Blues Writing Workshop
[50-75 minutes]
A group activity writing workshop that aims at completing a finished Blues song at the end of the activity period (50-75 minutes). This is an inclusive brainstorming activity that solicits participation throughout the process that has been proven successful and useful for a wide variety of students from third grade through high school.
The introduction includes live performance of a small selection of blues pieces; a class driven definition of what it means “to have the Blues”; the Elizabethan background of the expression; a list of things that give the participants the Blues---topics have included everything from homework and cafeteria food to teen suicide---and then a topic for the class Blues is selected through a quick series of votes.
Once the topic has been selected, then we review the verse structure of Blues lyrics and the traditional poetic qualities in West African languages. Then we launch into the writing process looking for images that convey the meaning and feelings of the song. We edit throughout the process and aim for three or four strong verses. Once we get two, we stop and sing them with a straight forward 12-bar Blues setting to see how they fit. At the close of the writing process, we try a ragtime Blues setting, and a minor Memphis Blues setting and decide which we like best, again by voting if need be.
The finished song in its chosen musical setting is then sung with the group and a master copy of the finished lyrics is made by a student volunteer. The final version can be taped. Students often go on to find that the lyrics also can be fit into a rap formula, or into country or rock settings as well.