Upper School students gathered in Brauer Auditorium Monday morning for the 2025 Bond Lecture, an annual event that brings a noted African American to campus. Past participants include authors, lectures, and civil rights leaders. This year’s guest speaker was Dr. Timothy Amukele, a doctor and biopharm executive who also writes and arranges music for singers. He is also a working musician. Dr. Amukele is our 2025 Artist in Residence at MICDS, and about one hundred students, faculty, and staff were able to attend his opera theatre production Kandake the Saturday before. At the Bond Lecture, he spoke to the students about using music as both prevention and cure.
Dr. Amukele broke the ice by admitting that he was a little terrified to speak. “My years in high school were not good. They were probably one of the least happy parts of my life. But it turns out you grow up, you get better!”
He then played two examples of the same song, rendered very differently by different artists. Students listened intently to a sample of For Once In My Life by Frank Sinatra, and then to a sample of the same song as performed by Stevie Wonder. The lyrics and melodies were much the same, but the change in tempo produced two completely different moods. He then sampled Billie Jean by both Michael Jackson and Chris Cornell, showing how a rhythm change can produce a fresh new interpretation.
Songs, he posits, can be used for musical communication. Dr. Amukele then shared a series of songs made by international artists designed to help their communities with specific medical issues. Ebola is Real by F.A. Soul Fresh & Deng was developed with messages for listeners to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. “The song was impactful during a time of the ebola outbreak, where there was fear and certainty,” he said. While he couldn’t find the exact lyrics to share, he explained that the song lines out the symptoms, how to deal with it, and of course that it’s a real issue that must be taken seriously. “Pay attention to how it makes you feel, and how it communicates messages,” said Dr. Amukele.
A screen on the side of the stage displayed the lyrics of the next few songs he shared. A song about depression called Flow My Tears by John Dowland/Barbara Bonney filled the space. He defined depression for the students, and then pointed out that the song is very slow. “Part of the purpose of composing is trying to share something and communicate with the listener,” he said. The slow tempo and spare instrumentation in the piece symbolizes depression even beyond the lyrics.
He also played Chikungunya by Wayne J, which is about a mosquito-borne disease by the same name, Washington DC Hospital Center Blues by Skip James, and Quand c’est / Cancer by Stromae. Each time students were given the opportunity to share what they learned from the song.
Dr. Amukele’s impact on our community didn’t end with the Bond Lecture. He was welcomed into a variety of spaces on campus to interact more personally with students. The Black Student Union hosted a coffee in Blanke Room before the lecture, and after, Dr. Amukele met members of the Bond family. He later hosted a masterclass with the MICDS Virtuosi in Brauer Hall before enjoying lunch with the Bond Family. On Tuesday, Dr. Amukele worked with the Chamber Choir and the Seventh- and Eighth-grade Concert Choir before enjoying lunch with Virtuosi students.
On Wednesday, he spent more time with Virtuosi and with the Upper School Orchestra before meeting with the Concert Orchestra, Concert Band (seventh and eighth grades), and the Upper School Band. The Virtuosi also performed Kandake Overture at a Chamber Concert on Wednesday, and plan to reprise the piece at a Black History Month presentation on Monday.
Thank you to Dr. Timothy Amukele for your generous gift of time and talent to our community.
The Erik Lyons Bond ’77 lecture is named in honor of the first African American graduate to complete all eight grades at Saint Louis Country Day School. During his years at CDS, Erik Lyons Bond ’77 distinguished himself in scholastics, athletics, and student government. He served as student council president and captain of the varsity football team; additionally, his teammates selected him as the league’s most valuable player. Erik was named a National Merit Scholar, and he was also an accomplished musician and artist. He died unexpectedly in June 1984.