Soundscapes of Black Canada was a listening workshop held at the Hamilton Public Library on March 27, 2025. Leading up to the workshop, I explored the library’s CD collection to investigate how many Black Canadian musicians were included, and which ones might be missing. I shared what I found through the workshop and opened up a conversation about music and representation.
As part of the workshop, I put together a playlist of Black Canadian artists that continues to grow as I discover more music and stories. As we listened to the playlist, we built a collective list of album suggestions for the library to consider adding to their shelves.
This workshop is part of my ongoing exploration of the many styles and sounds created by Black musicians, while also challenging and unpacking what is often labeled as “Black music.” I’d love to keep building on it, growing the playlist, expanding archives, and sharing it with new communities and libraries across Canada.
Charlie Star 