Chelsea fourth graders learn about perseverance with help from Hickory Creek Jazz Band

A special collaboration between Hickory Creek Middle School and Chelsea Intermediate School focused on perseverance. The Chelsea fourth graders are starting a new English Language Arts study about perseverance. The Hickory Creek Select Jazz Band came to their school to provide biographical information and perform music selections by various jazz composers who had to persevere during the Great Depression in order to become successful.

The Chelsea students are reading the children’s novel “Bud, Not Buddy” by Newberry Medal-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis. The story takes place in 1936 during the Great Depression with ten year old Bud running away to find his father after being mistreated in foster care. Bud’s perseverance and positive character in the novel show the reader how he got through some hard times.

Students in the Hickory Creek Select Jazz Band provided biographical information about various musical artists and then, with special guest Ben Clark, performed songs by those artists. They played “C Jam Blues” by American pianist, conductor and songwriter Duke Ellington, “Bye Bye Blackbird” by songwriter Ray Henderson, “Joy to the World” by folk music singer and songwriter Hoyt Axton, “Listen Here” by American jazz musician Eddie Harris and “Apache” by songwriter, composer and singer Jerry Lordan.

The final student speaker was Hickory Creek Band President Cameron Kavanaugh. He encouraged the fourth graders to join jazz band when they get to the middle school. He stated, “After two and a half years, jazz has become my favorite kind of music. Jazz Band is a great experience and super fun.”

The Hickory Creek Band Directors are Dana Ruff and Doug Adams. Ben Clark is the Jazz Director and teacher of a trumpet studio at Lincoln-Way East High School. The Ben Clark Band performs regularly in the Chicago area.