Ottawa (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The RBC Bluesfest organization will launch the 15th edition of their award-winning Blues in the Schools program on Monday, February 24. The two-week residency program will bring approximately 30 professional artists/educators to 24 area schools this year, will run through to Thursday, March 6.
The nine-day programs features a variety of musicians who will visit two different schools per day over the course of the first three days of the program, performing assembly-style presentations. The program will also include classroom sized core groups with a more traditional workshop approach. ese sessions include a look at the heritage of blues music, while examining its influence on other genres. Song writing, singing, and exploring various instruments is also involved. The workshop phase culminates with students performing for their families, teachers and peers. Ultimately these students are offered an opportunity to perform at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa, during the festival's Blues in the Schools day in July.
Initiated in two Ottawa-area schools in 1999, Blues in the Schools has seen tremendous growth. This year, visiting artists/educators and local musicians will deliver the program to thousands of students in Ottawa-area schools. "The intent of the program," says Bluesfest executive director, Mark Monahan,” is to expose students from all backgrounds to music and to encourage them to use music as a positive outlet in dealing with the world around them."
Participating Schools for 2014: Arch Street Public School, 2129 Arch Street; Churchill Alternative, 345 Ravenhill; Connaught Public School, 1149 Gladstone Avenue; Corpus Christi Catholic School, 157 Fifth Avenue; Fielding Drive Public School, 777 Fielding Drive; Fisher Park/Summit Alternative, 250 Holland Avenue; Good Shepherd Catholic School, 101 Bearbrook Road; Greely Elementary School, 7066 Parkway Road; Heritage Public School, 1375 Colonial Road; Holy Spirit Catholic School, 1383 Main Street, Stittsville; Huntley Centennial School, 118 Langstaff Drive; Maple Ridge Elementary School, 1000 Valin Street; Meadowlands Public School, 10 Fieldrow Street; Metcalfe Public School, 2701 8th Line Road; Orleans Wood, 7850 Decarie; Our Lady of Fatima, 2135 Knightsbridge Road; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 675 Gardenvale Road; Robert E. Wilson, 373 McArthur Avenue; Saint Brother Andre, 1923 Elmridge Drive; Sawmill Creek Elementary School, 3400 D'Aoust Avenue; St. Thomas Moore Catholic School, 1620 Blohm Drive; Woodroffe Avenue Public School, 235 Woodroffe Avenue; and The I Count High School, in Moricetown, British Columbia (through the Hexagon Distance Learning Project at the National Arts Centre). – Staff Writers
