Before broadcast radio was invented, the only way for a song to survive was to be performed. Over time, many songs faded into history.

Alvin Community College History Chair Dr. Alexander Marriott and Music Chair Dr. Kevin Moody hope to revive some of the forgotten music now preserved in the Library of Congress.

“Most are forgotten and have no contemporary recordings or any recordings,” Marriott said.

Marriott and Moody received a $950 grant from the ACC Foundation to hire musicians to perform and record the historical music.

The grant was awarded through the Foundation’s Innovative Initiative program. The Innovative Initiative Grant program is designed to encourage, facilitate, recognize and reward innovative and creative approaches to fulfill the mission of the college. The grants will be used for the 2025-26 academic year.

The instructors got the idea for the program after they discovered a song in the Library of Congress called “To the West” which was popular in the 1850s.

“It is based on a poem,” Marriott said. “The song is about the allure of the west and is a really good antebellum song. It turned out really great.”

One of the benefits of reviving the old song is that it supplements the material in class that students have not previously encountered.

“Suddenly in U.S. History 1 where all we really had were pictures, paintings or photos from the late period, now we have audio that we can share with the students,” Marriott said.

With the grant funding, Marriott and Moody plan to comb through thousands of songs and select two that they can record.

“We can create something legitimate from a legitimate source so we can engage with students in way much more familiar to them,” Marriott said.

Once produced the songs will be uploaded to the ACC website.

To learn more about the program or to hear a sample of “To the West,” check out the podcast interview with Dr. Marriott at www.alvincollege.edu/news/podcast.html or wherever you get podcasts.