Story #11: Al Naipo
This week, we hear from Al Naipo! Naipo is a USC alum who participated in JEP in 1980 – here’s his story.
”As a USC student participating in JEP, I was able to return to high school… Not mine, but Manual Arts High, just a few blocks from campus. I had actually been there a few years earlier to play in a football game representing my school, Westchester High.”
“My assignment was to teach a class of students on a few topics of my choosing. I thought it might be interesting to look at music, specifically, how one genre like Country or Western may have influenced Rock n Roll or Rhythm & Blues. I could see that some of the students thought that was crazy, especially since it appeared that many in this inner-city school were not familiar with Country music.”
“Now, add to the fact that here I was, an African-American, and a big guy at that, talking about country music of which I knew quite a bit because my dad listened to it all the time, which meant I did too. The students were a bit perplexed but many became interested as I was able to make some connections by playing songs with some tunes they were familiar with.”
“I truly enjoyed my time at JEP. It’s something that I likely would’ve never done had it not been for that program. Some 40 years later, I wonder if any of those students remember those lessons. I know I do and I always will.”