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The Legendary Ingramettes

 Trailer for The Legendary Ingramettes
Black Gospel
Richmond, Virginia
Tradition Type
Music
Audience
Grades 3-7 | Grades 7-12
Theme
Black History | Religion | Women's History

Tradition: Black Gospel

Africa has always been a continent rich with diverse cultural traditions and musical styles...»

Artist: The Legendary Ingramettes

Connected by generations of powerful women tied together through song and strength, the story of the Legendary Ingramettes began more than 60 years ago when "Mama" Maggie Ingram formed this family gospel group...»

Place: Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of Virginia and sits along the James River...»

Questions for the Teacher

After viewing The Ingramettes video, before showing it to your class...»

Prior to Artist Virtual Visit

1

Watch

Students watch accompanying video about The Ingramettes.

Image for artist video
2

Discuss

In a small group of 2-4 classmates, share your answers to these questions:

  • What were your first impressions and thoughts about The Ingramettes?
  • What did you like or find interesting about their music and singing?
  • Why do you think it’s important that they have passed down their musical tradition through generations?
3

Question

In groups of 2 or 3, write down 3 questions you want to ask the members of The Legendary Ingramettes when you meet them.

4

Journal & Interview

Almeta, the leader of the Ingramettes, described the importance of sharing music, lessons, stories and traditions from one generation to the next. Imagine that you were creating a time capsule to store in a safe place that would reflect your family’s past and present to share with future generations. Imagine what music, stories and items you would pack in your time capsule.

  • Using the time capsule image, fill it with the names of songs, foods, traditions, holidays, objects and memories that you would choose to share with future generations.
  • Come back as a class and share out your top favorite 2 or 3 items from your time capsule.
  • Students should keep their own time capsule and the class can make a class capsule with 2-3 items each. Share it on your wall or outside of your classroom!

Schedule a Virtual Visit With This Artist

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Bringing it Back Home: Follow-up Activities

1

Individual Journaling

Explore the following questions as you think about your life, home, and community:

  • What was similar about the Legendary Ingramettes’ home and community to your own? What was different?
  • What surprised you during your visit with the Ingramettes?
2

Thank You Card

Write a thank you card to The Legendary Ingramettes—be sure to include something personal about yourself and how it connects to them and their music.

3

Generational Home Interview

Bring home your completed time capsule worksheet that you completed during class.

Share what items you listed in your time capsule with an adult family member.

Interview that adult to ask what cultural artifacts, music, stories and traditions they would choose to pass down from one generation to the next in their time capsule.

Write down these items to share your family time capsule with your class.

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Prior to Artist Virtual Visit

1

Watch

Students watch accompanying video about The Ingramettes.

Image for artist video
2

Discuss

In a small group of 2-4 classmates, share your answers to these questions:

  • What were your first impressions and thoughts about The Ingramettes?
  • What did you like or find interesting about their music and singing?
  • Why do you think it’s important that they have passed down their musical tradition through generations?
3

Question

In groups of 2 or 3, write down 3 questions you want to ask the members of The Legendary Ingramettes when you meet them.

4

Journal & Interview

In the video, the Legendary Ingramettes’ leader, Reverend Almeta Ingram-Miller, tells the harrowing story of her family’s journey north to Richmond through pre-Civil Rights South. Clearly it was a tremendous act of courage for Ameta’s mother Maggie to make this journey, and hers is just one of countless acts of courage by individuals, families and communities on our nation’s road to a more just society. In order to summon the strength to take her family on this potentially dangerous and unpredictable journey, Maggie drew strength from her own family’s past triumphs in the face of adversity and the collective acts of courage by her people in the long and difficult road toward equal rights and justice.

Almeta, the leader of the Ingramettes, described the importance of sharing music, lessons, stories and traditions from one generation to the next. That history can offer us grounding and strength. Imagine that you were creating a time capsule to store in a safe place that would reflect your family and communities past and present to share with future generations. Imagine what music, stories, current events and items you would pack in your time capsule that would give you strength.

  • Using the time capsule image, fill it with the names of songs, foods, traditions, holidays, objects and memories that you would choose to share with future generations.
  • Come back as a class and share out your top favorite 2 or 3 items from your time capsule.

Schedule a Virtual Visit With This Artist

Book now

Bringing it Back Home: Follow-up Activities

1

Individual Journaling

Imagine yourself as Maggie Ingram in 1961, about to take your family on the journey north from Florida to Virginia in the hopes of a better life. Write a journal entry in anticipation of this potentially perilous journey including references to Civil Rights milestones from 1961 and the years just prior as well as songs of the Civil Rights movement.

  • What are you about to experience?
  • How are you feeling?
  • What are the obstacles in your way?
  • What are your sources of strength and inspiration?
  • What songs are you singing to yourself and your family to offer strength? Are there particular lyrics that appeal to you?
2

Share Out

Share your stories with the class.

3

Thank You Card

Write a thank you card to The Legendary Ingramettes—be sure to include something personal about yourself and how it connects to them and their music.

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Invalid passcode - please try again

Common Core Connections

Reading – Literature

Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Reading – Informational text

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

Writing

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Speaking & Listening

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

Reading – Literature

Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Reading – Informational text

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

Writing

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Speaking & Listening

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

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