Objectives Students develop an understanding of how musical instruments have been modified over time and an understanding of the role of math in constructing musical instruments. They will be able to describe the shapes of a variety of musical instruments. The blues is a musical form that has its origins in work songs sung by slaves in the United States.
Blues songs tell stories about life experiences, particularly love and poverty.
Blues singers, including Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, and Muddy Waters, are known around the world. Today, blues musicians use pianos, drums, and guitars, but in the past, they used instruments made from whatever was available, including pots and washboards. Ask them to name musical forms in which those instruments are used. Arrange students in groups of four. Explain to students that they are going to solve a problem faced by early blues musicians.