Hazel Scott

Hazel Scott was born on June 11,1920 and died on October 2, 1981. She was a well-known pianist. Scott came from a very successful family. Her mother was a maid who taught herself how to play the saxophone and her father was a West African from England who was a scholar. He also played the piano and the saxophone. 

From an early age Hazel Scott was very musical and advanced for her age when it came to certain things. Specially by the age of three she was able to play the piano by ear. According to Hazel Scott- womenhistory.org, "Scott displayed her talents for music at an early age and, by the age of three, Scott could play the piano by ear. When her mother's music students would hit a wrong note, Scott would yelp with displeasure." You can see that Hazel Scott was very advanced in music at a young age and it just developed even more as she got older.

Hazel Scott's parents separated when she was young. From that she moved with her mother to New York. She and her mother were very close and had a very tight bond. Her mother had a big influence on her and the results of the relationship with her mother showed up within in her as she went into adulthood. According to Hazel Scott- womenhistory.org, "Scott's parents separated and she moved with her mother and grandmother to New York City in 1924. Scott's mother played in several all-women bands to earn a living. Scott and her mother were extremely close, and Scott called her mother "the single biggest influence in my life."  You can tell that Scott and her mother had a really close bond and that her mother had a major impact on her life. 

Hazel Scott was one of few African Americans at this time to attend Juilliard School of Music. Juilliard School of Music is a very great school and hard school to get into and the fact that Hazel Scott was able to attend this school was a major milestone. According to Hazel Scott- womenshistory.org, " Her mother's musical connections made it possible for Scott to audition for the prestigious Juilliard School of Music at the unheard-of age of eight (students were supposed to be 16.)" You can still see how the impact of Hazel Scott's relationship with her mother showed up in her as she enter into adulthood.

Based on the information given above you can see how Hazel Scott was one of a kind. During her lifetime America was still very divided on the topic of slavery and how African Americans were viewed in this country. So, the fact that Hazel Scott was able to accomplish all that she did in her lifetime given the circumstance that she was in definitely lets you know that she was one of a kind. She was also the first African American to host her own television show. Hazel Scott broke down barriers for the African Americans specifically African American women that would come after her. She definitely helped to shape history.