Ruth W. Greenfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth W. Greenfield
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Greenfield in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ruth Wolkowsky Greenfield |
| Born | November 17, 1923 Key West, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | July 27, 2023 (aged 99) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Ruth Miriam Wolkowsky Greenfield (November 17, 1923 – July 27, 2023) was an amazing American concert pianist and teacher. She used music to help break down racial barriers. She brought together Black and white students and teachers at a time when society was segregated. This idea of everyone learning together was very new and brave back then.
Contents
About Ruth Greenfield
Early Life and Music Journey
Ruth Miriam Wolkowsky was born in Key West, Florida, on November 17, 1923. When she was just six months old, her family moved to Miami, where she grew up. She started playing the piano at age five. Later, she studied with a famous pianist named Mana-Zucca.
Ruth graduated from Miami Beach High School in 1941. She then studied at the University of Miami and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the University of Michigan. While studying, she even dated a Black classmate from Jamaica. This was quite unusual for the time.
Studying in Paris
In 1949, Ruth left Miami to study music in Paris, France. She learned composition from Nadia Boulanger, a teacher who taught many successful composers. Paris was different from Miami because people of all races mixed freely there. In Paris, she married Arnold Merwin Greenfield, a lawyer from Miami.
Breaking Barriers with Music
When Ruth returned to Miami, it was still a segregated city. This meant Black and white people were kept separate in many parts of life. Ruth wanted to change this.
In 1951, she started the Fine Arts Conservatory. This was one of the first schools in the South where students of all races could learn music, art, and dance together. Ruth was inspired by her friend Mary Ford Williams, whose son, James "Jimmy" Ford, was a talented Black musician. Jimmy found it hard to get into Miami's music world because of segregation.
In its early years, the school moved around a lot. It held classes in homes, a Masonic lodge, a YMCA, and even a storage room in a funeral home! On May 9, 1953, Ruth helped her 15-year-old student, James Ford, perform at a recital that was otherwise only for white students. She told a newspaper columnist about it, which helped make it happen.
By 1961, the conservatory had its own building. It grew to have six branches across Dade County. Important community leaders helped guide talented students to the school. The Fine Arts Conservatory closed in 1978.
Teaching and Legacy
Ruth Greenfield also taught for 32 years at Miami Dade College. This was Florida's first college where students of all races could attend together. In the late 1970s, she started the Lunchtime Lively Arts Series at the college. This series brought many different artists, musicians, and writers to perform.
Ruth's family has also made a big impact in the arts. Her children include a photographer, a cultural critic, and a social worker. Her brother, David Wolkowsky, helped preserve historic buildings in Key West. Her grandchildren are also artists, including a filmmaker and a painter.
In 2013, a documentary film called Instruments of Change was made about Ruth and her school. The film showed how she helped change Miami through music. That same year, she was honored for her work in education.
On November 18, 2022, the city of Miami named the street where Ruth lived "Ruth Greenfield Way." She passed away in Miami on July 27, 2023, at the age of 99.
See also
In Spanish: Ruth W. Greenfield para niños
