Blues In The Schools

    

    I would like to thank Fruteland Jackson, James "Curly" Cooke, Hallen Hanalyn, Vince Farabaugh, and Bill Lanham for their participation in a Blues In the Schools (BIS) survey and interview. That interview will be published in the Fall to coincide with the new school year and contains information regarding BIS presentations, curricula and funding.

    Mr. Kinzel and I did the Summer Arts Camp at Sitton School in St. John's on June 20, and also participated in the Milwaukie Daze parade on June 15 as part of the Ethos BIS/Music Lesson presentation. Adrian (music educator and venue support facilitator at Ethos) drove the vintage "Music Mobile" and ran sound for us, and Robert Kinzel (age 12) and Reynaldo Corrales (age 11) were our announcers during the parade route. Thanks to those fine young men, we had a blast and so did the other kids along the route.

    Any persons interested in our BIS program can contact Amy Allen of the CBA with questions, comments or suggestions. If you would like to be considered as a BIS presenter, please send your demo and resume to Nathan at Ethos (27 NE Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97211, Nathan@ethos-inc.com or 503-241-8824) for a cover sheet detailing required content for BIS presentations. Also, you can e-mail me at stubob@teleport.com or speak to me directly at the CBA monthly membership meeting and I will get a cover sheet to you.

    Charles Lewis and I will be applying for grants to continue our BIS presentations and it is our hope to secure enough financing to cover all of our funding needs for the future. Thanks to Del Seitzinger and Jan Bisconer, we received a $600 grant from Carus Elementary School for the 2003-2004 school year.

    Stu Kinzel and I will continue to develop and perform for the BIS program that our CBA membership has supported so well. We thank you, and the children of Oregon and SW Washington thank you for your generosity and continued support!

    This Fall, I will be stepping down from my "directorship" role in BIS to focus on performances only and to further the music lesson program at Ethos. It has been my honor to facilitate this wonderful program for the CBA and I will always look back on the past three years as one of the best times of my life! It is my hope that Amy Allen and the current Board of Directors will be able to continue the work we have started.