The banjo curriculum for a DC publich charter school is an extension of my volunteer work with Jam Pak Blues 'N' Grass Neighborhood Band. Jam Pak was organized by Anni and Vincent Beach out of their home in Chandler Arizona. Their daughter, Jenny DuFresne is the founder and Head of School of an innovative charter school in Washington DC, the Septima Clark Public Charter School.
Here is a link to the original draft proposal.
Here is a link to an article on the "Bucket Lid Banjo" designed for use in the project.
Meeting notes from February 11, 2010
Participants: Anni Beach, Mark Hickler, Jenny Dufresne
1. The first step in the project is to assess the interest level of the scholars (I am using Jenny's preferred term for students at Septima Clark). This cannot be done by a single appearance at the school because anything new will garner some interest. The real test will be to put banjos in the hands of the kids and begin instruction immediately and follow up with two or three similar visits within the same week.
2. The scholars ages and energy levels is such that demonstrations by instructors should be kept to a minimum. The key is hands on experience. The history component from the original proposal is, for the same reasons, not going to be part of the curriculum.
3. We will try to begin in June near the end of the school year. Jenny suggested this because we will be unable to follow up immediately with banjo classes.
4. The minimum number of instruments to begin with is 10 or 12 banjos. This will allow the classes of 20 or so scholars to take turns but not have to wait beyond their level of patience.
5. Potential volunteers should experience the school to be sure that they want to be involved.
After meeting with Jenny I saw that my initial hope that everything would fall into place with one short visit was naive. The threshold for involvement is not something anyone can easily do. In addition to having a desire to help and knowing something about the banjo, volunteers will have to discover how to hold the interest of a classroom and be able to respond the the energetic environment. I discussed with Jenny the possibility of my staying in the area for a week or two to carry out the initial assessment, meet with potential volunteers and bring them to the school to see if it is for them.
