As I do each new school year, I'd like to open this year's introduction with a heartfelt thanks to all of the educators and administrators who invited me into their schools over the past decade to perform for their students, and especially to the ones who invite me back year-after-year.

When I was a student... many, many, many years ago, I recall glossing over history without gaining much of an interest in, or appreciation of, the curriculum.  A few years later I heard Marty Robbins' Ballad Of The Alamo, and began to realize what I had missed.  

A few years ago I released a CD entitled The Eagle & The Snake: Songs Of The Texians.  The CD featured a collection of songs which depicted a chronological journey through the history, culture, and folklore of Texas.  The CD met with critical acclaim and went on to produce a national radio hit, I've Been Everywhere (In Texas).

Using my songs as educational material had never occurred to me,  but soon after the release of The Eagle & The Snake: Songs Of The Texians I began hearing reports of educators using my music to augment their Texas history curriculum.

I developed Once Upon A Time In Texas in 2003 and began promoting the program to elementary and middle schools throughout Texas.  By the end of the school year I had taken my guitar and my songs into 70 schools in Texas and one in Germany!  Now in 2012 number is at several thousand schools!  I'm proud to say that Once Upon A Time In Texas is the most in-demand school assembly program for Texas schools.

Sharing my songs and stories with young people over the past decade has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I realize now that if someone had brought a program like this into my school when I was studying Texas history, it would have made all the difference in the world... for me, and for a lot of other students.

I am struck by not only the number of testimonials I receive from educators about the inspirational aspect of my performance, but even more by those who bring me back each year because they attribute my visits to their students actually earning higher grades.  I also receive numerous comments about the Q&A with the students during the program, where I try to instill the importance of incorporating reading/writing, and other subject skills into life in order to be successful.  I also enjoy answering their questions about music and the music business; and it is a business, a job in many ways like any other job, where so many of the same skills for success apply.

My objective as a balladeer and presenter is not just to teach, but to inspire.  Once Upon A Time In Texas is a series of songs and stories that have inspired hundreds of thousands, young and old, to WANT to learn more about the people, places, and events depicted in the songs.  Educator and student response has been tremendous, and I hope for the opportunity to bring my program to your school this year.

 

I am looking forward to many fun and rewarding performances during the 2012-2013 school year.  I have developed the EducativeArts web site to help teachers and administrators understand what my program is all about.  Music is fun, but it is also one of the most effective tools for igniting the imagination, and one spark is all it takes to ignite an imagination for a lifetime.

I have been lucky to have a career that allows me to travel the great state of Texas and beyond, to meet students and educators, to visit legendary places from Luckenbach, TX to Washington D.C., to perform for audiences ranging in age from 8 to 80, and to share our nation's illustrious history through my music.  The history of a people truly is best illuminated through its music.

Click SCHOOLS to see a list of schools in which I've performed... click TESTIMONIALS to see what educators, parents, and students have to say about my music and my programs... click SCHEDULE to find out where I'm performing next... click BOOKING to learn how to book my presentation at your school, library, or historical organization... click FAQs to find answers to the most frequently asked questions about my programs... and finally, click BRIANBURNSMUSIC.COM to learn about my recordings, hear music excerpts, find bio and press info, purchase my music online, sign up for my (non-educational) newsletter, link to terrestrial and satellite radio stations worldwide that play my music, etc...

Please note that I am always happy to provide a strong anti-drug message at the end of my presentation for those schools that are bringing in my program with anti-drug education funds.

I look forward to visiting some of our incredible elementary and middle schools this year and sharing a few songs and stories with you!

Sincerely,
Brian Burns