Blues Music Escape Room - Learn about the BLUES! Black History Month or anytime

This Escape Room is an all-in-one lesson to teach your students about Blues Music & Blues Musicians in a fun and engaging way. Simply share the google form link with students and they are ready to go! Students will search for answers on the internet as they learn about the topics below. This would also be an excellent music resource for black history month!

7 puzzles cover the topics of:

1. The Origin of the Blues

2. Characteristics of the Blues

3. Blue Notes

4. Ma Rainey

5. W.C. Handy

6. Blues Bass Guitar

7. Muddy Waters

3 challenges (more involved with multiple questions and a ‘code’) cover the topics of:

1. Review of Origin & Characteristics of Blues

2. Mamie Smith

3. Artist Match

Other musicians or blues music facts mentioned include work songs & field hollers, emotion of sadness, bent pitch, guitar, harmonica, vocal form, Mother of Blues, Blues Hall of Fame, St. Louis Blues, Queen of Blues, Perry Bradford, Jazz Hounds, walking bass line, 12 bar blues, Father of Modern Chicago blues, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Etta James, Ray Charles, Buddy Guy, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, BB King.

The entire activity is within a Google form (will be delivered by TPT to your Google Drive) and the students will need internet access for research and Youtube access for the videos. (If YouTube is not available, you could provide answers to any questions that require YouTube – most do not.) Scrap paper or a digital notepad can be helpful for deciphering the challenges. Or, if preferred, printable versions of the challenges are included in the folder as well.

Completion time should be 30-45 minutes depending on age, number of students in a team and the amount of clues (if any) that the teacher might give. This activity is also perfect for a truly beneficial lesson with a substitute teacher and can work for band, choir, orchestra or general music.

If you are not familiar with Google Forms, please read the DIRECTIONS & HELPFUL TIPS before opening the form so you will know how to use the resource. The Directions & Helpful Tips should be in the google folder that TPT shares with you after purchase.

✅ For a peek inside the resource, click the green PREVIEW button above.

***This is a Google App Resource and TPT will add a copy of this resource directly to your Drive. You must have a Google Account in order to access this resource. However, students do not need to have any kind of google drive, google mail etc. ANYONE can use the resource, only the teacher must have a Google Drive. Band Directors Talk Shop plans to make many more Google resources over the next year, so if you don't have a google account, you might sign up for a free account here.***

Want a ‘hands-on’ escape room that works best with in-person students? Check out our other 5 STAR options:

Escape Room 1 (beginner theory)

Escape Room 2 (advanced theory)

Browse all of our Digital Music History Escape Rooms HERE.

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iPad users - Troubleshooting with iPad users.

Usually these escape rooms will work just fine on iPads. If you run into trouble:

- Try using Safari as a browser instead of Chrome/Firefox

- Be sure students are using the internet, not the Google Form APP.

- Partner students with iPads with other students who have laptops and have them enter the answers into the laptop.

We don't anticipate problems, but these tips may help if there is an issue.

Keywords: music escape room, music genres, music history, black history month music, African American history month, blues music, music history lesson, music history escape room