At the start of today’s lesson, Stuart told the children that they would be looking at ‘Blues’ music this half term. He started playing a blues song, which was ‘Why I sing the blues’ by BB King, where after listening to it, the children had to appraise the music and talk about what they liked, disliked and could hear. Some comments included:
“I could hear drums and trumpets”
“There’s a piano playing”
“There’s an electric guitar”
“I don’t like the song because I didn’t like the lyrics”
“It’s not my type of music”
“I liked the instruments in the song and also liked the finish”
Before the children learnt more about blues music, they completed a knowledge quiz from last half term. They remembered so much!
Stuart then showed the children a PowerPoint all about blues music. The children learnt that the birth of blues came from when a lot of slave people would sing songs whilst working, how it was inspired by African rhythms and how blues music was often slow and emotional.
He then played a song by Big Joe Williams called ‘Nobody knows you when you’re down and out’ where the children focussed on the lyrics used. Stuart then told the children that they would be writing their own lyrics and using a blues structure to work from. We came up with one together which they sang with some relaxing blues music in the background, then they came up with their own lyrics in pairs.
