In this Issue Welcome

By Curtis Blues, YA Roster Artist and Laura Groo, Southern Middle School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Curtis Blues: After bringing the history of acoustic Delta blues alive through performances in many schools over the years, I became interested in teaching students how to write a blues song. I was convinced that writing blues songs could help students become better writers and deepen their appreciation for the power of this unique musical form.

The Teaching Artist Institute (TAI) paired me with Laura Groo, a Middle School Language Arts teacher who is similarly passionate about the importance of teaching good writing skills. Partnering with her helped me turn my idea of inspiring the love of writing into a four session residency focused on exploring the historical context of the Delta Blues. The program concentrated on using figurative and sensory language to communicate powerful expressive ideas.

Laura Groo:Curtis Blues introduced me to the amazing music of Delta Blues. I'd heard of it but I really knew very little about it, and wasn't at all sure what it was about. From the first wail of his harmonica and bent note of his steel guitar-Curtis captivated me as he told the story of universal human emotions through the voice of a 1920's era Delta Bluesman.

Curtis: Laura enthusiastically took the challenge of helping me create a blues song writing program that would be rigorous and challenging for students, while meeting critical areas in the school's language arts curriculum. The goal was to create a program that helped students grasp and use figurative writing skills to stimulate a higher level of expression.

Laura: Every year I struggle with teaching students to write clearly and compellingly. I heard something powerful in the deceptively simple lyrics of the Delta Blues that I thought my students would be able to understand and access. I believe this music might just be the approach some of them need in order to understand and meaningfully use figurative language in their own writing.

Curtis:Through TAI, I was exposed to skilled teaching artists and educators that empowered me with new arts integration techniques, which tie the music I love with inspiring creativity in our students.

Laura:Being surrounded by like-minded educators, artists, and administrators was inspirational. Every afternoon I left the TAI/Building 21^st Century Schools conference both exhausted and invigorated! So many new ideas for integrating the arts, thoughtful connections between the Fine Arts and Language arts, exciting opportunities to network with other teachers and artists, and encouragement to innovate-I couldn't wait to come back again the next morning!

Curtis:The smiles on the faces of the students at the end of the three day Imagination Vacation camp as they belted out the song we wrote together over the course of our workshop said it all! We had used my art to instill an appreciation for the history of the Delta blues in the students. But just as importantly, they took a big step toward becoming better writers, capable of expressing their feelings using figurative writing skills.

Laura:I was so pleased with the progress the students made in such a short time. They progressed from very literal or cliché writing about their experiences to artful use of figurative language to express their emotions about the first day of school. I will never see another school bus without thinking about a 'large yellow twinkie' disgorging students full of mixed emotions like squeezing cream filling.' I will use the new learning I gained from this conference all year long in my 6^th grade Language Arts class, and the Delta Blues will most definitely be an art form I integrate in my curriculum as I endeavor to teach students to write in ways that powerfully express their own ideas.