2026 4th Grade Black Belt - 12 Bar Blues

Post Date: May 21, 2026

Recently, the 4th graders learned about the 12 Bar Blues. They learned to listen and identify the chords in the progression, then learned to sing the chord roots and chord function. We listened to many different songs that were composed using the 12 Bar Blues, from Chuck Berry to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Michael Franti. Later, they started to improvise rhythms on the chord roots. After that, we improvised rhythms on our recorders using the notes E (Do), A (Fa), and B (So).

They each earned their black belt by taking a turn to solo on the 12 Bar Blues. Below are videos from each class with a sampling of students improvising within the 12 Bar Blues.