Our aim was to study and understand the life and compositions of William Grant Still, and share this knowledge with others through lecture and performance. Contextually, our project was significant because it studied the life of a historically underrepresented musician and composer; it is essential that we, as a community of artists, recognize the contributions of all artists, particularly those from oppressed minority groups. Our group performed our research in three steps: (1) read biographical material about William Grant Still to better understand how his life experiences influenced his compositions, (2) study and analyze the compositional works of William Grant Still, and (3) study and analyze specifically William Grant Still's piano works. Our conclusions showed that William Grant Still helped to solidify an American compositional style, and influenced many of the better-known composers of the time.
