Michael Naylor

Having started as a studio and World Music performer with artists from Frank Sinatra, Celia Cruz, Julio Iglesias, & Dizzy Gillespie to multiple Motown groups (Stylistics, Manhattans, and Four Tops), Michael spent six years in Europe performing with diverse world music & jazz ensembles.  After returning to the U.S. and receiving both a Master’s in film Scoring (U. of Miami) and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology (U. of Michigan), Michael has turned his sites towards cultural equity and educating cultural competency and methods for overcoming implicit biases and the assumptions of power and privilege that are the source of most racial or cultural conflicts globally.  As co-Author: of “Our World: Creative Pathways to Cultural Competency” and in his roles as faculty at WCC and Lecturer, Comprehensive Studies Program (UofM), he is committed to building curriculum which expands cultural competency training specifically to enhance the lives of ALL next gen. students.