Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Memory: Montana

For Students 3rd - 5th
Who were the first white explorers to "set foot in Montana?" Find out more about the Native American population living in Montana. Draw on the experience of the Native American population.
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: The Blues as Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Discover what the relationship is between poetry and the blues. This site features lesson plans and online resources.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed: Josephine Baker

For Students 9th - 10th
Entry, from an online encyclopedia of African American history, for Josephine Baker.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Richard Rodgers Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is provided for by the Library of Congress. Below the long list of Rodgers' works you'll find an extensive timeline of his life and composition history.
Graphic
Curated OER

Singer Mahalia Jackson Practices With Gospel Legend Thomas A. Dorsey

For Students 9th - 10th
In Summer 2003, NPR broadcast a special series on the history of American music. This site focus is on the unique traditions in American music including country music, blues, and gospel.
Graphic
Curated OER

Bob Wills

For Students 9th - 10th
In Summer 2003, NPR broadcast a special series on the history of American music. This site focus is on the unique traditions in American music including country music, blues, and gospel.
Graphic
Curated OER

Santiago Jimenez Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
In Summer 2003, NPR broadcast a special series on the history of American music. This site focus is on the unique traditions in American music including country music, blues, and gospel.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Public Enemy

For Students 9th - 10th
In this encyclopedia entry, you read about the rap group, Public Enemy, their songs, and the evolution of their message. There is a link to a website for more information.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Louis Jordan

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Louis Jordan, an American saxophonist-singer prominent in the 1940s and '50s who was a seminal figure in the development of both rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The bouncing, rhythmic...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Sam and Dave

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical details on Sam and Dave, the American vocal duo who were among the most popular performers of soul music in the late 1960s and whose gritty, gospel-drenched style typified the Memphis Sound.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Snoop Dogg

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the life of American rapper and songwriter, Snoop Dogg, who became one of the best-known figures in gangsta rap in the 1990s and was for many the epitome of West Coast hip-hop culture.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Family Customs Past and Present: Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Photos, documents, music, and stories help students deepen their understanding of the rituals and customs of various cultures throughout American history.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Women and the Blues

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the impact of women blues performers.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Modern Jazz Quartet (Mjq)

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), an American musical ensemble noted for delicate percussion sonorities, innovations in jazz forms, and consistently high-performance standards sustained over a...
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Cooke, Sam (1931 1964)

For Students 9th - 10th
Sam Cooke's influence on music, as the pioneer in cross-over from gospel to rhythm and blues, is described in this encyclopedia entry. His music was important to the African-American identity in the Civil Rights movement.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Joplin, Scott

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a brief encyclopedia biography of the ragtime composer, Scott Joplin, whose music was influential in the growth of jazz.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Jackson, Mahalia

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article tells the high points of Mahalia Jackson's life. She was a world-renowned gospel singer whose influence was felt in the civil rights movement.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Monk, Thelonius

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry gives a brief account of Thelonius Monk, jazz pianist, and his influence on the jazz scene.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Bert Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article gives a good overview of the life of Bert Williams, a black entertainer of the early 1900's who broke many color lines.
Website
Other

Uc Press: Workin' Man Blues

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, from the University of California Press, offers a description of Gerald Haslam's book about country music in California called "Workin' Man Blues." The site also offers a bit of information about Haslam's life and other works.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Luther Vandross

For Students 9th - 10th
Summarizes the life and career of Luther Vandross, an American soul and pop singer, songwriter, and producer whose widespread popularity and reputation as a consummate stylist began in the early 1980s.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Stevie Wonder

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biographical sketch of Stevie Wonder, an African-American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Etta Baker

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Etta Baker, an American folk musician who influenced the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s with her mastery of East Coast Piedmont blues, a unique fingerpicking style of...
Article
Other

Native Peoples: Powwow 101

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explains what a powwow is, some of its history, how native people feel about them, powwow etiquette, the music, the dances, and the regalia. (Published July-August 2004 issue)