Kyra D. Gaunt
Black feminist digital ethnomusicologist | Writer | Prize-Winning Author | 2022 TED speaker | Legal Consultant
Assistant Professor Kyra D. Gaunt, PhD is a cutting-edge scholar in digital and embodied ethnomusicology specializing in Black music studies, Black girlhood studies, and hip-hop feminism. She joined the faculty at UAlbany in 2017 and is an associate faculty member in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and an affiliate member of the Department of Sociology.
An esteemed ethnomusicologist, her scholarship continues to make waves in arts and culture with her 2007 Merriam prize-winning book, "The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop."
In 2015, it was a catalyst for choreographer Camille A. Brown and Dancers' Bessie Award-nominated performance, "BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play." In 2020, the New York Times Parenting Section commissioned "The Magic of Black Girls Play," which was selected as Editor's Pick of the Day.
In 2023, she was featured in and a consultant for the 2023 Oscar-nominated documentary short, Black Girls Play: A Story of Hand Games, directed by Rada Studio, produced by ESPN, which was a category winner at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award and included in the 96th OSCARS® Shortlist as a Documentary Short Film.
In 2025 Gaunt was named an envoy to the American Film Showcase for her work on Black Girls Play: A Story of Hand Games. The Showcase is a roster of American filmmakers and top industry and media experts who serve as envoys to countries around the world.
Media
- How Black Girls Reclaim Their Voice in Music (June 2022)
- How the Fantastic Four took Double Dutch to new heights (Dec 2022)
- Expert Interviews | YouTube Culture & Trends Report 2021
Publications
Kyra D. Gaunt's ResearchGate Profile