Blues SchoolHouse Program (BSH)
The Blues SchoolHouse Program transforms House of Blues venues into multimedia classrooms weekday mornings during the school year where 5th through 12th grade students and their teachers learn about American culture and history through an exploration of blues music, blues-inspired music and related folk art. The program combines visual arts with live music, connects arts and cultural content with other subjects, aligns content and learning activities with state educational standards, and supports teachers in integrating arts and cultural content into classroom curriculums. Through the Blues SchoolHouse, participants gain a greater understanding of how the arts can reflect life experiences and social conditions. The program fosters appreciation for diverse contributions to American culture and highlights the role that the arts can play in social transformation. Select BSH components travel to school and community settings.
Blues SchoolHouse Program Components:
Art Tour/Presentation: A tour/presentation of the House of Blues art collection, which includes many works created by self-taught African American artists from the southern United States. Students learn about folk art and individual folk artists through a discussion of artistic expression and some of the methods and materials used by the artists. Students are also introduced to art terminology such as line, shape, form, and texture.
Musical Presentation: A live, interactive musical presentation takes participants on a musical journey tracing the evolution of the blues musical form from its roots in African musical traditions through its emergence and evolution as a unique American folk music and its influence on other forms of popular contemporary music, including jazz, R&B, rock and roll, soul, funk and rap. Traveling over time and across continents, the performance demonstrates how the blues musical form was influenced by and reflects important events in American history including the Atlantic Slave Trade, the institution of slavery, emancipation, Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration and the Civil Rights Movement. The presentation encourages participants to consider the role of both individuals and movements in bringing about social transformation and musical innovation. Click here to learn more about the Blues SchoolHouse bands.
Classroom Guide & Teacher Workshop: A classroom guide supplements the Blues SchoolHouse educational experience and supports teachers in integrating arts and cultural content into classroom curriculums; a teacher workshop/orientation supports the use of the classroom guide. The guide is made available online at the IHOBF website Learning Center.
Visual Arts Workshops: Student workshops combine an art tour/presentation with a hands-on art activity inspired by the work of one of the artists featured in the House of Blues art collection.
Extended Learning: Opportunities for students to participate in hands-on learning experiences that build upon Blues SchoolHouse program content.
Special Guests & Related Programming:
Singer Erykah Badu surprised students with a special performance at the IHOBF-Dallas Blues SchoolHouse Program on May 13, 2009 at the House of Blues-Dallas venue. Badu joined the Blues SchoolHouse band onstage to demonstrate the influence of the blues on contemporary music. Badu said, “Blues music tells the story of important events in our history. It is important for young people to understand the origin of the music that is such a big part of their everyday lives. If they don’t know and understand their heritage, they’ll lose it.”