HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Bringing the blues to the classroom. A new curriculum based on how the blues contributed to the state’s history and cultural heritage will begin in January.
The Hattiesburg American reports, teachers will be introduced to the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum, which is already available free online.
Rebekah Stark Johnson, executive director of the council, says the 18-lesson curriculum is aimed at fourth-grade history students but can be modified for any student. The curriculum uses the arts to teach kids about Mississippi’s blues history.
The Mississippi Legislature established the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2004 and launched the Mississippi Blues Trail in 2006. Since that time, more than 170 markers have been dedicated along the trail.
