Mission Statement: Our Blues In The Schools program provides special opportunities to educate youth in the Sacramento area in order to teach the historical significance of the Blues and its on going impact on American and World culture.

Goal: The Blues In The Schools program strives to bring musicians, educators, storytellers, and other performers together to assist each other in teaching students about Blues music and its culture.

Cynthia Jaynes, Chair, Blues In The Schools Committee, bits@sacblues.com

Blues in the Schools
May 2010

By Cynthia Jaynes, BITS Chair

The Paul Oscher Benefit, held at Swabbies on May 7, 2010, was a success on many levels. It was a beautiful spring evening on the river and the air was alive with excitement for many people - for many different reasons. Young musicians were there to connect with their Blues mentors and heroes, and show each other their mad blues skills. Older Blues fans were there to see Paul Oscher, remembering when he played the Sound Factory with Muddy Waters back in the late 60's. Families were there to support their young musicians and experience the joy and excitement of watching their kids perform onstage. Our local Blues Pros came to share their love of the music and help pass it down to the new generation, which is a beautiful thing to see! The Sacramento Blues Society Board of Directors members were there to party down, of course - and honor and commemorate Mick Martin for his dedication and contribution to the Blues In The Schools program. Aside from all the groovy connections and fabulous music, we even made a bit of cash! Thanks to Liz Walker, Dave Alcock, Faytha Coble, the SBS Board of Directors, and everyone who came out to support BITS.

We're about to close out the 09/10 school year with a few more performances in Yolo and Sacramento area schools. Presentations have been given for the Sacramento County Office of Education Court and Community Schools program and the songwriting contest was completed. The winning songs will be put to music and performed before the Sacramento County Board of Education on Friday, June 4, 2010. The after school guitar and bass lessons have ended for the year and I must give a shout out to our BITS teachers, Jimmy Pailer, Lew Fratis and Joe Lev. The kids are becoming strong blues players and really appreciate the time and attention you've given them. I also want to acknowledge and thank the two Sacramento school district music teachers who have championed our program at their school sites and have been constant supporters of our young musicians, Steve Boettner of Rosemont High and John Ousley of West Campus have been wonderful partners with the Sacramento Blues Society and truly care about the BITS program.

*****************DO YOU KNOW OF AN ALL-AGES BLUES JAM?******************

Blues In The Schools has been going strong for the past six years and there are more and more young Blues players - all looking for places to play. We are getting frequent requests for a list of all-ages jams and music venues open to those under 21 years old. The BITS Committee would like to know of any and all places for young musicians to practice, play and enjoy music. If you know of a venue or facility that welcomes our young talent, please let us know via bits@sacblues.com or by calling Cynthia at 916-202-5075. We plan to post this list on the sacblues.com website so anyone can find and support those that support our youth!

HOW CAN I GET BITS TO COME TO MY SCHOOL????
by Cynthia Jaynes, BITS Chair

Is the most frequently asked question I get so I thought it would be a good idea to just go ahead and let you in on how that all works.

It all pretty much depends on the teacher, the type of school and, of course, the administration. A mainstream public school, where we hold most of our presentations, is probably the hardest to get in to. We must have approval by school (and usually the District), arrange for payment to SBS ($400 for a school-wide assembly), work out sound & stage logistics and schedule the date & time.

If you would like a lecture/concert for just a classroom or two, the teacher(s) will have to set that up. They will need to deal with the school site policies of having guests in their classroom. The classroom presentations are usually performed acoustically with no more than 3 musicians. Depending on the type of school or class, these may be offered free or at very low-cost to the school.

Alternative schools such as Performing Arts Schools, Continuation, or County Schools seem to be much easier to arrange. There is less red tape to cut through, the schools are more autonomous than main stream schools, and the process goes fairly quickly. The fee for these types of schools is worked out case by case.

The key to getting BITS in your school is to find a teacher to champion the cause. Teachers are key - we can't do this without them and when the teacher is enthused about the Blues the sessions are just amazing.

So, if you would like to have BITS come to your school, please contact us via this website (www.sacblues.com) or call 916.202.5075 or drop me a line at bits@sacblues.com.

Blues and Schools come together as Mick Martin and members of the Sacramento Blues Society speak about the roots and evolution of music.
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