Shana Mashego
Adjunct Professorial Lecturer
Performing Arts
Degrees
Doctor of Musical Arts, Ethnomusicology & Voice, The University of Arizona Master of Arts, Music & Research, Texas Southern University Bachelor of Arts, Music, Texas Southern University
Bio
During her doctoral degree journey, Dr. Shana Mashego's interest in the lives of African Americans came into full focus. While Shana's initial research concentrations were primarily centered in Ethnomusicology and Voice with a focus upon the lives and works of Black Female Composers, she was given an opportunity to receive extensive instruction in Anthropology with an emphasis on African American culture from the research faculty of The University of Arizona Africana Studies Program. This instruction led to a wider interest in the lives and works of the African American musician and their vast contributions to American and global popular music.
Upon receiving her first university teaching appointment, Dr. Mashego made a commitment to serve as an advocate for underrepresented and international students. Dr. Mashego believes that if each student is given the proper amount of attention and equitable opportunities, they will become whole and balanced scholars. To this end, Dr. Mashego has worked in the college classroom and in university administrative offices for her entire career, even while balancing concurrent diversity consultancy appointments. As a faculty member, Dr. Mashego has instructed and advised students at Texas Southern University, The University of Arizona, Lone Star College System, the Stratford University Language Institute and most recently American University.
In 2014, Dr. Mashego founded Dr. Shana Mashego & The Sacred Ensemble, A Christian Hymn Preservation Ensemble where she serves as Soprano and Visionary. The Ensemble includes Soprano & Piano Quintet, and together they enjoy a variety of recording opportunities including the completion of three album recordings as part of a seven-volume hymn preservation project, and performances on a wide range of stages.
As a private voice instructor, Shana believes that the vocal instrument is one of the strongest and most delicate of musical instruments. She is a strong proponent of vocal health and ensures that every student she encounters is equipped with a thorough knowledge of the vocal anatomy and the unique physics of the vocal instrument. Dr. Mashego is also an expert on the preservation and performance practice of hymns and the Negro Spiritual.
Dr. Shana Mashego's hope is to continue to live a life filled with music, teaching, research, and the work of diversity and inclusion. Her greatest hope is to lead others into the full celebration of the whole of humanity.
PUBLICATIONS Dr. Shana Mashego & The Sacred Ensemble, The Hymn Project, A Seven Volume Set of Internationally Celebrated Hymns set for Piano Quintet, String Quartet, Wind Ensemble, Organ, Harp & Soprano. Produced by Sacred Records, Vol. 1 2015, Vols. 2 & 3 2016.
Dr. Shana Mashego, “Formality meets Hip Hop: The Influence of the Hip Hop Generation on the Music Liturgy of Euro-African Church Denominations” The Black Church and Hip-Hop Culture: Toward Bridging the Generational Divide. ed. Emmett G. Price III, Scarecrow Press. January 2012.
Dr. Shana Mashego, “The Music of the Black Church” The Encyclopedia of African American Music. ed. Emmett G. Price III, Greenwood Press. December 2010.
Shana Thomas Mashego, Music From The Soul of Woman: The Influence of The African American Presbyterian And Methodist Church Traditions on The Classical Compositions of Florence Price and Dorothy Rudd Moore, DMA Dissertation, The University of Arizona 2010.
WORKS IN PROGRESS Dr. Shana Mashego, The Origin Story of The African American Musician: From African Origins to Post-George Floyd America. Forthcoming 2024
Dr. Shana Mashego & The Sacred Ensemble, The Hymn Project, A Seven Volume Set of Internationally Celebrated Hymns set for Piano Quintet, String Quartet, & Soprano. Sacred Records, Vols. 4-7 Projected Recording Completion Period 2021-2026
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS & LECTURES Shana Mashego, DMA (2020) "The Origin, History, and Performance Practice of The Negro Spiritual" (Masterclass) Southwestern Oklahoma State University School of Music, Weatherford,OK Shana Mashego, DMA (2020) "Racism in America: The History of Racist Ideas in the United States" Kansas Interfaith Network, Lawrence, KS Shana Mashego, DMA (2020) "The State of African Americans in Post Presidential Election America" St. Mark United Methodist, Wichita, KS Shana Mashego, DMA (2020) "The History of The African in America" Black Empowerment Black Female Coaches Association, Claremont, CA Shana Mashego, DMA (2020) "African Americans and The 21st Century Church" The Society for Faith and Justice, Philadelphia, PA Shana Mashego, DMA (2019) "The Anatomic Beauty of the Vocal Instrument" University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Greensburg, PA Shana Mashego, DMA (2018) "The Singer's Breath: A Vocal Intensive" (Masterclass) Presented by The Private Voice Studio of Dr. Shana Mashego, Trinity Lutheran Church, Houston, TX Shana Mashego, DMA (2016) “What Wondrous Love is This” Arranged by Christopher T.F. Hanson, A Commission Honoring the Artist and the Artpiece The Resurrection by Artist Kermit Oliver For The Sake of Art Wearable Art Gala and Competition, Houston, TX Shana Mashego, DMA (2011) “Oh Freedom: A Freedom Song Collaboration Including Dance, Poetry & Song” Presented for the opening of The Whole World Was Watching Photography Exhibit, The African American Library at the Gregory School, Freedmen’s Town, Houston, TX
