Date: Fri 14-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-blues-middle

Full Text:

Sixth Graders Sing The Blues

Singing a blues song written by Sherry Williamson's social studies class are,

from left, Melissa Heil, Rachel Stern, Christina Klanica and Ashley Welch.

They are accompanied by Sandy Hook musician, Jordan Jancz, center, and class

percussionists, Bob Olah and David Kean (far right). Mark Boland (sitting)

claps on the offbeat.

-Bee Photo, Evans

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Exactly what, you might ask, could middle school students living in Newtown at

the end of the 20th century possibly know about the struggle for a better life

among southern African-American sharecroppers during the 1940s?

Not very much, it would seem.

But the sixth graders in Sherry Williamson's social studies classes recently

learned they weren't too young to understand the plight of those long-ago

people and not too young to empathize with them.

As part of Black History Month, Mrs Williamson and her students viewed a

documentary video about southern plantation life that portrayed rural blacks

laboring in the cotton fields.

In the film, many of the blacks decided to leave for Chicago in search of the

"Promised Land" where there would be jobs and a better life for their

families. The train ride north was a journey filled with hope, but the reality

in Chicago was far from what they'd been led to expect.

Chicago during the 1940s was anything but the Promised Land for an immigrating

African-American. The streets weren't paved with gold, and the jobs weren't

waiting.

"They had nothing, so they went searching for a better life," but they found

despair at the end of their journey, Mrs Williamson said.

"Singing the blues," she said, was one way for African-Americans to express

their "unvoiced longings" and tell the story of their people, passing it on to

the next generation.

After Mrs Williamson's students had seen the video and read more about that

era in history, they decided to write their own blues songs as though they

were living in that time.

They also invited a Sandy Hook musician, Jordan Jancz, to visit the classes

Tuesday, March 4, to give them a brief demonstration of what he called "blues

basics."

Mr Jancz strummed his bass fiddle while singing the trademark 1-4-5 blues

chord progression. Then he helped the students put their original blues songs

to music.

"Call and response... and clap on the offbeat," Mr Jancz said, getting them

warmed up.

.

The sun's on my back,

we live in a shack.

The fields are all muddy,

and my hands are all bloody.

I'm feelin' mad,

'cause my life is so bad.

When I get to Chicago,

I'll feel real glad.

Goin' to miss my honey,

But gonna make some money.

I hopped on the train,

Gonna leave this shame.

"I like this piece you wrote. A lot of feelings are embodied in this!" Mr

Jancz said as he invited several students up to lead the singing.

"Don't be shy. You never are!" Mrs Williamson urged them forward.

They got into the rhythm, clapped their hands and sang all 14 verses just as

though they meant every word.