Out of the Mouths of 8th Graders...

I teach guitar to my grade 8 Explorations classes at school. We just started a new term on Wednesday, so I got all new classes.... 150 new names to memorize!

At the start of the term for my grade 8's, I decided to hand out a little questionnaire to find out what their experience is (if any), with guitar. Later in the term, I teach them about blues music. They watch a video on the blues, learn the 12-bar blues progression, and learn how to write melodies using a blues scale.

In the questionnaire, I ask them to tell me what they know about the blues. "The blues is..."

These were some of my favourite responses:

The blues is...

"A pretty colour" 

"Funky music"

"Boring"

"A hockey team in St. Louis"

And my personal favourite: "Old guys with raspy voices"

Oh, how I love my job!