Program brings Texas history alive for students

"This type of learning is epic," she said as Roberts wrapped up his performance for special education students. "It offers an authentic experience that creates active memory and recall."

Roberts, 60, is among a cadre of Bard performers dispatched by the Texas Heritage Music Foundation to area schools.

"We're not just hiring people to go sing some songs. They're committed to using stories and songs to make a difference in culture and in life," said Kathleen Hudson, 67, who directs the foundation she created 25 years ago.

"Stories can be motivational, introduce students to historical events, be inspirational or address the creative process," she said at the foundation headquarters, a rock cabin at Schreiner University, where she's taught English since 1986.

Hudson's story collection includes more than 400 recordings of interviews with Texas musicians.

Operating on a budget of about $50,000 raised from donations, the foundation sponsors monthly coffeehouse concerts at the Kerrville university, hosts an annual festival there and provides hands-on experience in nonprofit management and marketing to college students who work in its office.

San Marcos musician Terri Hendrix, who headlined the Texas Heritage Music Days festival in September, said Hudson's organization offers performers a welcome alternative to appearing at bars.

"Kathleen was one of the first people to book me years ago," Hendrix said. "I remember it being one of the first times I played at a place where people really listened to my lyrics. It was a really great experience."

The festival is more than just a concert, featuring storytellers and songwriters, barnyard animals and cultural demonstrations such as chuck wagon cooking and Indian villages.

"Last year they talked about what frontier life was like for early German settlers," said Dee Ann Foley, a teacher at Starkey Elementary School in Kerrville, which sends its fourth-graders each year.