blues schoolhouse – Music Forward Foundation

Exploring the History of Black Music

Phebe Wickham — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 18:50:00 +0000

Blues music has given people a voice to tell stories, preserve traditions and express feelings about everyday life and it goes without saying that blues music has influenced much of the music that we all enjoy today. We’re proud to tell the story of the blues and highlight the role that music plays in reflecting the human condition and driving social change. The influence of Black artists and musicians is present throughout all aspects of American culture. In honor of Black Music Month, we embarked on a journey to explore how Black music impacted not only key moments in history, but also the artists and songs that we listen to today borrowing from the teachings of our Blues SchoolHouse program. You can’t enjoy the Rhythm and ignore The Blues. Our legacy is rooted in the blues. The music we all enjoy today is rooted in the blues. Blues was born out of the oppression, struggle, hope, and resistance experienced by African Americans in the late 1800s. Pioneers of the blues included artists Robert Johnson, whose influence is heard in many of today’s legendary guitarists; and Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues, who boldly sang classic blues and established roots for the forthright expressions of womanhood in music. As the blues-man Willie Dixon said, “The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits.”

BRING ON THE RHYTHM.

Rhythm and blues was the soundtrack to an important time in America’s evolution. The emergence of R&B traces back to African- Americans moving from the rural south to cities between 1916-1960. Black music started to reflect urban environments through amplified sounds, social concerns, and cultural pride expressed through music. It combined blues, jazz, boogie-woogie and gospel taking the form of fast paced dance music with highly energized guitar work appealing to young audiences across racial divides. Key figures of the time included Ruth Brown, also known as the Queen of R&B, whose signature high-note “squeak” was later emulated by Little Richard. By the end of the 1950s, R&B laid the foundation for rock ‘n’ roll. The genre names were simply designations used by the commercial music industry to describe how the music was marketed to black vs white audiences. Social and cultural changes were occurring that set the stage for the coalescence of civil rights activism and its influence on music as the ultimate expression of a belief in American freedom.

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME.

The 1960s was a time of great turbulence and change. The Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed during the 1960s and there was an emphasized pride in Black heritage. With the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, major uprisings, and the Vietnam War, music reflected the country’s anxiety around social and political issues that were raging across the nation. Soul combined elements of blues and gospel with a driving bass line and percussive energy. The undeniable Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, took soul to a new level and inspired generations of singers who came after her. In addition to being one of the best-selling artists of all time, she was deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement and her voice helped the nation through troubling times. Music continued to evolve through the 1960s and funk originated with James Brown’s development of a signature groove that emphasized the downbeat and focused on the strong rhythmic groove of the bassline. George Clinton and his Parliament-Funkadelic collective developed an influential and eclectic form of funk in the 70s that drew on science fiction, outlandish fashion, and psychedelia. Along with James Brown and Sly Stone, Clinton is known as one of the foremost innovators of funk music and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and in 2019 received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. We recognize that Black musicians offer snapshots of the times and soul and funk captured defining moments of American society and the energy and hopefulness of that era. In the 21st century Blues music continues to evolve and inform the sound of modern music. The Blues has become the basis for nearly every form of American popular music over the past 100 years: jazz, R&B, rock, and hip-hop.

THESE ARE THE BREAKS.

In the late 70s and early 80s, young African Americans living in New York were developing another new sound that combined elements of Caribbean musical techniques with the blues, R&B, soul, jazz and funk. It used turntables and mixing board sets and took them to the streets for block parties and street jams. The new sound became known as rap and hip hop. Early rap was for the most part related to dancing and parties. As a new school of rappers like Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, and many others began to experiment with technology; introducing the use of drum machines, synthesizers and samplers, there also began to be a shift in the message in rap music. By the mid-1980s, not unlike the original Blues born out of everyday struggle, many rappers were focusing on the harsh realities of life in the inner cities. Out of this musical movement, street or hip-hop fashion was also birthed. It included a mix of athletic wear made up of brands like Adidas, Puma and Kangal. which later paved the way for brands from rapper-turned-designers like Sean John launched by Sean “P-Diddy” Combs in 1998 and Rocawear which launched a year later by Jay Z. At the same time, Black culture was being defined by momentous points in modern-day history that included the Parental Advisory Warning label implementation by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985, the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, and 9/11–a date in American history that also marked the release date of Jay Z’s influential album, The Blueprint. Fast-forward to present day where the influences and samplings trace back not only to the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, but continue to draw from the early days of the Blues, and R&B as we hear in the music of Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, and many more. Music that is once again serving as the soundtrack to a revolutionary time in our country. Want more? Listen to our “Music Forward Staff Picks” companion Black Music Month Spotify playlist here.

Front Row: Back to Blues

Phebe Wickham — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:08:14 +0000

Our legacy program, Blues SchoolHouse (BSH), is an interactive, live musical presentation that traces the history of the blues from its roots in African musical traditions through its emergence as an American musical form. Currently running at House of Blues Boston thanks to the support of Music Drives Us and the Boston Cultural Council, nearly five-thousand participants discovered this past year how music can reflect social conditions, drive social change and how African and African American music and cultural traditions influence the music enjoyed today. Through a 70-minute performance, we explore how our American musical legacy is deeply interwoven with the African American experience.

Some of our biggest BSH allies are educators, such as Sarah Roberts from Sumner G. Whittier School. She has been bringing her 5^th grade students for eight years now! Check out her experience:

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

– Hans Christian Andersen

My name is Sarah Roberts, I teach general music, chorus, and ukulele to students in grades K-8 at the Sumner G. Whittier School in the Everett Public Schools, where we are lucky to have strong support for the performing arts and are proud to provide students with a wide array of musical opportunities. To further enrich their musical education, my students and I have been attending the Blues SchoolHouse for over 8 years, and it has become one of our favorite annual 5th grade field trips!

The students that attend the Whittier School represent a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and ethnicities, and our school community embraces and supports many immigrant families. Often times, the effort to overcome economic disadvantages, food or shelter insecurities, and learning to speak a second (or third!) language, can be overwhelming for our students. While these struggles may be apparent during daily life in our school, the cultural pride and distinct fortitude exhibited by the students and families far overshadows the adversity. No matter their hardships and obvious differences, students find a sense of community in the performing arts. Though it might sound cliché, music is a substantial unifying force in my students’ lives – and the Blues SchoolHouse experience only strengthens their love and understanding of the power of music.

During the Blues SchoolHouse presentation, students are exposed to the history of American popular music and how music reflected the social, political and economic changes throughout time.

Beginning with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the narrator explains major events that affected the American people such as industrialization, segregation, migration, and urbanization. The program illustrates how musicians used their voices to speak up and out about social injustices like racism, sexism, and discrimination, with musical examples to match. Students immediately connect with the content of the narrative and find a strong relation to the issues presented.

From a musical perspective, the talented band further supports the story of American music by skillfully expressing the powerful sounds of the most notable musicians. Interwoven with the narration, the band breaks down the nuances of each historic genre, demonstrating how a single musical element can differentiate one style from another. Though some musical examples were more familiar to students than others, all of the music engaged their ears and imaginations and truly brought history to life. The sheer fun and excitement of seeing a live band can also not be overlooked – for many students it is their first encounter with live professional musicians.

Every year, as I reflect on our trip to the Blues SchoolHouse, I am always reminded of the often (mis)quoted Hans Christian Andersen, “where words fail, music speaks.” On the surface level, students leave having had an exciting experience and with a stronger understanding of musical characteristics and the history of American popular music. However, students also gain a more profound insight into the universal human experience and how music can provide a voice where words alone are not enough. Perhaps I’m indulging too far into my own agenda, but for students like mine, it is often the education of the soul that is most important, as it is music that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers to connect us to one another and allow the otherwise voiceless to be heard.

Our program in Boston would not be possible without the vital support from Music Drives Us, ensuring that all students from Boston Public Schools and other Title 1 neighboring schools can participate for free!

Get Involved:

We are excited to continue making Blues SchoolHouse accessible to thousands of students in the new year. To learn more about Blues SchoolHouse, our 2020 plans and how you can become involved please contact Cinnamon Muhlbauer at cinnamon@musicforwardfoundation.org.