Workshops offer students the opportunity to experience music in one of three ways:
THE AFRICAN ROOTS OF COOLNESS – explores the surprising African roots of our American idea of ‘Coolness’ following the Yoruban notions of Ashe, Iwa and Itutu out of Nigeria and via the Caribbean slave trade to America; this class demonstrates how cultural information and aesthetics move across geographic barriers and cultural boundaries and how today, we benefit from diverse cultural traditions.
THE BLUES VOICE AND STAGE SINGING – the backgrounds of divergent vocal styles with emphasis on understanding the cultural and historical aspects of European and West African culture that inform vocal styles in America.
BLUES-WRITING DOWN THE HEART – an interactive group writing workshop in which students learn a basic Blues verse structure, perfect and imperfect rhymes and get to sing and hear their verses set in a variety of different musical Blues settings. Size limit is one class for all workshops.
Artist Background
Scott Ainslie comes to the classroom as educator, storyteller, scholar/historian and musician. He performs & lectures on the African roots & American diversity of the blues. A Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude grad of Washington & Lee and author of the best-selling Robert Johnson/At the Crossroads & an instructional video on Starlicks Master Sessions Series, he was awarded a Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College, an Indie Award from The Independent in Durham, NC and a Living Heritage Award from the National Slide Guitar Festival. He’s received support for his educational work from the National Endowment for the Arts and North Carolina Arts and is a past Public Fellow in arts education at UNC Chapel Hill.
Search Criteria
- Program Type: Workshop/Residency
- Discipline: Music
- Grade Level: High, Middle
- Cultural Context: African, African-American, European
- Accepts bookings in Johnston County
