Bringing Blues to High Schools

Program Details

We’re partnering with top Blues education musician Billy Branch to start a blues band program in a high school on Chicago’s West Side. This is the first-of-its-kind program in Chicago, and we need your help to make it go.

If you’ve seen Billy on stage, you’ve seen his energy and his mastery of the music. He’s equally talented in the classroom, with more than 40 years of bringing blues into schools.

Our goal this week is to raise $5,000 in cash and instruments for the program by the end of the day Friday, which will ensure that there are enough for all of the students to play.

Our partner school, Legal Prep Charter Academy is located in a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood once home to Chicago’s legendary West Side blues scene. The school serves 280 students grades 9-12. Almost all Legal Prep students are low-income and the vast majority are Black. Legal Prep is the only open-enrollment high school in West Garfield Park.

The High School Blues program would be the only in-school music education program at Legal Prep this year, and we’ve got an amazing program planned. Billy and the band would spend 2 hours each week in the school with a group of 15-20 students. The program happens during the school day, which makes it easy for students to attend. They’ll have 15 weeks with Billy, learning both how to play blues as well as the history and importance of the music, with a concert at the end of the semester.

It’s amazing to see how this program not only nurtures students’ musical talents, but also builds a strong sense of community among the class.

– Joseph Beckman, Teacher

I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from talented mentors and express myself through this powerful genre of music.

– Amaya Reynolds, Student (16)

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play an instrument and learning from Mr. Branch has been such a fun experience!

– Andrew Johnson, Student (15)

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Legal Prep Charter Academy Students at Symphony Center. (Photo: James Rand)

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You Can Help West Side Students

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3 Ways To Help

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We Need Some Help

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The HS Blues

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