Ysaye M. Barnwell facts for kids

Ysaye M. Barnwell is an American singer and composer. She is known for her powerful bass voice. From 1979 to 2013, she was a member of Sweet Honey in the Rock. This was a famous African American group that sang without instruments, known as a cappella.

Ysaye Barnwell wrote many songs for the group. She also leads music workshops around the world. One special workshop she created is called "Building a Vocal Community: Singing in the African American Tradition." In 1977, she started the Jubilee Singers. This was a choir at All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, D.C.

Growing Up and Learning

Ysaye Barnwell grew up in New York City. She lived in Harlem and later in Jamaica, Queens. Her father was a violinist. She started learning to play the violin with him when she was only two and a half years old. She studied the violin for 15 years.

Ysaye Barnwell went to college and earned several degrees. She got her first two degrees in speech pathology. This is a field that helps people with speaking difficulties. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1967 and a master's degree in 1968. Both were from State University of New York at Geneseo. In 1975, she earned a PhD in speech pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. Later, in 1981, she also earned a master's degree in Public health from Howard University.

Her Amazing Career

Before focusing fully on music, Dr. Barnwell worked as a professor. She taught at Howard University's College of Dentistry for over ten years. She also worked on projects that used computers and art in communities. She directed health programs in Washington, D.C., at Children's Hospital National Medical Center and Gallaudet University.

While attending church, Dr. Barnwell noticed something. The choir at All Souls Church did not look like the people in the church. This inspired her to start the Jubilee Singers in 1977. She led this choir for three years. Working with the Jubilee Singers helped her start writing and arranging music. She created songs for groups that sing together.

Ysaye Barnwell also helped produce an album for Sweet Honey in the Rock. It was their 25th anniversary album, called ...Twenty-Five..., released in 1998. She also edited a songbook for the group, Continuum: The First Songbook of Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Besides music, Ysaye Barnwell has acted. She had a main role in a TV show called A Man Called Hawk. She also appeared in the 1998 movie Beloved. In 2000, she released her own recording. It was called Um Humm and featured stories and songs.

She has also written books for children. One of her books is No Mirrors in My Nana's House, which came with a CD. Her second children's book and CD set, We Are One, was released in 2008. Ysaye Barnwell was named after a famous Belgian violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe.