By Keisa Sharpe | For The Birmingham Times
Joe Jenkins Sr., founder of the Magic City Music Academy in Birmingham’s Ensley neighborhood, still remembers being mesmerized the first time he saw a boys’ choir perform.
“There were only about eight members, and I was amazed at the sound they produced when they opened their mouths and started singing,” he recalled.
That was in 1986, when Jenkins, living in Detroit, Michigan, at the time, invited the boys to sing at his church. During that performance, Jenkins saw “a vision of at least 20 to 25 Black boys dressed in tuxedos in the church choir stand,” he said.
Later that same year, Jenkins came to Birmingham, where he took a position as minister of music at New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Birmingham’s Titusville neighborhood.
He brought that vision with him, and it eventually led to the formation of the Magic City Boys & Girls Choir, which had its first reunion on June 21 at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham.
Participating in the Academy
The Magic City Music Academy hosts students from all over the Birmingham metro area and surrounding cities. The after-school program, which runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, has five staff members that assist in teaching girls and boys ranging from ages 3 to 18. To have their children participate in the music school, parents apply and pay $25 for one 30-minute lesson each week.
Parents of students who’ve participated in the Academy and been part of the choir have only great things to say about the experience and Jenkins.
For Valerie Johnson, the word that comes to mind about the choir director is “appreciation.” She and her husband have three children: one son, Vernon, and daughter, Kaylyn Faith, were part of the choir.
“I have so much admiration for Mr. Jenkins,” said Johnson, who describes him as “a community mentor.”
Of Johnson’s son, who is now a program support assistant at the Veteran’s Administration for the Social Work Service Line, Jenkins said the young man could “bring the house down” with his rendition of the gospel song “On Time God.”
Another parent, Hermieon Carter, said allowing her son, Kevin, to join the choir was one of the best decisions she made. Kevin was 7 years old when he took voice lessons.
“The structure, the discipline, the exposure, the pride [Kevin] gained is priceless,” said Carter. “He is now 32 years old, … [and he is] still singing, still well-mannered, and still very respectful. … [Kevin is] very grateful for those amazing years.”
Gaining Prominence
Jenkins, 69, recalled how his initial vision evolved. With the help of its board of directors, the Boys Choir was able to provide tuxedos for its members to wear when they began in 1993. Jenkins believes that decision helped catapult the choir’s image, taking them from doing local performances to traveling the globe.
“In 1999, we traveled to Paris, [France], to participate in the Children’s Choral Festival. That was an international choral festival where we sang with choirs from all over the country. [While we were there], we sang in churches, and we also sang at the [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters building]. That was a huge accomplishment,” he said.
In 2000, the choir traveled to Genoa, Italy, to participate in the International Jubilee Choir Festival. Jenkins recounts the flight back to Birmingham, during which the choir sang “The Lord’s Prayer” on the plane.
“Some of the passengers started crying and said the boys sounded like angels. Well, that was a little bit too close to heaven for me being way up in the sky,” said Jenkins laughing.
Certified Instruction
A certified children’s music specialist, Jenkins uses a music education approach named for German composer Carl Orff: Orff-Schulwerk (“Schulwerk” is the German word for “schoolwork.”). The methodology, developed in the 1920s, combines music with movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are like a child’s level of play.
Those lessons, Jenkins said, led to something much bigger: “As those kids grew up, they wanted to continue taking music lessons from me, so we started the music school.”
With Jenkins’ oversight, the Magic City Music Academy began offering voice, piano, and drum lessons.
“One thing led to another as the children started taking piano and voice lessons, and we asked the ones who were singers to join the Boys Choir,” he said of the group he founded in June 1993.
That’s how the Magic City Boys & Girls Choir eventually started, with Jenkins as the director. More than 1,000 students have gone through the music school program, not including the choir, and Jenkins continues to lead the Academy music school.
Parents say the academy has provided their children with lifelong gifts.
Kimberly Chatman’s daughter, Taylor Chatman, has been involved with the Magic City Music Academy since 2005, when Taylor, now 26, was a second grader.
Chatman said, “[Jenkins is] the type of man who really believes in excellence.”
The proud mom added that “[Jenkins] is the one who told me [Taylor] was gifted [as a singer].”
Taylor, who served as co-chair of the Reunion concert, is currently the Theatre Director for Pleasant Grove High School.
Some notable former Birmingham City Schools students who have attended the Magic City Music Academy include Broadway singer and actor Cecil Washington (credits include roles on the television series “Law & Order” and in the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s “The Color Purple”); Broadway actor, singer, and multi-instrumentalist John Mark McGaha (credits include performing as a musical guest on the BET network’s “Centric Celebrates Selma: 50th Anniversary Music Special,” as well as a solo concert, “John Mark McGaha sings Nat King Cole”); and Broadway singer and musician Nicholas Burroughs (credits include roles in “The Tina Turner Musical” and “James Brown Live”).
Legacy of Excellence
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Jenkins lives in Birmingham’s Irondale community. The married father of four adult children has one daughter and three sons.
“My youngest son was part of the charter Boys Choir, and now he’s a conductor for CSX Railroad system,” said Jenkins, who holds music education degrees from several institutions, including Virginia Union University, Oakland University, and Samford University.
Jenkins, who is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, has been recognized and awarded for his work. He has received the Childcare Resources’ Children’s Advocate Award; the NAACP Outstanding African American Award; the United Negro College Fund Arts and Culture Pioneer Award; The Links, Incorporated, Living Legend Award; the Professor Carlton Reese Music and Humanitarian Legacy Award; and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Life Enhancement Award.
A New Direction
Moving forward, Jenkins said the choir will most likely continue under the stewardship of a new director in the fall. One of the things that gives him a sense of pride about his organization is what he’s tailored specifically for members of his community.
“I’ve heard that [parents] came to me only because they wanted their kids to be in a Black environment with a Black teacher,” said Jenkins, adding that he’s proud that “we’ve produced a lot of outstanding musicians, and they’re traveling all over the country doing various things.”
Jenkins plans to pass the torch on to others to take up the leadership of the Magic City Boys & Girls Choir. He tried to “semi-retire” from his leadership position with the choir in 2014, but “parents began asking when we were going to have a choir reunion,” he said.
“Now, here it is in 2024, and it’s happening,” said Jenkins.
As for complete retirement, Jenkins said he will continue to allow the Lord to guide him. “Musicians really don’t know when they’re going to retire,” he said. “As long as the Lord allows me to continue to work my fingers and [continue] all of the teaching I do, I’m just going to keep doing it until He tells me to stop.”
To learn more about the Magic City Music Academy, visit www.magiccitymusic.org or call 205-585-4480.
