BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM

The purpose of the Pikes Peak Blues Community (PPBC), Blues in the School program is to implement and expand the historical and musical relevance of the Blues genre to the youth via schools, libraries, and other venues. PPBC, is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Blues heritage and creating a greater awareness and wider appreciation of a musical style created through the struggles and celebration of an American culture. We understand the importance of this cultural music style and want to pass it on to newer generations of performers and fans. Presentations will be structured to the needs of the school and student. The goal of these presentations is to educate students about the origins of the Blues musical art form by providing informative and interactive performances that will enhance the overall mental and artistic development of participants.

We seek to emphasize and enable the following attributes in Blues culture;

  • Enhance musicianship
  • Develop team working skills
  • Song-writing development
  • Develop conflict resolution skills
  • Music performance
  • Utilization of math skills.
  • Simplify content creation and ensure design consistency.
  • Streamlines the design process and saves time.
  • Pre-arranged collections of blocks.

The Blues curriculum will start with the four school districts in Colorado Springs which includes School Districts; Academy SD#20; Colorado Springs SD#11; Cheyenne SD#12; Harrison SD#2. We will contact the principals of schools and heads of the various music departments to explain the intent of this program and how it would benefit the students and school.

History – Look at how Blues developed in the United States by exploring the social, cultural, ethnic, and musical conditions that established the roots of this original American art form.

Enhanced Musicianship – Work with students to create instrumental, vocal, performance, and song writing skills.

Team Building – Introduce strategies for resolving conflict, reconciling differences, and achieving mutual agreements so students can learn to work together as a team to produce a coherent rhythmic performance with musical groups that consist of two or more people.

Math Skills – These skills will be reinforced since the very nature of music requires timing, counting beats, creating musical patterns. Intros, music scales, various rhythms, this is all math.

We have several volunteers and a current teacher that will work with us to help create programs, curriculum, and resources to provide teachers meaningful opportunities to engage students with the discovery and exploration of this influential and original music genre.