BLUES IN THE DELTA

Tunica County, lying in the middle of a flat nothingness known as the Mississippi Delta, has a musical heritage as rich as the alluvial soil that is the backbone of its economy.

The Gateway to the Blues museum is the perfect place to begin your blues journey outside the classroom. Experience interactive exhibits, artwork and more — including a recording studio where you’ll learn the basics of blues music with a chance to record your very own blues song. Students will learn about how and why the Blues is a foundation for so many other genres and how it developed just outside their door.

The Name Says It All

The name “Gateway” was given to this project because the Visitor Center and Museum is truly the gateway to the larger blues and music product that can be found throughout the Mississippi Delta.  The Gateway the Blues Museum serves as the perfect stop to educate students of all ages on why this original music art form originated and flourished from this unique landscape.

Mississippi Blues Curriculum:

We’re also your gateway to the Mississippi Blues Curriculum. You’ll find information to support Blues curriculum areas including music, meaning, cotton, transportation, Civil Rights and media. Let us make your lesson planning even easier!

Galleries

Highlights of the museum will include videos from local historian Willy Beardon and blues artists Preston Shannon and Eden Brent.  Students will end their journey with local bluesman Memphis Jones in the Blues Lyric Interactive where he will assist you in the production of your very own blues song that can be e-mailed to you.

The 3,500 square foot museum will feature the following galleries:

• What Is Blues Music
• Why Here? (Mississippi Delta)
• Evolution of Style and Form
• Mississippi Bluesmen
• Evolution of the Guitar
• Blues Lyric Interactive

Each museum gallery allows the integration of art into learning by showing how this entertainment form was vital to our history. Many of the educational subjects typically studied in the classroom can integrate lessons learned from the music and history that surrounds the blues movement.

For more information on how this exciting NEW attraction can fit into your school curriculum or book your class field trip, contact Bill Canter or Mary Catherine Webb at the Tunica Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 888.488.6422.