RawTuba
(Hi, I’m Richard Antoine White)
RawTuba
R.A.W. Tuba: From Sandtown To Symphony is about a Baltimore child who experienced intermittent homelessness but went on to become a world-class symphony musician and professor.
As a child, Richard Antoine White (R.A.W.) slept wherever he could, sometimes in abandoned rowhomes where he was chewed on by rats during his sleep. But despite enormous challenges, he went on to become the first African American in the world to receive a Doctorate in Music for Tuba Performance from one of the most prestigious music programs in the US.
The Baltimore School for the Arts, a rare gem in the education world for it’s extraordinary track record of success, is where his life changed from a self-described “yo boy” with little direction to becoming obsessed with Tuba and ultimately following his dreams out of poverty.
Richard’s story speaks to the underdog in all of us and serves as an important reminder of the necessity of the arts in education.
Watch the trailer below:
Below, listen to the song “Brothers for Life”, recorded with Richard Antoine White and his brother William Smith. Fun fact from the film-maker: “We filmed the scene of these guys recording a song together for the documentary RAW Tuba (“Hi I’m Richard Antoine White”) and Will freestyled this entire version in one take! And we know he didn’t write it beforehand because right before we recorded we gave him some topics and he just spit it out like a master.”