Advent of Jazz

Abstract:: Jazz grew out of the African-American community at the turn of the 20th century, a time when blacks were being denied their most basic rights. The music has since become a part of every American's birthright, a timeless symbol of American individualism and ingenuity, American democracy and inclusiveness. In this lesson students will learn about the social, cultural, and economic origins of jazz within the African-American community.

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Bebop and Modernism

Abstract:: In this lesson students will study how social and economic changes in post–World War II America influenced arts and culture. Students will learn about the experience of African Americans in the postwar period, including the civil rights movement and desegregation, and the influence of these experiences on African-American culture. Students will study how competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War contributed to the popularity of jazz around the world. They will learn about the musical characteristics of bebop, and be able to articulate the similarities and differences between earlier jazz styles (such as swing) and bebop. Students will identify important jazz innovators and soloists in the postwar period, and be able to identify characteristics of bebop, cool jazz, Latin jazz, and hard bop. Students will understand how different conceptions of artistry and the role of artists influenced the development, dissemination, and popularity of jazz in the 1940s and 1950s.

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Abstract:: The Big Read...inspiring people across the country to pick up a good book. Listen to radio programs, watch video profiles, and read brief essays about classic authors.

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Abstract:: Students will gain knowledge about major new developments in cultural and social life during the 1920s and 1930s and will learn how these developments were influenced by political, economic, and international events. Students will understand how jazz developed and spread throughout the country through regional bands, migration, interaction between black and white musicians, and the application of new technology. Students will learn how the evolution of jazz was influenced by Prohibition, the Great Depression, and World War II. Students will identify important jazz soloists and band-leaders, and be able to trace the evolution of improvised solos, expanded bands, and the popularity of jazz.