How the blues can save our at-risk children

The blues in the schools program helps students with learning, confidence and give them a positive focus for life and self expression.

WHAT BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS IS:

The most effective BITS programs utilize a classroom curriculum that affects many students and disciplines. A comprehensive curriculum of one week to a month in length can address the main educational issues of the next century, inter discipline and diversity.

HOW CAN BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS FIT VARIOUS SUBJECTS?

The Blues Foundation - Blues in the schools program

Subjects like Music, Art, English, and Social Studies are natural fits, while creative teachers can individually figure ways to tie Math, Science and Tech Ed to a BITS unit.

Just a simple activity like designing a CD package enlists Art, English, and Music disciplines. When students plan out the touring itinerary for a band, they will utilize Math, Geography, and Language Arts skills in their planning of a month on the road.

At the high school level, the in-depth study of the sharecropping system in the Mississippi Delta combines English, Social Studies, and Music to deliver a very crucial understanding of the relationship between these social and cultural factors in the birth of the blues.

WHAT TYPES OF BLUES MUSIC PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE?

In reality, there is no cohesive, nationally directed BITS initiative that is an established program for schools grades K-12. It is more decentralized and individualized. The Blues Foundation can help you find someone to help you get started with what is right for your educational discipline, you local school district and your intended age group.

The Blues Foundation provides some direction to its affiliated Blues societies, and organizations like the House of Blues, the Seattle Experience Music Project and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have designed curriculum units and lesson plans that are ready to be plugged into any grade or discipline.

For example, Experience Music Project, in association with The Blues Foundation, has produced extensive educational materials to support The Blues series. Central to these materials are blues lesson plans for grades 9 – 12 in the social studies, English and music disciplines. Lesson topics include the blues in history, using the blues to study geography, racial and gender issues in the blues, the blues as poetry, identifying the blues in literature, the blues beat, making blues music, and the impact of the blues. These lesson plans are designed to make the blues accessible to teachers regardless of their level of blues expertise.

These lesson plans are now available to educators in The Blues Teacher’s Guide, which was distributed in 2003 to 25,000 social studies, English and music department chairpersons across the country. The guide includes a compact disc comprising the seminal blues songs referenced in the lesson activities, essays on the history of the blues and blues musicology, and a blues bibliography, discography, and glossary.

A downloadable version of the Blues Teacher’s Guide, including song samples from the accompanying CD, can now be found here.

The programs performers offer are the following:

1. A one hour school assembly
2. An all day workshop that either moves from class to class or remains in the same classroom all day.
3. Artist in Residency programs that last from a week to a full month. These usually culminate in an evening performance or performance at a funding festival.

WHERE DO I LOOK TO FUND THESE PROGRAMS?

Funding such workshops requires a creative search of all the monetary options available.

• Teachers can apply for local Arts Council grants.
• There is also PTA money available at every school for the enrichment of the school. School Improvement Councils put money aside for assembly programs and could be approached, especially during Black History month, to fund a school wide program.
• A local blues society or blues festival could help underwrite the cost.
• More costly Artist in Residency programs might need the corporate sponsorship of a local business.
• An evening concert in the community by the performer can perhaps be tied into grant money. Thus a small grant can be augmented by a full house show at night.

CAN BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS WORK?

Remember how influential music is in the lives of children. At a time when there are budgetary cuts of arts programs across the country, Blues in the Schools can reach students in a way few other curriculums can.

Clarkston Festival and Blues Concert Sponsors

We are privileged to work with some amazing businesses as festival sponsors.  We appreciate your patronage and support here in Clarkston Ga. and look froward to seeing you in September.

Comcast is now Xfinity

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MLT creative
The MOST fabulous Advertising agency you will EVER work with!

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DeKalb Medical Center

Waste Management

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State Farm

FRIENDS of the Festival

Hohner Harmonicas

Atlanta Institute for Medical Research, Inc.

Matt Maxwell

Nicole Muslanka

What is the Clarkston Health Collaborative?

The Clarkston Health Collaborative is a forum for interested community members to network and discuss issues such as housing, transportation, police relations, medical availability, race relations, cultural issues etc.

The Clarkston Health Collaborative (CHC) is a community-based entity comprised of private citizens, business owners, agencies in Clarkston, healthcare providers, and representatives from the DeKalb Board of Health and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

It’s all about connecting and communication

Clarkston Health Collaborative

The CHC catalyzes communication and promotes joint work throughout the Clarkston Community. It was formed in an effort to break down barriers that prevent the community from reaching its full potential. The health collaborative seeks to identify initiatives and prepare specific action plans to carry out those initiatives. Through the collaborative, the people of Clarkston and the agencies working with them are creating new associations and attempting to change systems and institutions that support the development of a healthy community.

The mission of the Clarkston Health Collaborative is to establish a platform for community development in order to facilitate meaningful dialogue among diverse individuals and groups so that they may effectively pursue their interests and talents in creating the conditions that foster healthy people in healthy communities. The Clarkston we envision is a vibrant sustainable community where empowered people reach their full potential for health and well being.

Join us

The collaborative meets every fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Clarkston Community Center. All are welcome!

The Clarkston Health Collaborative, facilitated by the DCBOH has addressed community issues such as housing conditions, public safety and health care. You can find them on facebook too.

Support Our Soldiers day Celebration

On Sat. Sept. 25, Veterans & Community Outreach Foundation of Clarkston, will be joining the City of Clarkston GA. @ the Clarkston City International Festival and Blues Concert In a world-wide celebration and special fundraiser event to be held in Milam Park for our veterans in need.

We join this campaign as part of an ongoing national effort to Support and provide help for our Veterans now.

“Support Our Soldiers” SOS Day celebration and we need your help.

It will be a day to raise visibility and raise funds for our local Veteran Services Programs – a powerful new way to put the spotlight on veteran’s needs and contributions made by our hero’s during their service to our country. The VCOF is assisting the festival committee with organizing a blues concert to help raise support funds for our ongoing veteran services programs and their families, the city of Clarkston and community organizations.

For more information you can visit the national organization at www.supportoursoldiers.org

Mission Statement

To assist veterans, active duty members, & their families in various ways, including through supportive services, financial assistance, housing, life skills education, training, community outreach, and mental health services for combat and non-combat related issues. Although located in Georgia, we do our best to provide assistance to those in need wherever they live or are stationed.

The Veterans & Community Outreach Foundation

The Veterans & Community Outreach Foundation (VCOF) is a 501(c)(3) organization, that was founded in 1989 by five veterans, Rev. Victor L. Johnson still serves as its CEO to this day. For over twenty years the VCOF organization has been a vital community link for our men and women who have served in our military armed forces.

Providing support services for homeless veterans since 2000 and are now proud to announce the opening of our second Veteran Community Outreach Center in Clarkston, Georgia. A one stop veteran resource center providing support services, in the metro Atlanta area. Specializing in services for our female veteran’s, addressing their special needs, for their children and families.

Veterans & Community Outreach is supervised under the by-laws of (VCOF, Inc. of Gainesville, GA.), and assists homeless male & female veterans who are struggling, who have lost their homes and their ability to lead productive lives due to mental & physical illness, addictions, and/or other issues regain their independence and lives through transitional living, a multi tiered program, and collaboration with government agencies, veteran service organizations, & the community.

Volunteers appreciated – and much needed!

You will get a reply email and you MUST click on the confirmation link to join the list.

Beautiful town - great neighborhoods!

Whats so special about Clarkston?

Clarkston is the most culturally diverse city in Georgia. We have people form over 60 countries living here and they speak over 100 languages. Our goal is to showcase Clarkstons unique and rich cultural experience with a 2 day festival celebrating Music , art and food.

We hope our event will create a special diverse, cultural celebration that allows everyone to experience the richness of the many cultures living in the Clarkston Community – all of whom are respected voices in the community.  Some have been associated with Clarkston for as long as twenty years. A small town in Georgia becomes an international hub.

Longtime residents make a stable and safe community. Clarkston is fortunate to have many long time residents who have made Clarkston their home for 40 -50 years or more. These are the folks that have supported and built Clarkston for decades and we want to celebrate them too. Blending these groups can be a challenge but we are committed to creating a strong and healthy city for all it’s residents. The festival is just one step in making this goal come true.

With your help we can make  this the annual premier international music, art and food festival in the Atlanta Metro area for years to come.

A small town with an International Flavor and Cultural Diversity

During this two day event, we intend to put the diversity spotlight on our city culture. This shining light will show off our American, multi-cultural, ethnic and artisan community residents. It will be an all inclusive community festival anchored by over 60 different cultural groups and the city nonprofits – many who serve refugees from all over the world. The festival will continue to shine a light on the City of Clarkston after the event.

RR through town shows Clarkstons history

As we grow as a community and a family, we want to attract new business and create new opportunities of growth for the citizens and businesses of Clarkston. During this two day celebration we will be able to highlight, the benefits our city and what the community has to offer people who might interested in living, shopping or investing here.

Making our city better

We recycle our donated funds to help combat the alarming school dropout rate, crime, teen pregnancy, health disparities, and veteran’s health issues and their families concerns and problems. With a special emphasis placed on our wounded and disabled female veterans with children and the Blues in the Schools program.

This Celebration lasts 2 days!

This exciting 2 day event will feature the very best in local and world-wide international music including many of the represented cultures and internationally recognized blues artists, salsa bands, Indian Bollywood music, drum circles, dance and other visual artistry to name a few. Not only are we hosting a

Small town with an international popuation!

premier Blues concert – we are bringing talent from around the world to our stage in Clarkston!

The international market area will feature arts and crafts, including baked goods, a premier art show featuring over 50 fine artists, plants, flowers, fun children’s activities and live music to entertain the attendees! Plus a Gospel extravaganza on Sunday and international entertainment both days!

Special to the show will be an international “Sip of Clarkston” featuring the many dozens of resident’s favorite soda, juices, teas etc. for sale in our businesses and an exhilarating Drum Circle.

We are Proud of Clarkston – Want to know why?

Clarkston has many things to be proud of. Friendship Forest, an accredited Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, the 10-acre Forty Oaks nature preserve complete with walking trails that wind through its shady hardwood forest, Positive Growth Boys Home, an award winning, and state of the art program that gives troubled boys a chance to turn their lives around are a few among many of our wonderful assets.

Beautiful town - great neighborhoods!

The 50-mile Bike Path also runs right through the center of the City, linking us with Downtown Atlanta and Stone Mountain Park. These are just a few of the great things that our “small town with a big heart” has to offer.

Give us 2 days and we’ll show you why we love Clarkston and you will too!