Blues is the Backbone 

Blues is the Backbone, is a music education program for students in grades K-3 in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). This arts education program provides a blues music curriculum for students through an 8-day residency program.

Through the exploration of blues music, students will develop music theory skills, including learning the musical alphabet, recognizing music theory vocabulary, exploring the linear arrangement of the scales and intervals; work with the elements of music, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo and meter; improve literacy skills, and learn about the history and legacy of blues music.

Within the Blues is the Backbone curriculum, students will engage in social and emotional learning, the process of actively managing, understanding, and empathizing with emotions and social patterns. 

The history of blues music will be explored through the lives of famous blues musicians, in order for students to gain a historical perspective on the musicians they are learning about.