Brandon “Bigg B” Hickman and D.C. Virgo student Done'jah Oliver
Music-making, Bridge-building
New Curriculum Uses Hip-Hop for Healing BY: V ENITA J ENKINS PHOTO G RAPH Y BY : B R A DL E Y P IE R C E
Hip-hop has been used as a vehicle to channel the voices of the people since its founding 50 years ago. An initiative launched by the UNCW Office of the Arts tapped into the genre to help D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy students find their voices. Through the Hip-Hop Collective, seventh and eighth grade students created basic song structures and lyrics and recorded original songs that allowed them to process their emotions. Students also expressed themselves through spoken word poetry and graffiti art. A $75,000 National Endowment of the Arts Our Town grant funded the resiliency-focused hip-hop curriculum.
28 | UNCW M AGAZINE fall 2023
“ Choosing hip-hop as the focus of this project created a platform for us to discuss resiliency on a broader scale.” – Cara Marsicano “We wanted the students to see themselves reflected in the course content, in the teaching artists and the hip-hop culture. Watching things click and students accessing the
