This Lesson's Title:

Singing
the Blues...

...isn't the same
as having the blues

This lesson was created by Nevada teacher Maribeth Burt while attending the NNWP's
I-Pod's Across the Curriculum Workshop.

This writing prompt inspired by

several selections from Ken Burns' Jazz.

Click here to do a Google search for this CD.

Teacher Instructions & Lesson Resources :

Pre-step…before sharing the music: Ask your students to tell what they know about Jazz Music. Ask them if they can name different types of Jazz. (Swing, Be-Bop, Blues, Fusion). Ask the class if they know where Jazz Music was born. (New Orleans). Let them know that Jazz is considered to be the only indigenous American musical form.

Ask if anyone knows what it means to have “the blues”. Let a few students share experiences.

If you have time, you might share the picture book Yesterday I Had the Blues by Jeron Ashford Frame. Discuss the language and voice of the book, for it might just inspire style in your students' own blues lyrics.

Step one…sharing the music:   If you have access, consider playing film clips from Ken Burns’ Jazz DVD. It's a wonderful, visual resource for learning about jazz and the blues.

For sure, play several or all of these suggested blues songs for your students on your classroom I-Pod: “Heartbreak Hotel”, “God Bless the Child”, “Mustang Sally”, or “I Got You (I Feel Good)”. Listen to the song samples carefully.

Try to get the students to hear the tonality of the blues, which is based on a formula for writing a blues chord progression.

If you use Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” or James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good),” you will notice a similar tonality, even though the subject matter is totally different!

Then play music the Jamey Aebersold jazz CD to give the students a chance to hear the blues chord changes. Says Maribeth, "I like track 3 on that cd - Fm blues." If you're brave, show your students a “freestyle” improvisation by putting one cupped hand close to your ear and the other hand in front of your mouth. Hum or sing (with original teacher-made lyrics) along with that music. Show students that blues is about having a passion to perform a composition. Original blues lyrics should need no introduction; the lyrics should speak for themselves.

Step two…introducing student models of writing:  To give them an idea of the writing assignment at hand, in small groups, have your students read and respond to any or all of the student models that come with this lesson.  The groups should certainly talk about the voice and the idea development, since these are the focus of the lesson.

• Because this is a new lesson at WritingFix, we're looking for student samples for all grade levels for this prompt!  Help us get some, and we'll send you a free resource for your classroom!  Contact us at publish@writingfix.com for details.

Step three…thinking and pre-writing:  Instruct your students that, based on the jazz study they’ve just experienced, they will be composing their own blues song that can be performed.

Students will follow the standard format for popular song writing: A-B-A-C-A-B (or verse (A), chorus (B), verse (A), bridge (C), verse (A) chorus (B). The verses should deal with different details on the subject (4 lines each) and the chorus is a unifying verse that is repeated once (also 4 lines). The bridge is usually only 2 lines long, and actually “bridges” the verse to the chorus. It can be a “sidebar” commentary or a more in-depth look at the subject matter.

Here is a graphic organizer to help students draft their blues lyrics. (Coming soon!)

To inspire some critical thought, have the students play the interactive button game on the student instructions page. There, they will find concept words and emotive phrases to get the creative juices flowing.

Tell students they will be writing lyrics that can be sung along with one of the tracks from the Jamey Aebersold jazz CD.

Step four (revising with specific trait language):   To promote response and revision to students' first drafts, attach WritingFix's Revision and Response Post-Its to your students' drafts.  Make sure the students rank their use of the trait-specific skills on the Post-Its, which means they'll only have one "1" and one "5."   Have them commit to ideas for revision based on their Post-It rankings.  For more ideas on WritingFix's Revision & Response Post-Its, click here.

• Sheet of 6 Voice Post-It Notes
• Sheet of 6 Idea Development Post-It Notes

Step five (editing for conventions):  After students apply their revision ideas to their drafts and re-write neatly, require them to find an editor.   If you've established a "Community of Editors" among your students, have each student exchange his/her paper with multiple peers.  With yellow high-lighters in hand, each peer reads for and highlights suspected errors for just one item from the Editing Post-it.  The "Community of Editors" idea is just one of dozens and dozens of inspiring ideas that is talked about in detail in the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Workbook for Teachers.

Step six (publishing out loud and on-line):   If your students had fun doing this writing, they will enjoy sharing their original lyrics whole-class or in small groups. The beauty of the Jamey Aebersold CD is that it can be played in the background while students sing their lyrics.

Interested in publishing student work on-line?  We invite student writers to post final drafts of their original at WritingFix's Community of Student Writers.  This is a safe-to-use blog for students and teachers. No writing is posted until it is approved by the moderator. Contact us at publish@writingfix.com if you have questions about getting your students published.

Learn more about jazz and the blues
by clicking here!