Re: [Harp-L] CBS Evening News

["E. Dale Collins" <dbcollins145@xxxxxxxxx>]

Back in1938 when I was in the second grade our grade school teacher had us
all buy Hohnor Marine Band harmonicas in the key of C. They cost every bit
of 40 or 50 cents each. But hey, this was in Texas deep into the depression
and every buck was precious. I got to where I really looked forward to
music class. She had us play only two parts, melody and harmony. I
discovered I liked music and had an ear for it. Through later I
concentrated on the clarinet, I always had a love in my heart for the
harmonica. Years later my daughter's grade school teacher choose the
recorder for her students. I'm sure most any instrument would work, but I'm
glad my teacher choose harmonicas.

Dale Collins
On May 28, 2015 7:39 AM, "Mick Zaklan" <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>    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
>