in the questionnaire concentrate on “the Arts,” I also draw attention to clients in Business, Education, nonprofit groups, and people who like music who wish to show support. With that said, I also demonstrate more leniency when it comes to free work by including exceptions for nonprofit groups and people who need music solely for educational use. I should add the caveat that it is the responsibility of the client to initially check and make sure that they do not violate any ethical rules by revealing any classified information about their project or commission: specifically, if such information relates to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with a production company. Those who want to know more about that should check out my older post on composing music for podcasts for more tips. 

As many are probably aware, June 19th (or “Juneteenth”) is now regarded as a federal holiday in the United States. This event, which commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas and the official end of slavery in the U.S. on June I9, 1865, has been widely celebrated among African Americans for several decades. I had first become acquainted with the concept of Juneteenth a few years ago while conducting research for an upcoming musicological investigation on the Gullah Geechee community. Thinking within the contexts of music, especially considering that this holiday forms part of Black Music Appreciation Month, what are some of the best ways to reflect on Juneteenth: specifically, for those who may be unfamiliar with it or those outside the community?

Perhaps, the most important aspect of this celebration is educating oneself about Juneteenth; specifically, fully understanding the significance of emancipation and the struggles that African Americans and marginalized groups have endured in the past and present regarding discrimination and Civil Rights. For instance, I attended the Junteenth celebration at the Savannah African Art Museum. Part of teaching the public about this occasion involved the sacred process of Libations to honor and praise African ancestors. The celebration also featured moments of communal participation by performing with shakers and drums in unison (including some readymade versions of percussive instruments via found objects).

Regarding more about music, many have taken this moment to compile playlists from different Black artists and genres that reflect upon the impact of Juneteenth. Pianist Lara Downes has provided a fitting list of tracks that span from pop to classical and jazz. In terms of musicology or ethnomusicological research through preservation, I refer to a point that I address in my research about the Gullah Geechee: one that I cannot stress enough. Demonstrating cultural respect and tact, especially in the era of social media, matters: not using Juneteenth as an opportunity to distort its meaning. Those wishing to know more about the African American past from those who personally experienced enslavement can consult resources at places like the Library of Congress. I find the archival audio recordings related to the topic a slightly better alternative to the textual transcripts provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers' Project from the 1930s and 40s. That is because audiences get to hear the voices of the informants and not the researcher trying to "speak for" the people. And, as always, researchers must remember to respect the privacy of the informants who have been recorded and the privacy of their possible descendants.