Fruteland Jackson – Blues 101
Self Released
DVD/three lessons and supplementary materials
Fruteland Jackson is an iconic blues music educator that has toured he world educating youth around America and the world about the blues. He has created three video lessons for this DVD, each focusing on different school levels of students. Elementary, Middle and High School programs are included and his website allows the teacher or user to access supplemental material. The programs are abut 33 to 41 minutes in length and are superb video lessons for students that teacher can use to help their students begin to learn about the blues.
Fruteland gives age-appropriate lessons on the history of the blues and plays and sings in each lesson. Supplementary materials are included and are varied. One describes his residency program for various age groups of students. A second is an activity book with various interesting activities for students to work on and have fun. Another features blues poetry that Jackson has written. Another is a history of BITS in Chicago and the benefits of those programs to schools and society.
Over thirty years of Fruteland’s Blues In The Schools (BITS) experience is summed up and presented in this DVD series and supplementary materials. I have personally been involved with Fruteland Jackson’s BITS programs over the years and they are fantastic. He has done 22 programs for Crossroads Blues Society where I have worked with him, educating students in 15 different schools in 7 different school systems and in a private school. Over 6,000 students from Elementary to High School have learned about the blues in those programs Crossroads has done with Jackson. These videos take that information that he presented and serves it up in a simple and easy format.
These videos provide a means to give every music professional in schools to begin their own blue education journeys. The video presentations can serve as a great introduction to blues music education for teachers that they can then build upon, or even get artists like Fruteland to come to their schools and work with their students. I most strongly urge that all school music teacher get a copy and use these videos and materials to teach their students about the blues and their impact on American life and music. Fruteland Jackson is a superb educator and entertainer and deserves a lot of credit for developing this series and materials!
