UTSA professor calls on San Antonio and the nation to sing together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Thousands come together in San Antonio every year to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his message for civil rights.

(Jan. 12, 2017) -- One song, one city, one nation. That's the idea behind what John Nix, associate professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), calls a musical grassroots movement he will lead during the Martin Luther King Jr. March in San Antonio.

Nix said he wants those in attendance at the January 16 march and similar events around the nation to sing "Amazing Grace."

"The idea is to get people to stop for a moment and come together to do something uplifting in honor of someone whose legacy and teaching is so sorely needed right now in our country," said Nix. "I thought about finding a song everybody knows because singing was such a big part of the Civil Rights Movement."

Nix said UTSA music students and faculty will encourage people to sing at 11 a.m. during the city's MLK Jr. March. The local event is recognized as the largest march of its kind in the United States.

Nix says he got the idea while attending a conference last summer.

"It got me thinking about a larger campaign to have performers and people around the nation sing," said Nix. "People are more likely to sing with others because they feel safe singing with a crowd."

Nix has been working on this project with the help of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The American Choral Directors Association, the Pan American Vocology Association and New York Singing Teachers' Association.

For the last few months, the UTSA professor has created a Facebook group, a website and has reached out to elected leaders, famous singers and music teachers in other cities to drum up support for the movement.

Nix said opera singers George Shirley and Jessye Norman have indicated they will be joining in. Nix extended invitations to folk singers, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and Carole King as well as country singers Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, and Reba McIntyre. Church and school choir directors in San Antonio have also been invited. Nix reached out to religious and political leaders such as Governor Greg Abbott, some senators and even former presidents. Nix said U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro's office helped him send a message about the event to the White House. He hopes the singing effort at this year's MLK Jr. March will be just one of several events of its kind.

"People can join in anywhere they want to – at their church; in their home with neighbors; at a park; at a business; in the lobby of a hotel; at the airport; or in a shopping mall," said Nix. "Obviously, the march in San Antonio is a huge event, but we want people to feel welcome to sing wherever they are."

People are also invited to post videos of the singing event on social media using the hashtag #AmericaSingsTogetherMLKDay.

"My goal is to promote more singing in our society," said Nix. "It really is the universal language that can unite us."

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.

- Kara Mireles

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