We've Got the Blues with Teagan Faran
From Kennedy Center: Teaching Artists Present · 2020
8 min3rd4th5th6thMusic
Summary
Violinist Teagan Faran introduces the blues — its feeling, its form, and how to improvise a simple blues idea. Part of the Kennedy Center's Teaching Artists Present series — play it and have students make music right along with the teaching artist.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
This activity turns listening into making.
- What did you notice about the rhythm, the melody, or the dynamics?
- How did you keep the beat with the group?
- Can you make up a short pattern of your own?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: beat, rhythm, pattern, dynamics (loud/soft), improvise.
Try it: Play along, then create a four-beat pattern and teach it to a partner using call-and-response.