Many students have been able to contribute to their family incomes. The same tune never sounds exactly the same twice. Spanning parts of six states, the Delta is the poorest region in the United States, with poverty rates of more than 20 percent over the last four decades. One of the lessons learned from the blues is how to work together. Fighting and cursing are strictly prohibited.
Penalties range from pay deductions to being cut from the program.
The other side involves taking the concept of music to teach broader academic lessons. Blues in the Schools programs scattered throughout the country are exposing children to the Southern art, said Stovall. The Blues Foundation is working on a framework for teachers to use the blues to teach black history.