The goals of the Blues in the School program are:

Share the Blues with children. Change any preconceived ideas of what the Blues are about and spark an interest in the music.

Promote cultural awareness through self-awareness.

Broaden the historical prospective of how Blues relates to rock music and other modern music.

Focus on blues music as a part of American culture and acquire a better understand of the African–American heritage.

The strategic mission and goals of the Blues in the Schools programming intertwine with the mission of the Festival thus creating a wholesome program plan.  As a promoter of the blues it is only proper and a fitting evolution of cultural programming that the Blues in the Schools programs be integrated into the yearly program mission of the Foundation.

MISSION:

The Bull Durham Blues Festival is a program of the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. produced to serve multiple purposes; to provide an increased awareness and appreciation for the BLUES as a unique African American art form that is reflective of the African American experience; and for Durham’s rich musical heritage in the BLUES, particularly as a showplace for the Piedmont/Carolina blues styles made popular in this part of the southeast; and to provide financial resources.

Goals:

To enhance the local audience, particularly within the African American communities in the region, for the Blues which is often more popular overseas that in the United States.

To become a national showcase for the finest in contemporary and traditional blues artists from North Carolina and the rest of the United States.

To provide educational outreach programs for the community in particular the youth of the community to become knowledgeable of the rich heritage of Blues music.The BITS program has been designed for middle and high school students.  Students who are currently enrolled in music appreciation class will be engaged in the lecture demonstration portion of the residency.  School assembly format are encouraged.  It is estimated that over 3,500 youth will be engaged in the residency during the week activities. 

The SJHF seeks to apply these methods to enhance the current curriculum study by providing access to our core youth audience (K-12) in the Blues in the Schools programs. The program, which will take place September 9-12, 2009, will feature “The Youngest Blues Band in America”, HOMEMADE JAMZ’ BLUES BAND (HJBB) from Tupelo, Mississippi. Additional local blues artists will participate in the residency so that the Foundation can reach a large audience specifically in the public school setting. These artists will be selected in collaboration with the Triangle Blues Society.

Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band consist of 3 young siblings, the youngest blues band to sign with a major record label (Northern Blues Music). Ryan Perry 16 yrs old/lead guitar & vocal. Kyle Perry 14 yrs old/bass player and Tanya Perry 10 yrs old/drummer. The young band started out with Ryan at 8 yrs old finding his fathers electric guitar. By the end of the first week, he made up a short instrumental tune that lead him to participate in the school talent show and was able to play along with TV commercials. Ryan was promised guitar lessons shortly after the family arrived back to the US from Germany. After about a year, he kept changing instructors depending on how fast he was learning. He took 2 yrs of guitar lessons and performed solo using a drum machine to help with his performances. He did this until his brother Kyle, 8 yrs old wanted a piece of the action.

Kyle requested to learn piano, but quickly got bored & quit. Then he wanted to learn guitar. He soon got frustrated and quit again because he was not playing like his brother Ryan. The family gave up on Kyle becoming a musician until one day after watching a musical DVD, Kyle was asked if he would be interested in trying to learn the bass guitar, and he responded “yes.” When we handed Kyle his first bass guitar on his 9th birthday, it was like magic. By the end of the first week, he managed to learn almost all the bass tunes to the songs his older brother was performing. Kyle learned how to play & never looked back. He has been a bass player since, and pretty much self taught himself with very little help from his brother and father. Kyle joined his brother Ryan and performed as a dual using a drum machine for a complete sound. After a while, desperately needing a drummer, little sister Taya (7yrs old) joined the dual as their drummer.

Taya started out playing the tambourine at age 6. As soon as she turned 7, she started taking drum lessons in Oct of 05, by Dec of 05 she stepped in and became the drummer for the young dual and never missed a beat. Taya only had drum lessons for 2 months and the rest came naturally with a little help from her brothers. Since then, the 3 young siblings joined forces and became one of the “youngest blues bands” around.

They have performed at several festivals across country, charity and community events, and restaurants/bars (clubs) to include the famous Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, MS., Club Ebony, Indianola, MS., Club Superior, Beale St., Memphis, WC Handy Blues Festival, Florence, AL., Chicago Blues Festival, The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, Canada, The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Oct 07, 23rd International Blues Challenge 2nd Place Winners, 2007 (Band Category). Bay Area Blues Society's West Coast Hall of Fame "Blues New Artist of the Year 2008!" Northern Blues Music Recording Artist, 2007, just to name a few. They have been featured several times on their local TV Morning Show and many articles have been written about the band by local news papers as well as blues magazines and throughout the internet. Two National TV appearances, with Bob Dotson of the Today Show on NBC, 2008 and the CBS Sunday Morning News with Susan Spencer, 2007.

Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band was the 3rd Annual MS Delta Blues Society of Indianola Blues Challenge Winners, 2006, and the youngest (total age) blues band to ever entered the International Blues Challenge and became 2nd Place Winners of the 23rd International Blues Challenge, 2007 (band category). They competed against 93 experience adult bands from all over the world. Homemade Jamz’ will continue contributing to keeping the blues alive.

Residency activities consist of the following:

• Providing art experiences to the public schools (3) is an important component of our program season. Homemade Jamz Blues Band will conduct residency activities in the form of a lecture demonstration and workshop with various Middle Schools (Shepard Street, Fayetteville Street), High Schools (Durham School of the Arts, Hillside High School) and a private school (Durham Academy). These sessions will take place on 9/9, 9/10, 9/11. It is anticipated we will reach over 1000 students.
• Heritage Arts for Youth (HAFY), 9/10, 10:30 AM. HAFY is a yearlong residency program which features artists from various disciplines, targets the underserved populations grades K-12. It is a means of educating and inspiring, future artists and local youths. The chosen artists provide outreach programming in the community and “in-house” programming at the Hayti Heritage Center. This presentation will target home schools, private and charter schools and our adopted community school, Fayetteville Street Lab School.
• Major interview opportunities will be set up with media outlets WTVD/ABC 11 and WUNC Radio. These will be taped interviews so that they are archived and can be played numerous times throughout the year. Both outlets reach several hundred thousand households throughout the eastern part of the state and statewide.
• (1) Public performances will take place on Saturday, September 12 at the 22nd annual Bull Durham Blues Festival.