“Wonderful! The students were so excited. Several students
(that Gary taught) are going to play the harmonica in our annual Black History program here at Humes Middle School. Let's keep the blues alive! ” ~Ms. Alisa V Caldwell, Humes Preparatory Middle School, Memphis,TN  GARY ALLEGRETTO IS A PROUD 2011 KBA AWARD RECIPIENT IN EDUCATION As a child, Gary had the good fortune to wander into a Big Walter Horton performance at a cultural event near his home. The experience changed his life. It led him to tirelessly seek out any information or instruction he could find about the Blues in his youth. Sadly, there was little available. Many years later, Gary became a firm believer in keeping the Blues alive through education; naturally, by educating those who will eventually be its future. He is an enthusiastic and committed long-time educator in the Blues Foundation’s Blues in the Schools program. Working directly with the Blues Foundation and/or its affiliated societies and organizations, Gary has visited countless classrooms (elementary to high school) as an ambassador of the Blues, to introduce and teach the very music that runs through his veins. Children across the country have been thrilled and benefited by not only learning about the music, but actually learning to play it on authentic new Blues instruments they get to keep. Beyond his public school sessions, of special interest is Gary’s work with children in economically challenged areas and particularly with at-risk youth. His widespread classes have included kids at gang risk in Los Angeles, and he holds regular sessions for incarcerated kids in a juvenile detention center in Delaware, as well as the Martin Luther King School (the first school to open in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina) to name just a few. On two occasions the Blues Foundation has invited Gary to teach students in eight Memphis area schools as part of special events for the International Blues Challenge, many of which were in underprivileged areas of Memphis. He has also been invited to teach kids in Memphis' famous Stax Music Academy. In addition, children delight in Gary's workshops featured at many Blues festivals across the country. Gary’s curriculum begins with a history of the Blues harmonica and proceeds with an entertaining performance on guitar and harmonica demonstrating the different styles such as Delta, Piedmont, and Chicago. Audio recordings are played of traditional Blues as the root and origin of modern American music the students are familiar with - including Rock and Rap. Gary then hands out new harmonicas and music sheets that include some of the same familiar riff’s they had just heard. The classrooms brim with excitement as the students learn and play these Blues riffs and progressions (in minutes with no prior musical experience) through Gary’s teaching method. Students are also encouraged to create and perform songs with their own Blues lyrics. Over the years, Gary has heard from many students seeking more information and enthusiastically proclaiming Blues harmonica to be their “new thing”. Some are now performing in bands as a result. For Gary's "Blues In The Schools" Educator listing on the Blues Foundation Website, please click here. Please contact Gary directly regarding scheduling BITS sessions in your area in devotion to your Blues society mission to keep the Blues alive ( gallegretto@earthlink.net ). ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hohner is the world's top harmonica manufacturer. As a celebrated educator, performing and recording artist Gary has been an official Hohner endorsee for decades. Hohner recently announced a sponsorship grant to Gary's peerless "Blues In The Schools" programs providing FREE harmonicas to all school children that he teaches.
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