TEEN VOCALISTS SOUGHT ALABAMA BLUES PROJECT
Staff Report
The Alabama Blues Project is searching for teen vocalists to join its award-winning Advanced Band. The
opportunity is open to middle and highschool students. Members of the Advanced Band receive intensive
professional instruction and routinely perform at community events. The band practices together weekly during
afterschool camps. Interested candidates should contact the Alabama Blues Project by calling Executive Director
Paula Demonbreun at 205.752.6263 or emailing paula@alabamablues.org. For more information about the
Alabama Blues Project Advanced Band, please visit alabamablues.org.
Music students who display a high level of dedication and improvement may be asked to participate in the
Alabama Blues Project’s Advanced Band. These young musicians will receive a more intensive learning
experience, having the opportunity to rehearse each week as a structured band. While honing their music skills
and working together, they also learn to recognize and play a variety of Blues styles and sometimes write original
songs. The first Advanced Band was formed in 2005 and as members graduate from highschool and leave the
band, the legacy continues with new young musicians each year. The band has performed at Cityfest, Kentuck Art
Festival, Magic City Blues Festival and Market Street Festival and the Bama Theatre. The band has put on a live
show for Alabama Public Television, and met with Bonnie Raitt when she played Tuscaloosa. In 2006, The
Advanced Band performed in Memphis as the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award ceremony and
the group recorded a CD before many of the original Advanced Band members graduated from high school in
2007. The Alabama Blues Project’s Advanced Bands have had the opportunity to share the stage with many Blues
greats, including Tinsley Ellis, Willie King, Sam Lay, Dr. G.B. Burt, Eddie Kirkland, Bobby Rush, Bettie Mae Fikes
and Carroline Shines. The Alabama Blues Project’s Advanced Band is a wonderful opportunity for up-and-coming
musicians.
The Alabama Blues Project is a nonprofit organization in Northport, Ala., committed to preserving and raising
awareness about blues music in Alabama. The ABP offers blues education through in-school, summer and
afterschool programs.
Alabama Blues Project will host its 2014 Spring After-School Blues Camp At Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School
in Tuscaloosa. The 10-week camp will begin the first week of February, skipping the week of Spring Break. For more
information please contact Paula Demonbreun at 752.6263 or paula@alabamablues.org.
Blues Camp Schedule
Mondays, 3-5:15 p.m.: Blues camp sessions open to MLK fourth- and fifth-graders only.
Tuesdays, 3-5:15 p.m.: Blues camp open to all students.
Our students are taught by some of the best professional blues musicians of our state, and they also learn blues
history along with a life skills curriculum. At the end of the program, our budding superstars will treat their family
and friends to a performance on November 7th.
There are many educational benefits of attending blues camp. Musical skills and group performance improves
students’ self esteem and teamwork and can further their goals in becoming more involved at school and in
their community. The performance at the end of Blues Camp helps introduce a wider audience to Alabama’s

living blues culture. Plus, After-school Blues Camp is loads of fun and many students make lasting friendship

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.