Blues Ed Workshop

Concentration is key...

The Blues Ed Workshop is a 6-week summer music program for young musicians ages 10-18. Each participant will be placed, through an evaluation process, in a band of fellow aspiring musicians. A professional music coach will be assigned to work with your band to create, develop and perform some of the world's greatest blues tunes.

Over the course of 6 weeks you will be required to attend weekly two-hour rehearsal sessions with your coach. In addition, there will be 2 educational clinics and 2 dress rehearsals in preparation for the final concert, which will take place on Sunday, August 3rd inside the Day Performance Theater. Your band will be joining several other bands to perform a live show onstage, complete with professional sound, lights and backline gear, in front of an audience and a panel of industry professionals (Radio DJ’s, Recording Artists, Agents, Label Executives, etc.). A Grand Prize will be given to the band that delivers the best presentation, stage delivery and overall performance. The winning band will receive a recording session in a top-notch studio to record a song of your band's choice, as well as a gig performing as the opening act for a Pro Band at a venue to be announced.

Location:  The workshop will be held at SixStringCentral ~ School of Music located at 5516 SE Foster Road – Portland, OR 97206.

Schedule: Click here to see a calendar of events and milestones for this workshop.

Student Requirements and Workshop Structure

Students do not need to know how to read music. The basis of this program is for students to have the opportunity to play with other students, learning songs, the art of improvisation, the techniques of "jamming," the methodology of rehearsal, and how to play in an ensemble setting. Students will learn to play by listening to the music, learning how to transpose, improvise, solo, and eventually chart their instrument parts.

Each student will receive a CD of the music that has been selected from an established repertory list, along with the lyrics and charts for each song. As students progress, music charts will be done by the individual students. Charting music is a skill that will be taught by the clinicians. Your private instructor may be able to assist with this process as well.

Typically the workshops support students on guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and vocals with other instrumentation being open for consideration. If no student is prepared to be the vocalist, an adult vocalist will stand in for the workshop. We will recruit student vocalists for performances. Students must provide their own instruments. We do not accept "beginning students" into the workshop programs at this time.

Participants are expected to grow and progress with their abilities both individually and within the group. This process will take individual practice time, and private lessons are strongly encouraged. Students may want to take the material to their private instructor to work on between the workshop sessions. If you need a private instructor, we will be happy to assist you in finding one.

Students are expected to listen to and study the materials provided and work on the songs ahead of time to prepare for the workshop.  Vocalists are expected to memorize the song lyrics prior to the workshop. Typically during the workshop sessions, your instructor will have the group listen to the song and then assist the students with the basic chord structure, playing their part of the song, song arrangements, vocal harmonizing, taking turns doing leads, demonstrate different styles or techniques, and suggest different ways to arrange and end a song. The end goal for each workshop is that the students will be able to play the songs together as a group.

The general minimum music ability requirements for a student to participate in the Blues Ed/Blues In The Schools programs are as follows:

Guitars

• A basic knowledge of chords and some soloing ability is necessary.
• The student should be studying with an instructor through private lessons.

Vocals

• Ability to learn and memorize lyrics prior to each session – assignments to be given in advance.

All Musicians

• Basic knowledge of their instrument, plus common chords.
• Time/desire to practice outside the workshops with time commitment to attending workshops and group practices.
• Ability to study a song by listening, and to learn the basic structure. You must come prepared to each workshop session with homework assignments completed.
• Staying organized is a big benefit (bringing your notebook, charting music, keeping track of the music/lyrics/charts). Come prepared to each workshop session with all necessary equipment.

Material to be Covered

Two songs will be covered in each weekly session – one from the "traditional" list and one from the "contemporary" list. The following week's assignments will be given at the end of each session. Each workshop will consist of:

• Warmup Review: Each session will commence with a jam of the material covered from the previous week.
• Build the Tune: Now that the student has studied the chart and listened to the recording from the previous week's homework assignment, we bring all parts together in a structured arrangement.
• Play the Tune: Playing through the tunes while implementing a dynamic arrangement.

The weekly sessions will:

• Prepare the students to play these specific songs with others in an informal "jam."
• Prepare the students to take the music to their own bands and teach it to their bandmates.
• Prepare the students to perform the tunes with other workshop participants in the performance part of the program.

Student drummers are welcome!

Introduction Meeting

Please attend the Introduction Meeting on Saturday, June 7th from 1:00-2:00 pm. We encourage you to be there to find out more information about the program and to have all of your questions answered. Please feel free to bring your parents/guardians. We will be scheduling your evaluation date & time to be placed in a band on this day.

Evaluations

Evaluations for being placed in a band will take place the week of June 15th. You will find out your evaluation date and time at the Introduction Meeting on Saturday, June 7th. If you happen to miss the meeting, you may still register for the Workshop and schedule your evaluation up until Saturday, June 14th.

Attendance

All students are required to arrive ON TIME to all Blues Ed Workshop rehearsals and clinics. You are vital to your band's ability to prepare for the final concert, and your bandmates depend on you. Be considerate and professional.

On-Site Scheduled Rehearsals

Beginning the week of Sunday, June 22nd, rehearsals will begin every week on a designated day. These scheduled rehearsals are MANDATORY. Your coach will also attend these rehearsals with you, and it is crucial that you come prepared and committed to working hard and giving your best effort in support of your band. Rehearsals are 2 hours each session. If for any reason you are running late, please call the office promptly to leave a message for your coach and bandmates.

Please note:

• No Food or Drinks (except water) allowed at rehearsals. Please keep your rehearsal rooms clean.
• On-site rehearsals will be limited to participants and coaches only. No Exceptions!

Dress Rehearsals

Dress Rehearsals are MANDATORY. Dress Rehearsals are limited to participants and coaches only. Exact times of dress rehearsals are TBA, but will run between 1:00-4:00 PM on the two Sundays listed below.

1st Dress Rehearsal – Sunday, July 20th:

• Band Names Due
• Band Photo Shoot

2nd Dress Rehearsal – Sunday, July 27th:

• Stage Passes Issued
• Drawing to Determine Band Line-Up for Show

Students benefit from the advice and insights of professional, working musicians.

Clinics

There will be 2 separate clinics scheduled. Please attend these clinics as they are full of good information and helpful tips to get you and your band to your best performance on the final concert day. Clinic descriptions and schedules will be handed out on “Meet Your Band Day.”

Off-Site Rehearsals

After your first scheduled rehearsal, you may get together with your band and practice as much as you would like. Your coach will not be attending off-site rehearsals. We encourage you to practice as much as you can.

Rehearsal Etiquette

These are the rules for all rehearsals – on-site and off:

• Tune up with a tuner before you plug in.
• Be aware of your amp setting. Be sure to set your amp at a reasonable volume and use the same setting for every rehearsal. Writing down your settings will help you to remember.
• NO NOODLING! It is common courtesy and saves others' ears and voices. SERIOUSLY – NO NOODLING.
• Use your time wisely. Be on time, don’t waste time, be prepared, organized and focus!

Rules & Regulations

Any student who attends a SixStringCentral function under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs must leave immediately. If the student is still interested in participating in the program, the student will be required to meet with the school director and the band coach along with a parent for approval. If a second incident should occur, the student will be dropped entirely from the program without a refund.

Professional Courtesy

Attitudes, judgements and egos are checked at the door! You are expected to extend professional courtesy to other students, instructors, and staff at all times.

Final Concert

Student musicians in performance

The final concert is on Sunday, August 3rd inside the Day Performance Theater located next door to SixStringCentral. You will need to arrive one hour before showtime. This is a 350-seat theater and we hope to pack it out on performance day! Tickets for the performance will be $10 each, and kids 10 and under will be admitted for free. Each band member will be required to sell 10 tickets to family, friends, teachers, neighbors, acquaintances, etc.   Promote your show!

Tickets and instructions for turning in ticket sales will be issued during rehearsals.

Cost

The cost for the Blues Ed Workshop program is $250. A $50 deposit will hold your space but will not ensure your placement in a band. Final payment is due on “Meet Your Band Day” on Sunday, June 15th from 3:00-4:00 pm. Deposits will be refunded to those students who are unable to be placed, and those students will be invited to try out again next year.

Refunds

No refunds will be given once a student is placed in a band. No exceptions.

Blues Ed/Blues In The Schools Performance Program

In addition to the workshops, students can progress into one of several performing groups. This is a Blues Education program sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association and SixStringCentral, and is part of a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that educates and performs the blues free of charge to local public and private school systems, community centers and institutions, and local community events. The Blues Ed/BITS mission is to help fill the gap caused by budget reductions on arts and music in our schools while providing a fun, interactive and goal-oriented program designed to educate our youth on American history, heritage and culture as seen through music. Programs usually last about 45 minutes and consist of live performance examples by our youth performance bands and/or professional adult musicians, along with oral narrations and photos woven throughout the session. Students who wish to participate in the performance component of this program are required to attend a Blues Ed Workshop and then audition for a position with a Blues Ed/BITS performing band.

Please let your coach or program director know if you are interested in participating in the performance program. This program is free of charge to band participants.

Sign Up

Click here for a registration form to print, fill out and mail with payment. The form is in PDF format, so you'll need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader program in order to open, view and print them. If you don't have Reader, you can click here to download it.