Annual Conference

Musical Interludes

One of the special treats of the ASCD Annual Conference is the opportunity to hear talented students perform as the warm-up acts for General Sessions. Sunday and Monday of the recently concluded meeting saw two outstanding groups of kids take to the stage. If they were nervous, it sure didn't show. In one case, a pre-show pep talk made sure the performance looked as good as it sounded.

Sunday's pre-Session music was provided by the Third Grade Choir of Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago. Director Charki Dunn led a ridiculously poised and harmonious group through a repertoire that included sacred and secular music and ended with a suite of up-tempo rock and spoken word called "Everybody Has Music Inside." It was fabulous!

On Monday, the entertainment came courtesy of the Schurz Symphony Orchestra Strings, under the baton of Director Richard Wegren. The ensemble, from Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, played a half-hour set that included symphonic takes on movie themes, Vivaldi's "Spring," a sophisticated medley of classical standards, and the rollicking finale "Swing Fiddles."

In rehearsals just before curtain, Wegren took a moment to offer students some advice on the visual aspects of live performance. "Look, I've noticed that when some of you go flat or sharp, you are making faces," he told the cellos. Pointing up at the huge projection screens that flanked the stage, he said, "You know as soon as you do that, the video camera will probably pick that moment to zoom in on your face. You're going to make mistakes. It's okay. Get over it." They did, sounding and looking like seasoned pros.

Using Jazz to Lead Students into New Frontiers of Understanding

Speaking in Chicago, home to jazz clubs that are nearly 100 years old, Robert Horowitz observed that, in the United States, "desegregation started in jazz bands before it moved into the military and professional sports" and social institutions. Horowitz, along with Sara Cunningham, debuted a new Web site that uses jazz to teach about a wide range of subjects during a session entitled "Jazz: An American Story."

The site, developed by the National Endowment for the Arts, features lesson plans that include

• short films created for the site
• essays with embedded audio samples
• profiles of major artists
• photo galleries
• supplemental audio samples
• assessments

These interactive tools illustrate subjects in ways that engage all students and educate the whole child by showing how the progression of jazz styles reflects social movements. One lesson explains, for example, that while Harlem was the "indisputable capital of bebop," most of the musicians who developed that style there were African Americans who had moved to New York City from the South and Southwest, drawn by the burgeoning Harlem Renaissance.

To allow teachers to align the lessons with their curriculum, the teacher version of each lesson lists objectives and relevant standards, as well as an assessment to ensure that students meet their learning goals.

In addition, every lesson includes student activities ranging from discussion questions to independent research. For example, by comparing, trumpet solos across the history of jazz, students can hear how music reflects the tenor of the times in which it was created. They can also read literature written at the time, allowing them to use their literacy and critical reasoning skills. These activities engage the whole child in constructing relationships and creating deeper understanding.

Horowitz explained that understanding the evolution of jazz and seeing how it affects and is related to society can help students better understand social and political movements and events, such John F. Kennedy's "New Frontier" address:

But I tell you the New Frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. Beyond that frontier are the uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.

By making it possible for students to comprehend the themes of Kennedy's address, as well as learn about and develop deeper understandings across the curriculum, jazz continues to open doors to new frontiers for students.

Music Groups Serenade Conference Goers

Chicago-area school kids got to show off their musical talents as the opening acts for two of Saturday’s ASCD Conference events.

The grand opening of the Exhibit Hall – an occasion of festive ribbon and big scissors – was preceded by the precocious and talented members of the St. Ailbe Choir from St. Ailbe Catholic School in Chicago. Their gospel sound roused the early morning crowd and got the Conference off to an inspirational start.

St. Ailbe Choir at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Musical prelude to the opening General Session a half hour later was provided by a veritable Dream Team of Chicago’s best young musicians. The Chicago Public Schools All-City High School Band, comprising students from schools across the city, shared classical and jazz-inflected compositions, as well as the Star Spangled Banner.

Most of the band members did, that is. A couple of tardy woodwinds were asked to sit out the session by band director William Johnson, a man who clearly recognizes a teachable moment when it walks late into his class. “Let ’em watch,” Johnson said. “Maybe they will learn that musicians first of all must ‘make the call.’ This program isn’t about playing music, it’s about learning to be a musician.”

Band members will play plenty of notes today anyway, performing in their own schools’ ensembles. The Chicago Band Championships, featuring every high school band in the city, are being held across town this afternoon.

The Chicago Public Schools All-City High School Band warms up the General Session audience.

Educators Jazzed to Start Conference

Last night, hundreds of educators from around the world gathered to kick off the conference and support literacy in Chicago's public schools at the Books and All That Jazz Bash. The price of admission was one new book for students, and as the educators streamed into the Bash, following the lead of ASCD's own Books Brothers, they deposited their books alongside those donated by Pearson Education and Parents' Choice Magazine.

More than 3,300 books will be donated to Chicago's Title I schools, including contributions from educators from Germany, Manitoba, and Singapore. The Canadian educators brought books reflecting the interests of children in Manitoba, including titles on wolves, the arctic, and hockey.

As educators continued to drop off books, socialize, and celebrate literacy at this party with a purpose, they were entertained not only by the ASCD Books Brothers, but also by their colleagues. Members of New York State ASCD took to the stage in the karaoke contest and kicked their way through "New York, New York." Not to be outdone, members of Illinois ASCD rocked the crowd with "Sweet Home Chicago." ASCD staff got in on the fun, too; the ASCD Jazzettes, feather boas around their necks, sang "All That Jazz."

Amidst all the festivities, Chicago Public Schools student Brijon Burcley thanked the educators for their generosity, observing that "reading gives students a powerful imagination." ASCD President Mary Ellen Freeley encouraged educators to continue their literacy work. "We can write a powerful story for the success of students like Brijon and students worldwide."

Burcley was then awarded her own black hat and sunglasses and was named an honorary Books Sister by the ASCD Books Brothers, who took over the stage and entertained the dancing crowd into the night.

Reporting and photos by Franklin Bradley and John Wilcox.

Chicago Blues at its Most

During the Great Depression, the blues caught a train in Mississippi, got off in Chicago, liked what it saw, and decided to call it home. The blues is now Chicago’s music, and many of the world’s blues temples are located right here. There are dozens of hole-in-the-wall blues joints throughout the city, many in the hard-to-get-to South Side. We’ve highlighted five that ASCDers will find convenient and rewarding to visit. Most have a modest cover charge.

Blue Chicago
736 N. Clark (at Superior)
(312) 642-6261
Blue Chicago on Clark
536 N. Clark (at Ohio)
(312) 661-0100
Young by Chicago club standards, Blue Chicago has only been around a dozen or so years, but has built lots of cred by nurturing local talent. If you’re a blues novice, either venue (they’re just a couple of blocks apart) makes a friendly spot to get an introduction to the art form.
In the River North neighborhood, close by most Conference hotels.

B.L.U.E.S.
2519 N. Halsted
(773) 528-1012
Show up early (before 9:00) or late (after midnight) if you don’t want to wait in line at B.L.U.E.S. This popular venue mostly showcases Chicago’s homegrown blues players, plus the occasional national act. The room is intimate, the music authentic at this Lincoln Park institution that is well worth a cab ride.
Up by DePaul University, a couple miles north of the Conference hotels.

Buddy Guy’s Legends
754 S. Wabash
(312) 427-0333
The rows of drab tables and plastic chairs do not matter. The surprisingly good Southern food does not matter. The constant presence of owner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and fret master Buddy Guy does not matter. The music is what matters here. Some people call Buddy Guy’s Legends the best blues bar in the world.
In the South Loop neighborhood, very close to these Conference hotels: Essex Inn, Best Western Grant Park, and the Hilton Chicago.

House of Blues
329 N. Dearborn
(312) 923-2000
Blues purists tend to look down at the House of Blues; it’s a little too slick and corporate. The upstairs concert hall is devoted to national touring acts that run the gamut from reggae to blue-eyed soul—diverse and entertaining but not necessarily the blues. On the other hand, the Rev. Al Green holds forth there Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, and he’s close. The downstairs music hall books local blues acts on their way up. National acts require tickets (call the club); downstairs the music comes with your drinks and dinner.
In River North barely, right on the side of the river and convenient to most Conference hotels.

Lonie Walker’s Underground Wonder Bar
10 E. Walton
(312) 266-7761
How to explain the Underground Wonder Bar? Well, it is underground, and it is a bar, and it is wonderful in a cramped, loud, and sweat-stained sort of way. The shy do not remain that way for long at Lonie’s, and feet rarely stay still there. Blues is the staple, but with at least two acts a night, you’re liable to hear other sounds as well.
On the Gold Coast, just a little north of most of the Conference hotels.

Some friendly advice on club etiquette: Shouting out requests is frowned upon at most blues clubs, especially requests for "The Thrill is Gone," "Mustang Sally," "Hootchie Kootchie Man," and—most of all—“Sweet Home Chicago.” You'll probably hear them without asking.

Photo: City of Chicago / Mark Montgomery