BITS Blues in the Schools |
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What is Blues in the Schools?
BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS is a nationwide initiative to preserve and promote the one music form that is uniquely American.
It began with a few scattered programs developed by Blues musicians for children in their communities. True to the Blues tradition, program ideas are shared by individual presenters and organizations to be reshaped and blended to fit each new community, its audiences and the needs of its children.
Today, like the mighty music they represent, BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS programs are performed around the world. Locally, BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS programs are coordinated by the Black Swamp Blues Society, a 501c3 nonprofit organization of and for lovers of Blues music.
The most effective BITS programs utilize a classroom curriculum that affects many students and disciplines. A comprehensive curriculum of one week to a month in length can address the main educational issues of the next century, inter discipline and diversity.
HOW CAN BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS FIT VARIOUS SUBJECTS?
Subjects like Music, Art, English, and Social Studies are natural fits, while creative teachers can individually figure ways to tie Math, Science and Tech Ed to a BITS unit.
Just a simple activity like designing a CD package enlists Art, English, and Music disciplines. When students plan out the touring itinerary for a band, they will utilize Math, Geography, and Language Arts skills in their planning of a month on the road.
At the high school level, the in-depth study of the sharecropping system in the Mississippi Delta combines English, Social Studies, and Music to deliver a very crucial understanding of the relationship between these social and cultural factors in the birth of the blues.
WHAT TYPES OF PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE?
In reality, there is no cohesive, nationally directed BITS initiative that is an established program for schools grades K-12. It is more decentralized and individualized. The Blues Foundation can help you find someone to help you get started with what is right for your educational discipline, you local school district and your intended age group.
The Blues Foundation provides some direction to its affiliated Blues societies, and organizations like the House of Blues, the Seattle Experience Music Project and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have designed curriculum units and lesson plans that are ready to be plugged into any grade or discipline.
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