Ernie Hawkins - acoustic blues guitar, Piedmont Blues, instructional videos, CD's,

Blues music is a powerful window into our history as Americans. It carries within it the foundation of every major American musical form, including jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip-hop, and soul – it truly is the foundation of American popular music.

But the blues go far beyond their role in American music. This music offers a lens through which to view the history of America, from the rural music that captures the suffering, anguish and hopes of those enduring so many years as slaves and tenant farmers, through the nation’s urbanization and industrialization, and our struggles with justice and equality in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The blues can be a window into this rich and challenging history. The music of Ernie Hawkins brings to schools the opportunity to experience first hand the artifacts of that history, through music that will appeal to a wide range of student learning styles, allowing academic study to be both rigorous and exciting.

Ernie Hawkins represents the best of the blues tradition. He brings a rare opportunity for students to experience the expressions of American history first hand. In his music, we feel the life and breath of those Americans who have gone before, the hard lessons learned, and the challenges we still face.

Specific connections to national educational standards run throughout Ernie’s work. Schools may choose to focus on some of the following questions for student inquiry. Connections to national education standards are noted with each, with the actual National Standards listed below:

Concepts and topics connecting Ernie Hawkins performances and residencies to school interdisciplinary study:

· American history since the Civil War, including Jim Crow, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement. Analyze the political and social issues in the African American struggle for equality, using blues music as primary artifacts. (National Council for the Social Studies Standards #s I, II, V, VI, X)

· Songs as poetry, poetic devices used in blues music, and prominent themes in blues lyrics. (National Standards for the English Language Arts #s 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9)

· Rhythms and cultural importance of African drumming, following the threads of African traditions through blues music and other genres of American popular music. (National Music Standards, #s 2, 6, and 9)

· Industrialization and mass communication, and how these issues played out in the Great Migration. (National Council for the Social Studies Standards #s II, III, V, VII, and VIII)

· African American oral traditions, roots and legacy, modern day oral traditions, and connections to Africa and blues music. Blues as a form of folklore, including the language imagery and function. (National Standards for the English Language Arts #s 1, 2, and 9; National Council for the Social Studies Standards #s I, II, III, and V))

· The blue scale, chord progressions used in blues music (National Music Standards, #s 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

· Women in blues: issues of societal roles and gender equity (National Social Studies Standards #s II, IV, V, and X)

· Cultural protest as it played out in the Jim Crow era; respect and disrespect (National Standards for the English Language Arts #s 1, 2, 6, and 9)

· Crossroads literature, and the theme and concept of crossroads in literature and blues music; decisions made at personal and historical crossroads. (National Standards for the English language Arts #s 1, 2, and 9)

· Blues song form, and places this form shows up in other musical genres, cultures, and historical periods (National Music Standards #s 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9)

I. Culture: Experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity

II. Time Continuity and Change: Experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.

III. People, Places and Environments: Experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments

V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions: Experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups and institutions..

VI. Power, Authority and Governance: Experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority and governance.

VII. Production, Distribution and Consumption: Experiences that provide for the study of how people organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Experiences that provide for the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts

English Language Arts: National Council of Teachers of English National Standards

2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts.

6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critiques, and discuss print and non-print texts.

8. Students use a variety of technological information resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions and social roles.

I Culture: Experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity

II Time Continuity and Change: Experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.

III. People, Places and Environments: Experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments

IV Individual Development and Identity: Experiences that provide for the study of individual development and identity

V Individuals, Groups and Institutions: Experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups and institutions.

VIII Science, Technology and Society: Experiences that provide for the study of relationships among science, technology and society

2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varies repertoire of music

English Language Arts: National Council of Teachers of English National Standards

1.Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information, to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.

2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

6.Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critiques, and discuss print and non-print texts.

9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions and social roles.