Calvin Edouard Ward facts for kids
Calvin Edouard Ward (born April 19, 1925 – died February 10, 2018) was an amazing American musician. He was a talented concert pianist, someone who studied how music works (a music theorist), and a dedicated teacher. He shared his love for music with many students throughout his life.
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His Early Life and Musical Talent
Calvin Ward was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were Effie Elizabeth Crawford Ward and Jefferson Sigman Ward. From a very young age, Calvin showed a special gift for music. When he was just two years old, he could already remember and play tunes!
At four years old, in kindergarten, his teacher noticed his talent. He played a hymn called "Just as I Am" on a toy piano, using two notes at once (in thirds). This was very impressive for such a young child.
Calvin started formal music lessons when he entered first grade. Within a year, he was playing complete sonatas, which are long pieces of music. By the time he was 10, Ward was already playing piano for his church choir and performing all over Atlanta.
Education and Teaching Career
After high school, Ward studied piano at Morehouse College. He then served for two years in the United States Army, becoming a sergeant chaplain's assistant. After his time in the army, he went back to studying music. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in pipe organ performance in 1949. The next year, in 1950, he earned a Master of Music degree in choral performance.
Ward began his teaching career at Florida A&M University from 1950 to 1951, where he also served as the University Organist. He then received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Fellowship. This allowed him to study organ in Vienna, Austria, at the Staatsakademie und Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst. He earned his doctorate in Musical Research from the University of Vienna in 1955.
After his studies in Austria, Ward taught at several universities across the United States. He taught at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1957-1958) and was the head of the Music and Fine Arts Department at South Carolina State University (1959-1961). He also taught at Kingsborough Community College in New York. From 1968 to 1972, he led the choir and was the head of the Music Department at the Tuskegee Institute.
From 1972 to 1977, he taught music theory, organ, and African-American classical music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins. Later, he taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore and at Coppin State College.
International Work and Achievements
In 1977, another Fulbright-Hays fellowship gave him the chance to do research in Paris, France, and Lambaréné, French Equatorial Africa. Ward was a guest lecturer at Cuttington University College in Liberia in 1979. He was also a Phelps-Stokes African-American Exchange Scholar at Kenyatta University College in Nairobi, Kenya.
In 1986, he made history as the first Fulbright fellow to both lecture and perform. He was the first African-American visiting professor and co-conductor of the choir at the State Conservatory of Music in Vilnius, Lithuania. He was also the first American guest conductor and lecturer of the Ave Sol Choir at the State Conservatory of Music in Riga, Latvia. A big moment was when he became the first American to perform on the famous Walcker pipe organ at the Riga Cathedral.
Ward also traveled to the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in the USSR. There, he gave lectures on African-American classical composers. In 1990, he visited St. John's Theological College in New South Wales, Australia. In 1998, he played piano for the Street Theatre Dance Ensemble in concerts in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Later Life
From 1991 to 1995, Ward managed music activities for the public school system in Trenton, New Jersey. He also led vocal music workshops for teachers and students. Even after he retired, Ward continued to play the organ for special events. He also stayed very active in his community in Willingboro Township, New Jersey.
