by Evan Schwartz ’13

“Mrs. Michelle Obama welcomes you to the White House Music Series,” announces the first page on the fancy pamphlet imprinted with a golden White House crest. On April 9, 28 students from various Social Studies classes made the short pilgrimage to our nation’s capital to experience the fifth installment in the Music Series hosted with the help of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Around 100 students from 16 schools across the country were invited to attend a workshop with artists that would perform for PBS later that evening. The theme of this year’s event, which changes per installment, was “Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,” a genre that brought together dissenting blacks and whites during the tumultuous Civil Rights era and holds strong roots in Tennessee.

The event featured a star-studded concert at night including artists from the likes of classics such as William Bell and Charlie Musselwhite to Cyndi Lauper and Queen Latifah. During the day the students attended a separate workshop where they were able to ask questions in an intimate setting located in the East Wing Dining Room with five great soul artists: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Mavis Staples of The Staples Sisters, Sam Moore of the Grammy winning duo Sam and Dave, Charlie Musselwhite, famous for his blues harmonica, two-time Grammy winner Ben Harper and Justin Timberlake.

After passing through multiple security checks and making their way through the artifact and portrait decorated halls of the First Lady’s East Wing, students were led into the dining room where seats faced a center stage in front of the famous portrait of a pensive Abraham Lincoln.

“Being in the White House among so much history and prestige was absolutely astounding,” said senior Rachel Deal. “The fact that we were there for such a memorable show was just icing on the cake.”

Once everyone was seated and the journalists had set up their cameras, an announcer’s voice introduced Michelle Obama and the guest speakers. As each performer took the stage, the First Lady,  dressed strikingly in a yellow pantsuit and beaming smile, grabbed the room’s attention as she introduced the importance of the workshop and concert the performers and the students who were chosen to attend.

Afterwards, the artists took turns answering questions posed by the Executive Director of the Grammy Museum, Robert Santelli, and students in the audience. Each noted that their acclaimed success was due to the influences of soul music, but noted that the relationship between the genre and its performers is that an artist must love and believe in what they are doing, for soul to be what it has become.

The full concert will premiere on PBS April 16.