Curated OER
Jazz and World War II: A Rally to Resistance, A Catalyst for Victory
Students examine the impact of WWII on the development of jazz music and consider how jazz music helped to boost morale of both soldiers and those left at home. They identify the function of jazz as a cultural export and discuss its...
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford
Similes Activity using Jazz (featuring Duke Ellington)
Language learners get into the swing of things with a jazzy lesson about similes. They read an article about Duke Ellington, listen to samples of his music, and then try their hand at crafting similes to describe his improvisational and...
Institut Obert de Catalunya
20th Century Music: Jazz
A 67-page packet provides instructors with a complete course in the history of Jazz. Lessons look at the roots of jazz in early 20th century African American communities in the southern United States and continues to the New Orleans...
Curated OER
Country's Music
Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop, Swing. Gospel, R&B, Ragtime, Disco. So many music genres born in the USA. After reading an article about the fate of New Orlean's Jazz after Hurricane Katrina, class members investigate the life cycles of...
Curated OER
Famous People of the Twenties
Meet some of the people who made headlines during the 1920s. You'll be introduced to names of famous musicians, politicians, bad guys, athletes, reformers, and writers of the time. Images of each individual along with a brief about their...
Curated OER
Now's the Time, Charlie Parker Now's the Time, Eddie Jefferson
Young scholars delve into the music of bebop style jazz and the life and talents of some of the great musicians. The styles of Charlie Parker and James Moody are compared and contrasted in this instructional activity.
Curated OER
Listen Up! Swinging with some Big Band Music
Students read about the music and life of Glenn Miller. They listen to Miller's "Jeep Jockey Jump" and analyze the piece for instrumentation, formal structure and stylistic characteristics.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Jazz and Ww Ii: A Rally to Resistance, a Catalyst for Victory
Lesson plan that teaches the roles that jazz music and jazz musicians played in the war effort and that demonstrates the effect that the war had on jazz in America.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Walter Page
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Walter Page, a black American swing-era musician, one of the first to play "walking" lines on the string bass. A pioneer of the Southwestern jazz style, he was a star of the Count Basie...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Duke Ellington
Biography of Duke Ellington, one of the originators of big band jazz, and a noted composer.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Jo Jones
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Jo Jones, a black American musician, one of the most influential of all jazz drummers, noted for his swing, dynamic subtlety, and finesse.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Ella Fitzgerald
Brief biography of famous singer and Grammy winner Ella Fitzgerald.