By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The life and legacy of Audrey McCallum, the first Black student to attend Peabody Preparatory and a beloved Baltimore music teacher, was celebrated July 24 during a homegoing service at Providence Baptist Church.
McCallum, who spent decades teaching and mentoring young musicians, died on July 6 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 87.
Family, friends, former students and fellow musicians gathered to remember a woman whose influence extended far beyond the classroom and the piano bench. Delivering the eulogy, the Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Summers described McCallum as a phenomenal woman who was kind in her spirit and humble in her demeanor.
“With her giftedness, she paved the way to become the first where many were denied. She adopted many and sought to take them under her wings and to give them what they needed in order to be somebody in life. She practiced what our African-American legacy has taught: we have more than just two parents,” said Summers. “Dr. McCallum was a master in seeing the potential in others. She believed in marvel, and the brightest, and the gifted and the determined.”
The scale of McCallum’s impact was also reflected in the sympathy messages shared during the service. Sharon Speaks read condolences from several community leaders and institutions, including U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07).
“She was a remarkable woman whose musical talent and strength of character inspired a generation of young musicians and left an indelible mark on the city of Baltimore and its people,” Mfume wrote.
The tributes echoed what Audrey McCallum’s family said they witnessed throughout her life: a woman who used her gifts to uplift others.
“I believe wholeheartedly that my mother’s spirit will live on in this community in particular and beyond for a long time because she reached people with her music, her dedication to helping them better themselves and her support of institutions, choirs and churches that are the fabric of what the Black community is about,” Allen McCallum Jr., son of Audrey McCallum, told the AFRO. “My mom was at the heart of that for 60 years.”
Born in Timmonsville, S.C., on Sept. 28, 1938, Audrey McCallum moved to Baltimore as a child, where she began the musical journey that would define much of her life. She started her musical training at age 5 under the late Rev. Eugene T. Grove at Baltimore’s Grace Memorial Baptist Church. His wife, Eursilla Grove, was her first piano teacher.
In 1955, Audrey McCallum became the first Black student to attend Peabody Preparatory after receiving a private scholarship to study piano there. She and Miriam Sachs became the first Black graduates of the community performing arts school in 1956.
After graduating from Dunbar High School, Audrey McCallum was awarded a senatorial scholarship to attend the Peabody Conservatory. There, she honed her piano training and earned a bachelor of music degree—graduating third in her class in 1967. She would later secure a master’s degree in music from the conservatory.
In 1961, she married Allen V. McCallum Sr., whom she met while serving as a pianist and organist at Wayland Baptist Church. Her husband steadfastly supported her music career—transporting her to rehearsals, performances and piano lessons. The couple had two children: Michelle D. McCallum and Allen McCallum Jr.
Allen V. McCallum Sr. died in November 2022, just shy of celebrating 61 years of marriage with Audrey McCallum.
“My father was invested in helping my mother be a success in everything that she did. He was incredibly proud of the work that she did,” said Allen McCallum Jr. “He loved music, and I think he really enjoyed being around the people who were in her atmosphere.”
Over her career, Audrey McCallum’s piano prowess led her to accompany The Olton Singers, Baltimore Chapel Choir, Municipal Opera Company and Great Hymns Choir. She spent 30 years teaching in the Baltimore City Public School System—primarily at Western High School, where she retired as head of the music department in 1990.
But that would not be the end of her career in music education. Upon her retirement, the late Nathan Carter, then-chair of Morgan State University’s (MSU) Fine Arts Department and director of the acclaimed MSU Choir, persuaded her to teach at the historically Black university. She remained at MSU for 20 years and also worked under Carter at the Carter School of Music.
Eric Conway, current chair of MSU’s Fine and Performing Arts Department, described her legacy as one of excellence and commitment. He said that she paved the way for his own education at Peabody Preparatory and the Peabody Conservatory, which were segregated for decades. He noted that she taught all four levels of aural skills at MSU, a core component of training for music majors.
“To be a pianist at the level that she was, she put in hours and hours of practice and discipline,” said Conway. “Then, she built that into her teaching and instilled that discipline in her students. She showed students by example that you must be committed and focused.”
During the homegoing service, Conway also honored Audrey McCallum through music, performing a rendition of “My Tribute” on piano.
As a teacher, Audrey McCallum accepted nothing less than the best from her students. Marco K. Merrick, a former piano student and mentee of hers, praised her impact on him as a Christian and musician in a July 8 Facebook post.
“She was tough, patient, poised and professional,” wrote Merrick. “Her Christian character was on display in her action. I never heard her preaching or exclaiming her faith. She demonstrated it in her brilliant gift, expertise, kindness and remarkable ministry.”
Audrey McCallum’s life was also marked by her rich faith. She believed her musical talent was a gift from God and that she was called to share it with others.
“My mother had the talent to be a classically-touring pianist. I don’t know that the time she grew up in would have afforded her the opportunity, but she certainly had the talent,” said Allen McCallum Jr. “But, she decided it was more important to give that back to her community and use it to teach and impart what she knew to people—not just in music, but in how to learn.”
The service concluded with a recording of Audrey McCallum playing piano, allowing mourners to hear the music that marked her life and touched generations of students and musicians.
