Today I’m featuring an educational and entertaining guest post by Jon Schwartz – a second grade teacher at Garrison Elementary School located in Oceanside, California. When I was first made aware of Jon’s teaching endeavors, I was moved by his efforts in utilizing the blues as a vehicle for education and entertainment with his students.

I immediately touched base with Jon and we ended up having a terrific discussion over the phone. When speaking with him I could feel the energy, creativity and dedication to his students in his voice. During the conversation Jon mentioned that his Kids Like Blues Band spontaneously began when a gifted student started dancing to the first blues song he brought to the class. A bunch of other girls would then join along; amazingly included in this small group were his non-English speaking students from Japan and Mexico. It ultimately became a full class effort with the boys as well. A band was then quickly formed to play at the school talent show. You can follow this link to their first performance featuring the song “Sweet Home Chicago”.

Read more at The Blues Blogger