Crossroads Blues Society

Crossroads Blues Society

Blues in the Schools Activity Book

January 2019

Table of Contents

A Short History of the Blues

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This is a short history that we put together on the Blues. It can serve as background

formation for the teacher to better understand where the Blues came from. The info-

mation presented traces the history of the Blues from Slavery and Plantation Life to the

Modern Day, Other materials are available online for more in depth lesson planning.

Instruments Often Used By Modern Blues Bands 8

A list of commonly used instrumentation by today's blues bands. Based on this list.

teachers and students can do more research more on instruments, their sounds and usage.

Coloring Pages of Blues Artists

9-16

A set of pages younger student might enjoy for artistic coloring projects. Teachers can

look up and present information on the artists and their music and use these activity

pages to reinforce studies.

Blues Word Search

17

A word search more likely suite for Middle School and older students featuring 24 words

from the Short History of the Blues and other materials in this Activity Book.

Fill in the Blues Words

18

An activity more likely suited for Middle School and older students featuring 8 fill in the

words featuring words from the Short History of the Blues and other materials in this A

Activity Book.

Blues Matching

19

Match the Artist to their Real Name and Match the Artist to the Instrument they

Play(ed), Older Elementary and Middle School ages.

References and Resources

20-21

Where teachers can get other materials to use.

Crossroads Blues Society Contact Information

22

How teachers can contact us.

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A Short History of the Blues

Blues Music was the first form of music that was created in America. Crossroads Blues Society is a non-profit organization in northern Illinois that works to keep the tradition and history of the blues alive by raising money to present Blues in the Schools (BITS) music programs to area schools. This activity book was created to supplement our programs and to give schools a resource to use, either in conjunction with BITS programs or as a stand alone resource.

The Blues come to us from Africa, riding in the holds of slave ships. The rhythms of African music were part of the people who came here against their will to predominantly work in plantations in America's south. The slaves also had a rich oral history tradition that they brought with them, often using music and rhythm to recite their stories.

As the slaves toiled picking cotton and working their tasks from sunrise to sunset, they often sang to make the day pass. They would sing together, sometimes with a leader first singing a line and then the workers would repeat the line. This is called call and response. The rhythm of the music would sometimes be set to the their work. For example, if a group of men were swinging picks to break up soil, the rhythm would synchronize with their swing of the pick and then the pick being lifted back for the next swing.

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Sometimes the slaves were allowed to rest to attend some sort of religious service. Those services introduced them to European music in the form of hymns. As they sang at work or after working their traditional rhythms began blending with church music and it all became the Blues.

Instruments were rare. Percussive sounds could be done vocally or using striking hollow wooden objects. A wire or set of wires could be nailed to a wall or a board and used similarly to a guitar; these were called Diddley Bows. Later, cigar boxes and other hollow objects were attached to the board to resonate and amplify the sounds.

When the slaves were emancipated in 1865, they were able to move more freely and often congregated on evenings off the plantations. Juke Joints arose as places for the former slaves to congregate, play and listen to music, dance, and relax after their continued hard work in the fields. Pianos, banjos, guitars and other instruments were used to play their music. The Juke Joints existed well into the 20th century. The Blues even were taken to the churches, where Gospel music emerged from the Blues.

Over time and especially as the Industrial Revolution automated field work, many African Americans left the farms and moved into the cities of the South. Their music went with them. They

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were exposed to more types of instruments and other music. Ragtime and then jazz emerged, with more complex chords and rhythms that evolved out of the Blues.

Marching bands influenced music in New Orleans and got blended with the Blues and Jazz and Cajun influences. The Blues also became part of Vaudeville and travelling shows, spreading it's influences to both black and white audiences.

Celtic and other European folk music had influenced working white people and the folk music of the south began to blend with the Blues, giving rise to Bluegrass and Country music. The banjo that came from Africa became a staple in many forms of music, both with white and black musicians.

As the need for work grew with the rise of factories up north, the African Americans moved to work in those factories. They brought their music with them. Music began to be recorded, sold on records and played and shared in the homes with family and friends. Radio emerged and it became a major means to transmit music far and wide, influencing audiences sometimes hundreds of miles away. People of different cultures began to listen to and enjoy the music of other cultures with even more regularity. Acoustic instruments like guitars and banjos got electrified to make louder sounds so as to be able to be heard amongst the other instruments. Instruments became more and more affordable and became a staple of the Blues and Jazz musicians who continued to adapt their sound.

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