Entertainment

Living for the city: Gospel for Teens and Mama Foundation for the Arts at TED2012

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Photos: James Duncan Davidson

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Vy Higginsen introduces the Gospel for Teens section of the Mama Foundation for the Arts, an organization she founded in 1998. The program is a way to teach teenagers the art of gospel music. “We want them to know who they are and where they come from musically,” she explains, as the choir begins to hum behind her. “I make one promise to our young teens: When they make a commitment to the Mama Foundation and Gospel for Teens program, they would be seen and they would be heard.” And with that, the choir lets rip into a blazing rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City with some serious energy and somewhat unthinkably perfect harmonies. From here, it’s foot-tapping and some serious chair-dancing all the way to the end of the session.