In teaching a general music course over the past two years at the high school level, it has been my experience that each student learns to identify his or her personal connection to American culture by seeing a direct link from the popular and contemporary musical forms (which students enjoy hearing today) to “The Blues” and the culture that created this uniquely American musical form.
The rhythms heard today in “Rap”, “House”, “Rock and Roll”, and “Hip Hop” music today can be traced back to West African Music that came to America by way of slave ships.
The first slave ship which landed at Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 is also the same year that Johannes Kepler wrote Harmonices Mundi {Harmony Of The World}. There is a hint of historical irony, given the gravity of both events and their impact on our American culture today. Kepler’s exploration of music theory lead him to profound scientific insights which would help shape our present American teleologies while the blues musical form and expression was born of the attempt to enslave a people, to bring them down.
The development of the Blues was the creative force that would provide an escape velocity from a world of hate and oppression. This blues created freedom would become a driving force of a culture and a star among art forms that now are enjoyed universally.
Objectives
I would like “A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues” to utilize the study of literature, philosophy, visual arts, science, history, and the language of musical expression in conjunction with my music classes in the following ways:
