Grand County Blues Society Invests in the Community with Blues and American Roots Music Shows, Education, and Music Therapy
If you've ever been in town during an annual Blues from the Top music festival, you've heard the soulful sounds of the blues floating through downtown Winter Park. Powerful vocals, walking bass lines, and harmonica riffs echo down Main Street, giving us all a welcomed little taste of the blues. This year marks the 21st annual Blue from the Top festival. Typically held the last full weekend in June at the the Rendezvous Event Center, the three-day concert hosts world-class blues artists like Grace Potter and the The Devon Allman Project, We can thank Grand County Blues Society for bringing the talent and soul to our little town--the local nonprofit is dedicated to promoting the musical art from we all know as "The Blues."
MISSION
Grand County Blues Society was established in 2002 by a handful of Grand County music lovers and has been making a valuable impact on our community since its inception. Their mission is to promote Blues and American Roots Music through live performance, music outreach and education, and the donation of musical instruments to support music therapy.
EDUCATION + COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Not only do they bring their A-game with the yearly Blues from the Top lineup, GCBS is all in for educating our youth and providing musical opportunities for the community. We love their "Check Out the Music" vision. They've partnered with Grand County libraries to make musical instruments like electric guitars, ukuleles, and keyboards available for checkout just like a book. Their goal is to make playing music accessible to all. Swing by one of the Grand County public libraries and check out the selection!
The Blues Society also partners with local schools to provide music education and instruments for classroom use. School-aged kids across the county are entertained by live shows and given music lessons by some of the best. They've even created their own cigar box guitars to auction off as a benefit for GCBS. We love the way the all-volunteer Blues Society invests in our kids and community so well!
MUSIC THERAPY
The work Grand County Blues Society does doesn't stop in Grand County. They believe in the therapeutic nature of playing music and harness that beauty to bring music into the lives of children and young adults who are fighting cancer and other life-challenging situations. The Blue Star Connection, a program of GCBS, was born in 2005 when members of the Blues Society gifted a 17-year-old boy fighting cancer his first electric guitar. Once they realized the impact it had on his outlook and mental health, they dedicated themselves to "giving the gift of music" to as many up against the same challenges as him as they could.
Blue Star Connection works with musical therapists in various hospitals and clinics throughout the country, providing guitars, bass guitars, harmonicas, violins, keyboards, flutes and drum kits to patients. Lauren Servos, a music therapist at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis puts it best: “For a child who is seriously ill, having an instrument can not only be fun, but also can help them relax, cope with their experience, talk with therapists and improve their sense of self-worth.” It is beautiful to see an effort rooted in Grand County touch so many lives throughout the country.
SUPPORT
Interested in being a part of Grand County Blues Society's mission? Buy tickets for or volunteer to help with the annual Blues from the Top Festival, attend a Blue Star Connection benefit, donate an instrument, or donate financially. We've seen they've made first-hand and are the first to support their work in the county and beyond!
Posted by Leah Bishop on
Leave A Comment