Kyra D. Gaunt
Kyra D. Gaunt is a college professor, a songwriter, jazz vocalist, and author. The Rockville, Maryland native began her career in higher education in 1996. She went to Baruch in 2006 after teaching at New York University and the University of Virginia. Her areas of specialty are race, gender, and African American music—topics that she blends together in courses about cultural anthropology and black music. She lectures nationally and internationally on African Americans and Africans in the U.S.
Gaunt loves to sing, “It was my first dream.” In 2007 she released her first CD, Be the True Revolution. The title is taken from a poem written by Nikki Giovanni.
Gaunt’s first book, The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double Dutch to Hip-Hop, describes how Black musical style is learned through the games African American girls play early on. The Society for Ethnomusicology named it a co-winner of the organization’s prestigious Alan Merriam Prize in 2007.
She is also a jazz vocalist, songwriter and recording artist.Related Link
“DOUBLE DUTCH Gets Status in the Schools”
Learn more at Kyra D. Gaunt’s official website
