The National Blues Museum is expanding our education programs with our new Guitar St. Louis (Guitar STL) program! This year we have started in-school guitar-based programs with an emphasis on the Blues and African American contributions to music. In addition to learning the guitar, selected students will receive STEAM focused instruction and will have the opportunity to build their own guitar and amp. Students enrolled in NBM’s Guitar STL program will learn music fundamentals with a curriculum created in-house based on the blues.
Well over 100 years of blues, jazz, and rock music have been neglected from general education. The curriculum at the National Blues Museum looks to elevate these genres as legitimate teaching tools that can not only show young musicians the fundamentals of music but also meets Missouri’s fine arts education standards. In addition to our current programs, by the fall of 2022, we will be working with nearly 100 students in multiple locations, including House of Miles in East. St. Louis and several public schools in the metro area. NBM is currently working with Larimore Elementary School, where students are building their own guitars and will be receiving special classes on Blues guitar performance. Stay tuned for more information and updated about Guitar St. Louis!