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Lulah McEwen Hedgeman
Lulah McEwen Hedgeman (1938–1997) was an American musician and educator in Tennessee who taught at Memphis' Overton High School for Creative and Performing Arts.[1]: 163 Hedgeman built a concert choir, a chamber group, and a jazz show choir and took her singers to the level of international competition.[1]: 164 Her background included a B.A. in Music at Fisk University and a Master's degree from the University of Memphis.[1]: 164 She won multiple "teacher of the year" awards at the local and state level,[1]: 164 but gained national recognition in 1991 after being chosen as one of Disney's "Outstanding Performing Arts Teachers in America".[1][2] For this she received a cash award and a paid trip to Hollywood for her 31-member chamber singers, whom she conducted in a Disney Channel program called "American Teacher Awards".[3] In 1994 she was given an "Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts" degree by Rhodes College. She was subsequently called "Dr. Hedgeman" even though the title was an honorary one.[1] She taught future music professionals Wendy Moten, K.Michelle, O'Landa Draper, and bass-baritone Charles Billings.[2] In 2021, when Moten appeared as a contestant on NBC's "The Voice " she acknowledged Hedgeman and dedicated the performance to her.[4] Hedgeman died suddenly on December 8, 1997, after an apparent heart attack at age 59.[1] It occurred in her home about two hours after she conducted a choir rehearsal.[2] The City of Memphis named a street for her, "Dr. Lulah M. Hedgeman Lane".[5] References
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