ROAM assemblies are exciting, educational performances. Students hear examples of traditional roots music – jazz, old-time, bluegrass, blues and Appalachian folk music – from musicians who are expert in these genres. Before each song, the performers give a brief, but in-depth explanation of the historical, social or cultural circumstances that led to the creation of the music. Students leave these 40-to-50-minute assemblies both informed and entertained. Please contact ROAM for assembly prices or more detailed information on any of these programs.
Roots of American Music
Assembly Program Offerings
All of ROAM’s 50-minute assembly programs provide engaging academic lessons couched in an exciting performance of traditional American music. Students learn about the different musical and instrumental attributes of bluegrass, jazz, ragtime, blues, Appalachian folk and old-timey music, as well as what historical and social elements led to the creation and development of these truly American art forms. ROAM programs are aligned with Ohio Department of Education Standards in the Arts and other disciplines.
Journey to the Land of the Blues is a program that takes students on a lively journey through the history of the blues, a music created out of the Southern African-American experience and one of the roots of Rock and Roll. Throughout the program, stories of social and cultural conditions are woven into the history of the music, including the experiences of slaves, the “Great Migrations” of African-Americans, and the technological advances that affected music and everyday life. (Recommended for Grades K-12)
OHIO (Only Happened In Ohio) celebrates the 205-year history of the state of Ohio. The program includes songs and stories of Moses Cleveland, the Wright brothers, and Ohio’s eight presidents. Other topics include the Underground Railroad, canals and rivers, the settlement of the Shakers, and Thomas Edison. Through a program of traditional acoustic music and folk dances, students will be offered a glimpse of what life was like in a time before electricity and modern technology. (Recommended for Grades K-5)
Jazz in the Schools is a unique program that offers a fun and functional explanation of what makes jazz happen, told through the eyes of a working jazz combo. Emphasis is on individual instruments, their role in the jazz ensemble, and the elements of this musical language, including improvisation, call and response, form, and rhythm. Many styles of jazz are demonstrated, including early New Orleans, swing, bebop, blues, and Afro-Cuban jazz. Students will hear acoustic instruments such as saxophone, trumpet, trombone, double bass, and drums. Audience participation includes a question and answer session. (Recommended for Grades K-12)
One World Rhythm celebrates the rhythmic human spirit. Told as a multicultural, interactive story using various cultural hand drums and percussion, this program invites children to journey with an African rhythm as it travels from Africa to Cuba, Brazil, Haiti and the United States. The imagination of students will ignite as rhythms changes form, patterns and sound during their travels. Students participate by singing in several languages, playing body percussion and dancing. This uplifting story of traveling rhythms celebrates the African roots of much of today’s music.
(Recommended for Grades K-12)
Roots of Rock and Roll studies the early history of Rock and Roll. The primary goal is to discover how Rock and Roll evolved from the blending of traditional Appalachian music, with its roots in the British Isles, and African-American music. These two forms, which developed separately and were isolated by geographic and cultural differences, came together with the birth of technology and the irrepressible enthusiasm of the pioneers of modern music such Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Bo Diddley, and Elvis Presley. (Recommended for Grades K-12)
Women and the Roots of American Music explores how women have been important creators and exponents of all forms of popular music. This program will bring to life such colorful figures as Maybelle Carter, Memphis Minnie, Mahalia Jackson, and Patsy Cline. Women have long been overlooked and under-represented in museums, scholarship, and recorded anthologies, where the historical record is largely defined. (Recommended for Grades K-12)
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH:
A Study in Black and White is a survey of two musical styles: African-American and Anglo-American. The African-American musical tradition has its roots in the African Diaspora, slavery, Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow era. The Anglo-American country music tradition has its roots in Appalachia and the British Isles. The program explores examples of the close connection between early “old-timey” country music and the blues. (Recommended for Grades 5-12)
Unchained: From Slavery to Civil Rights The Civil War is perhaps the most defining event in U.S. history. Its effects, from the Emancipation Proclamation, through the difficulties of Reconstruction, to the successes of the Civil Rights Movement, have defined politics, culture, and race relations ever since. Through a combination of narrative and live performance, this program brings to life a colorful but turbulent period in our nation. (Recommended for Grades 7-8)
Please contact us for more information on any of these programs by calling (216) 321-9350 or by visiting www.rootsofamericanmusic.org
