B.B. King and Muddy Waters are two of the most famous blues performers of all time. In this music lesson, middle schoolers study the early careers and lasting musical contributions of both artists, each of whom carried the blues on to...

Oh I love the blues! Here is a wonderful four page reading passage that focuses on the Delta Blues. It covers topics such as, the music's cultural influences, origin, form, terminology, and significance. A great way to integrate...

Upper graders listen to the blues. They discuss blues scale, read a description of the blues, and work together to write an original piece. A lesson like this ties into American history and African-American musical contributions very...

Take a quick tour through the history of Blues. Elementary learners will find this presentation easy to understand and full of interesting information. There are web links that direct viewers to additional information but none that...

Students take a virtual field trip to Memphis, Tennessee in their study of the blues, its characterisitics, founding fathers, and histororical influence on modern music. They compose blues lyrics that reflect present-day attitudes and...

Watching Great Performances’ Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago launches an investigation into and discussion of how the electric guitar and guitarists have changed the sound of the blues over time. An engaging way to...

Students explore the connections between Langson Hughes and blues music. In this African American culture lesson, students compare and contrast blues music with poetry and short stories by Langston Hughes.

In this music history worksheet, students will read 4 paragraphs about the history of Blues. Then students will answer six questions using complete sentences.

High schoolers examine blues music. In this music genres instructional activity, students discover details about the history of the musical genre and compositional techniques. High schoolers then compose melodies of their own with 12-bar...

In this playing the 12 bar blues music worksheet, students follow 4 steps outlined to introduce the 12 bar blues to them and then respond to 3 short answer questions.

In this blues music worksheet, students read a brief description of this genre of music and then respond to 6 short answer questions regarding the information presented in this worksheet.

Middle schoolers identify the musical form of the 12-bar blues. They identify a problem from the "Farming in the 1940's" section and compose a 12-bar blues song. make comparisons between problems of the 1940's and today.

Pupils describe some of the distinguishing characteristics of blues music. They compare and analyze two versions of the same 12-bar blues song. They read and identify notation symbols for rhythm and tempo.

Students explore the blues as a musical form. They view the video, "All Day and Night: Memories of Beale Street Musicians." They discuss the relationships of African-Americans in Memphis, Tennessee and the musicians reflected in the...

Students complete a graphic organizer reviewing Barb Hoffman's prior lesson," Slave Songs (1840-1876)" as well as listen to and discuss Delta Blues music samples. Students research one Delta Blues singer and write a "color coded"...

Second graders improvise a Blues melody choosing from these notes, G, Bb, B, D, or E, using xylophones and/or block flutes. They work in groups of three to improvise their own verse and share with the class.