DASN Sends 500 Students to the House of Blues... to Learn History!

Think the House of Blues nightclub is just for adults? Think again. Thanks to a new partnership between the International House of Blues Foundation and Dallas AfterSchool Network, more than 500 Dallas-area students were invited to the HOB this summer to learn...history!

Yes, that's right. The IHOB Foundation teaches the history of the civil rights movement through music performances and their folk art collection. In addition to the concerts and tours, students received informal lessons about local artists and were given a chance to design their own masterpieces. "I'm making a face with the noodles for eyebrows, the beads for heads, the beans for eyes and nose, the rice for mustache and another noodle for the mouth," said 11-year-old Isaiah Brown as he worked on his art creation.

"I think it's a really unique way to learn about American history through the arts," said Nazanin Fatemian, project manager for the International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF). "Often times, it's just a matter of exposure, exposing them to things they haven't necessarily considered or a different way of approaching things they've been learning in the classroom already."

Traditionally designed for public school groups, the House of Blues educational curriculum was able to serve students at more than 20 free or subsidized summer programs that are part of Dallas AfterSchool Network.