[Harp-L] CBS Evening News

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   When I first joined SPAH over 20 years ago, there would often be
seminars on how to grow interest in our instrument.  Invariably, the
old-timers would lament:  "If only we could get the harmonica into the
schools."
   For well over 30 years, harmonica player Billy Branch has been teaching
public school kids how to play the instrument through his Blues in the
Schools program.
He gets very little publicity locally for this and almost none nationally.
That's why it was a true pleasure to turn on the CBS Evening News last
night and watch Charlie Rose and Dean Reynolds introduce him to the
country:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teaching-the-blues-to-americas-youth/.
   While I'm handing out kudos, Eric Noden has 20 to 30 kids up onstage
every year playing at the Chicago Blues Fest.  At least half of them are
toting harmonicas and playing their parts extremely well.

Mick Zaklan