Kindergarten to Grade 5 students at Georges Vanier Elementary School had a unique learning opportunity on Thursday when an old student returned to teach about blues music.
“It’s really wonderful to be able to come back,” musician Suzie Vinnick said from the school gym.
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Vinnick hopes to create a new group of Toon Town blues lovers, introducing 125 students to the unique rhythms and patterns of blues music.
“It allows for a bit of music improvisation. You don’t stick to a melody. There is a playfulness,” Vinick answered when asked what her favourite part of blues is.
Blues in the Schools is a program that’s part of the 14th annual Saskatoon Blues Festival taking place from Feb. 27 to March 5.
It’s Vinnick’s third time returning to Georges Vanier for the program.
“Being a fine arts school, music is an integral part of our daily activities. Blues is another type of music that we try to expose the students too,” principal Laura Cey said.
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The presentation also provided a valuable history lesson. The Mississippi Delta is often considered the birthplace of the blues, originating on plantations during slavery. Vinnick said music was used to pass the time while working, express emotions and share messages.
“Blues music got its start in a tough place,” she told the students, “with slaves who were forced to do things against their will.
“People would sing to make the days go by faster if they were forced to work and make themselves feel better.”
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Vinnick got her start at Buds on Broadway, picking up a guitar for the first time in Grade 5.
It struck a cord for many students.