Approximately 12,500 Montgomery County Public Schools fifth-grade students will head to the Music Center at Strathmore next week as Strathmore and MCPS celebrate the 10th anniversary of their original The Blues concert program.
Performances will run from October 20 through October 23, bringing fifth graders from across the school district to Strathmore for an interactive exploration of blues music, its history, and its influence on genres including R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, and country. The current version of the program launched in 2016, when Strathmore and MCPS worked together to create an original production aligned with the fifth-grade music curriculum. The production was developed in collaboration with music education leadership, the Library of Congress, and nationally known blues and boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis.
The Blues combines live performances with video and concepts students have studied in the classroom, including the 12-bar blues progression, historic lyric forms, and the cultural roots of the genre. The experience concludes with thousands of students singing “Singin’ the Blues” along with the band. “When this program was reinvented 10 years ago, I was right there in the classroom working with students,” said Ashley D. Graham, coordinator of choral and general music at MCPS. “In my current role I get to be a bigger part of making these concerts possible, and I treasure seeing our music curriculum come alive on the stage at Strathmore.”
The program is part of Strathmore’s Bloom Arts Access Initiative, which provides fully funded experiences and transportation to remove financial and logistical barriers and allow fifth-grade students throughout MCPS to participate. For many students, the visit will also mark a return to the Music Center at Strathmore. MCPS second graders attend concerts at the venue with the National Philharmonic as part of a companion program, creating an arts experience for students at multiple points during elementary school.
This year’s Strathmore Blues Band includes several Strathmore Artists in Residence alumni and regional musicians, with Mark Meadows serving as pianist, bandleader, and narrator. Meadows and Rochelle Rice, now Strathmore’s Director of Artists in Residence and Artistic Advancement Fellowship Programs, were members of the original 2016 cast. “When we created this production, our goal was to honor the rich history of the blues in our country and enhance student learning by aligning directly with the MCPS curriculum,” said Lauren Campbell, Strathmore’s vice president of education and community engagement. “Reaching this decade milestone is proof that vision works.”
