A guide to classroom activities exploring arguments about what blues music is "authentic"
Whose BluesSome artists, educators and others caution that the "voice" of the blues has been subject to the same exploitation as those who originated it. Teachers can enrich the BITS experience by having students research the influence of traditional African American blues on White commercial music and explore diverse opinions about what makes blues "authentic" -- a mastery of the musical form, an experience of hardship and loss, or a personal connection to the music's historical and cultural roots? As a prompt, use the following poem written by Langston Hughes in response to George Gershwin's 1935 "folk opera" Porgy and Bess:
You've Taken My Blues and Gone
You've taken my blues and you've gone
You mix 'em up on Broadway
and fix 'em up in operas
so they don't sound like me
Yep, ya done taken my blues and gone.
But someday, someone's gonna stand up for me
and sing about me and write about me
Black and beautiful
It'll be me, I reckon.
Yep, it'll be me.
For further research and discussion:
1. With its roots in West African music, what gives the blues its uniquely African American character?
2. Research and report on the socioeconomic class issues that shaped both the art of the blues and the changing composition of its audience.
3. Find five people of various races and ages who have heard the blues. Interview them, asking such questions as: What is your definition of blues music? What do you know about its history and major artists? Do you like the blues, and why or why not? As a class, compile and analyze the responses. What patterns do you find? Were the answers predictable or surprising, and how?
4. Identify and share with your classmates examples of music from the following genres that show the influence of the blues: country, gospel, rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, jazz.