By Tina Depko
By the time an Ottawa student graduates from high school, he or she is likely aware of the musical contributions of Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Whether or not the student played in the high school band, these classical composers were undoubtedly discussed in their music classes in elementary and middle school.
But do you think a student could also tell you who Jelly Roll Morton and Blind Lemon Jefferson were, or what instruments constituted an early blues band?
The likely answer is no.
Alternative genres of music such as blues, jazz and swing are generally excluded from music classes in Ottawa elementary and high schools.
Continual budget cuts threaten the existence of music programs in general, creating an unfavourable climate for the development of a curriculum that encompasses a greater variety of music genres.
The need to promote the blues in city schools was recognized by organizers of “Bluesfest,” Ottawa’s annual summer blues festival.
The result was a branch program operating under the festival, “Blues in the Schools.”
The program started in 1998 as a high school blues band competition, allowing the winner to perform as a main stage act at “Bluesfest.”
The competition succeeded in increasing the blues repertoire among high school bands in the city.
But organizers decided an educational aspect of the program targeting students of all ages would further increase awareness of the blues.
The educational pilot-project was launched in 1999, and saw famous American blues musician and educator T.J. Wheeler spend two weeks at two Ottawa schools as part of a workshop.
Teaching everything from the history of the blues, to composing and performing blues songs, Wheeler and the program were a hit with students.
The artist-in-residency workshop under “Blues in the Schools” was here to stay.
The program’s reputation spread quickly, and the numbers of schools participating in the artist-in-residency workshop increased over the following years.
In 2000, 12 schools had the blues experience and this number doubled in 2001 with 4,000 Ottawa students from ages five through 19 working with blues musicians.
This year, “Blues in the Schools” organizer Greg Cockburn says there are 26 schools registered for the artist-in-residency workshop, and he expects at least four more schools to join before this year’s program dates of April 8 to 19.
Wheeler has been scheduled to return with several American blues musicians and educators such as Mary Flower, Steve James, Otis Taylor, and Kenny Blue Ray
Canadian blues musicians scheduled to participate include Rick Fines, Mike Stevens, Rob Lutes, and Mighty PoPo.
Terry Davies, principal at Elgin Street Public School, says her students are eagerly anticipating the program once again this year.
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 had the opportunity to experience the blues through performances, lectures and songwriting last year and Davies says they loved every minute of it.
This will be the school’s second year with “Blues in the Schools” and Davies says it won’t be their last, making the effectiveness of the program speak for itself.
So why is it so important to have the “Blues in the Schools” program?
Firstly, the visiting educators are real blues musicians.
Learning from someone who is actually pursuing a career in the genre makes it much more interesting for students.
The blues can also enable a study of historical social conditions, because its development is linked to black slavery.
Teaching students about this inequality through music creates a more powerful lesson than any chapter in a history textbook could provide.
Finally, “Blues in the Schools” creates an appreciation among students for other genres of music that develops out of different ethnic cultures.
Overall, it creates an understanding of another culture’s values and beliefs through music. What could be more effective?