DC Blues Society Blues in the Schools Program

Since 1995, The Blues in the Schools Program has been reaching out to area school children with performances by and curricula designed by local and national blues music professionals to help tell the story of the Blues in American culture. Supporting this program deepens appreciation of this valuable musical heritage among youth and stimulates musical interest in general.

Blues in the Schools Update
by Chet Hines

It was 11 AM on Wed, Jan. 23rd when 200 children from River Terrace Elementary School walked in the auditorium and sat staring in space wondering just why they were summoned there. Without warning a rather large black man belted out "Good Morning Boys and Girls, children of all ages, you are about to be part of the blues in the key of life." Behind him stood three men looking at the kids and holding objects that seemed a little out of place for this early hour. The big guy talked about the blues musical history and why it just might be something they (the kids) needed to know about.

Suddenly the room was filled with the gut-wrenching sound of a guitar being played by a man who calls himself Memphis Gold. The kids started to smile and bounce in their seats to the beat of his rhythm. As they settled into enjoying his solo sounds, a tall smiling guy named Clarence ‘The Bluesman' Turner roared in with some thundering bass notes that seemed to just push many of them out of their seats with joy.

The large black man who had started this musical journey turned and asked the children "if anyone there had a Mississippi Saxophone?" The music quieted down a bit and the kids looked bewildered. Just about then, the third man in the trio on the stage said "hey, hey, I do," and the kids looked at him but didn't see anything. He cupped his hands and placed them over his mouth then started to blow some of the sweetest sounds in the air, which caused the kids to turn to each other and point at the guy who was named Charlie Sayles. This trio soaked the River Terrace Elementary School children in the history of the music we call the blues.

This program is just one of many that the DC Blues Society sponsors throughout the year in the Washington DC area public schools. The program offers children of all ages a close examination of the rich cultural history of the Afro-American music art form known as the blues.

The children at River Terrace Elementary School traced the music roots of the blues from the West Coast of Africa to the modern hip hop streets of the neighborhood in which they live. The session included periods of questioning from the kids and rewarding of children with a Mississippi Saxophone when they successfully answered questions from the large black man who hosted the event, who was later identified as Dr. S.O. Feelgood.

The DC Blues Society is sponsoring a six week workshop on the Mississippi Saxophone for the children at River Terrace Elementary School, which began in February. The school's sponsor for this unique program and workshop is Ms. Vata Frederick, one the few teachers I've met who truly understands the importance of integrating the music and arts into the classroom. She is very successful at it. Thanks to teachers like Ms. Frederick, the children are becoming a new fan base that will ensure that the blues remains alive.

If you would like to know more about the DC Blues Society's Blues in the Schools program, please contact Coordinator Chet Hines 301-322-4808.