Delta Blues Press Release

August 23, 2024

DELTA BLUES MUSEUM

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Delta Blues Museum to Host September Workshop for Educators

One-day workshop to focus on accredited lessons in Blues history

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Clarksdale, Mississippi - AUGUST 23, 2024] - On September 24th, Delta Blues Museum will host a one-day workshop for educators looking to expand their curriculum to incorporate broader arts & culture subjects and Mississippi music history into their classrooms. Made possible through support provided by the National Park Service through Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Partnership along with Delta State University, the workshop is ideal for English Language Arts (ELA) instructors as well as social studies teachers in grades 4-8, but all subjects and grade levels are welcome. The cost of the workshop is $35 per person, limited to 25 participants, and will include .6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through Coahoma Community College. These credits are valid nationwide, as the workshop is based on national standards.

Led by veteran educator and University of Mississippi Training Specialist Jennifer Ringo, the interactive workshop is designed to support teachers in integrating blues music, culture and history into the classroom. Participants will explore a series of lesson plans offered by Delta Blues Museum that focus on influential Blues musicians, places and events, such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and the Great Migration. Each lesson sequence addresses several K-12 Common Core state standards, including Anchor Standards for ELA and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. All lesson sequences layer reading, writing, and thinking along with activities designed to promote student engagement and collaboration. Ringo hopes the day-long workshop will allow teachers to collaborate and explore new educational material, explaining that participants "will work through a few of the lesson plans, teachers-as-learners, so they can experience the activities and strategies."

Museum Director Shelley Ritter encourages teachers to apply. "We are excited to have the opportunity to share our resources with educators," Ritter says, adding, "MDNHA funding has allowed us to create a myriad of resources that deepen the stories of our exhibits. We look forward to helping educators make connections with the Delta's history and culture--past and present."

EDUCATORS WORKSHOP - September 24, 2024
8:30am - 3:30pm
$35 per person
Snacks provided
Lunch on your own
Receive credit for 0.6 CEUs

Limited to 25 participants - Register Online

About the Delta Blues Museum
Established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees and re-organized as a stand-alone museum in 1999, the Delta Blues Museum is Mississippi's first music museum. A 2013 recipient of the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services - the nation's highest honor for museum and library service to the community - and a 2014 recipient of the National Arts & Humanities' Youth Program Award, the Delta Blues Museum is dedicated to creating a welcoming place where visitors find meaning, value and perspective by exploring the history and heritage of the unique American musical art form, the Blues. The Museum is also recognized as a Great River Road Interpretive Center. For more information on events or programs, please call (662) 627-6820, or visit the Museum web site at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.

Members of the press may register in the Press Room on the Museum's website to access further information, downloadable images and related materials.

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This newsletter is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and, in part, from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

This site is made possible through support from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rock River Foundation.