Whackin’ The Blues®

How do you get non-musicians and even “the musically challenged” inside the jazz process?

Whackin’ The Blues®

How do you get children and adults alike to feel what it’s like to repeat and improvise on a song form, just like jazz musicians do?

Whackin’ The Blues®

How do you get a classroom or even an auditorium of participants to make music together in one class/workshop, even if they don’t play an instrument?

Whackin’ The Blues®

Whackin’ The Blues®, the key kinesthetic activity of The Jazz & Democracy Project®, was named as an homage to the late Albert Murray 1976 classic, Stomping The Blues. It is the primary vehicle that allows J&D participants of any age to comprehend the multi-sensory nature of jazz, and thus to feel in their bodies what it must be like to create jazz—even if they don’t play an instrument or they believe they “have no rhythm”. Whackin’ The Blues® is how J&D instills numerous core concepts that link jazz and democracy to students of all ages and teachers alike.

What allows this one activity to do so much? It all comes down to the high level questions you ask participants during the activity. To find out how to use Whackin’ The Blues® with your students, please inquire about the J&D Curriculum Think Tank.