Jazz Music

Jazz Music and Musicians

Kindergarten

We begin by singing a song they are familiar with like Twinkle, Twinkle...I continue with a listening selection of a jazz version of Twinkle, Twinkle... I want students to hear the difference and be able to identify that there is a familiar melody that has been changed. (Improvisation!)

I ask students to now sing along with the jazz version. How did it make them feel? Which version did they like best, etc. We then move on to the story Charlie Parker Played Bebop.

This is a great introduction to scat singing with nonsense words or syllables. I use cards with the nonsense words on them to read before the story. Students repeat the words. We read the story and then discuss what they may have learned about Charlie Parker. I play the CD and have them follow along in their own shared copies of the book. Then, I ask students to read to each other.

On another day we discuss improvisation and review how jazz performers use this in their their music. I play jazz music and ask students in pairs to "improv" a dance across the carpet circle. After this activity I play some Ella Fitzgerald scatting. 

Ella One Note Samba Scat

I hold out paintbrush and bucket cards with the nonsense scat words from the Charlie Parker book. I ask students to try scatting using the words. I usually give a few examples of my own before holding out my microphone to them.

First Grade

We begin with a review of improvisation from kindergarten. I ask them about jazz music to assess prior learning. I pass a ball or beanbag while students improvise a story. They each add one sentence at a time to create a silly, nonsense story. 

We then read the story John Coltrane's Giant Steps. 

After listening to the story with the CD, we improvise using our own selection of instruments. 

Raindrop-triangle
Box-drums and woodblocks
Snowflake-bells
Kitten-meows and maracas

We then watch Giant Steps on youtube. There is a great version that shows the music on the printed page. Giant Steps Animated Sheet Music
and/or Giant Steps with Architecture

Then we listen to and learn to sing A Tisket, A Tasket. 

  
Listen to Ella singing A Tisket...

I read the book to them after singing. 

Second Grade

We being with a listening selection. I like to use the jazz version of Ellington's The Nutcracker.
The previous link gives examples of the original piece as well as the jazz versions. We compare and contrast the Nutcracker classical and jazz versions.

We continue on with the book Hip Cat by Jonathan London.

We discuss the language of jazz using a jazz vocabulary worksheet.

 Students are asked to complete the worksheet in groups and then use some of their words to tell a "jazzy" story. 

I also use the PBS Chuck Vanderchuck site to explore the instruments of jazz. We use the lyrics section to create funny songs. They love it! 

  Third Grade
I like to begin with listening examples of some jazz greats. I finish with Ella Fitzgerald

We then discuss scat singing with a few examples. This leads us into The Jazz Fly by Matthew Golub. 

 

This is a great book and nice introduction to scat singing and improvisation. I write the repeated "scat" syllables on the board. I ask students to repeat them as I read them in the book. It's a fun read aloud and students enjoy adding to it as I read. 

I hand out different scat syllables on coordinating cards of paint brushes and buckets. Someone who has a paintbrush must match up with a bucket. These pairs then create a scat using their pairs. Then, I ask I have them work in groups to create their own scat song.

  Here is a youtube jazz chord backing track I use when students are asked to improvise vocally or on instruments.



Fourth Grade

We start with a short history of jazz with a youtube video. This one is a sample: Jazz History in less than 15 minutes! 

I split the students into groups and they choose one jazz artist per group. They choose from the following books and read them to each other:

Celia Cruz: Listening Example and biography

 I use this book because it is in Spanish and English, we have a large Hispanic population, and it represents a famous woman in the jazz world.

Louis Armstrong: Listening Example and biography

Ella Fitzgerald: Listening Example and biography

 Duke Ellington: Listening Example and biography

Dizzy Gillespie: Listening Example and biography

After reading, they complete a biography sheet I adapted for this lesson. They will use this information to create an animated cartoon about their artist using Goanimate.

More Tchaikovsky-Sleeping Beauty

Waltz from "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky

(This routine is done in a large circle. After students are seated distribute plates alternating blue-white.)

Introduction: 

Blue plates-Lift both up for 2 beats, down for 2 beats. Repeat three times.

(Half note pulse) Alternate plates in the air. R-L-R-L. Repeat twice.

Fan plates with both hands from high to low for 8 beats

Fan plates with both hands from low to high for 8 beats

White plates-Lift both down for 2 beats and up for 2 beats. Repeat three times.

(Half note pulse) Alternate plates in the air. R-L-R-L. Repeat twice.

Fan plates with both hands from low to high for 8 beats

Fan plates with both hands from high to low for 8 beats

 

A Section: All plates-Place plates on lap, clap plates together. Repeat three times. Swing plates R-L-R-L, then to the right in a large circle in front of you. REPEAT SEQUENCE

 

B Section: Blue Plates-Fan plates up in front of you for 3 beats, then clap bottom of plates together three times, moving down each clap. Brush bottom of plates together (ti-ti-ti-ta rhythm) twice. REPEAT SEQUENCE A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES.

 

A Section: ALL PLATES-Pat plates on lap, clap plates together. Repeat three times.
Swing plates R-L-R-L, then to the right in a large circle in front of you. REPEAT SEQUENCE

C Section: Blue Plates-Hold both plates out to your side, bottom side up. White plates will be playing on your plates.

White Plates-Hold left plate to the side. Take right plate and tap your neighbor's plate 8 times. Reverse and hold your right plate to the sideand tap with your left plate. REPEAT SEQUENCE

 

A Section: ALL PLATES-Pat plates on lap, clap plates together. Repeat three times.
Swing plates R-L-R-L, then to the right in a large circle in front of you. REPEAT SEQUENCE

 

B Section: Blue Plates-Fan plates up in front of you for 3 beats, then clap bottom of plates together three times, moving down each clap. Brush bottom of plates together (ti-ti-ti-ta rhythm) twice. REPEAT SEQUENCE

 

A Section: ALL PLATES-Pat plates on lap, clap plates together. Repeat three times.
Swing plates R-L-R-L, then to the right in a large circle in front of you. REPEAT SEQUENCE

 

Coda: ALL PLATES-Alternate both plates in front of you up and down for 28 pulses. Fan both plates up in front for 3 beats, then drop and cover face. REPEAT

 

Alternate back and at the end in front of face on the pulse. ("Peek-a-boo") End with plates hiding the face.

 

Carnival of the Animals

I begin by discussing the composer Camille Saint-Saens. We discuss how he enjoyed jokes and wrote this piece to entertain his students. I would ask students to think of a time when they were acting silly with their friends and pretending to be chickens or other animals. Some say that Saint-Saens liked to write songs about his friends and how they acted. This is not bullying because is was good natured humor and his friends knew he was just being silly.

We listen to the piece after discussing how it is split up into parts or "movements".

I share the illustrations as we listen. There are several books available.

On the first listen, we use rhythm sticks and jinglebells along with some movement. We add more instruments each week. 

INTRODUCTION AND ROYAL MARCH OF THE LION. 

We tap on our laps for the roar of the lion. (Second listening we use drums)

HENS AND COCKS. Click the rhythm sticks for the clucking. (Second listening we use woodblocks)

MULES: UP and down with the jingle bells.

TORTOISES. Listening.

THE ELEPHANT. Tap the two-three of the waltz with egg shakers. (Second listening use drums)

KANGAROOS. We hop in place.

THE AQUARIUM. Use jingle bells or hands as fish and bubbles.

PERSONAGES WITH LONG EARS are identified by the braying of the violins. We stand and bow our invisible violins and and down.

CUCKOO IN THE WOODS. Echo the cuckoo with our voices.

THE AVIARY. No parody in this beautiful little scherzo for the flute and fluttering strings.

PIANISTS. Play our invisible lap pianos. Guided movement.

FOSSILS. Rhythm sticks. (Second listening use xylophones with a simple pattern)

THE SWAN. Listening

FINALE. Choose an animal and add movements.

I like to introduce the idea of a listening map. We use the second week to create our own listening maps, draw, and move/play. I play each movement twice so that students can listen/draw or play on the first listen and then trade with their partners on the second one. This takes me two weeks to complete. Template to come soon! I do not use the Introduction or Finale in the Musical Map so that we have twelve boxes. 

Below is the free pdf file I display on the board as a slideshow when we do our second listen to the piece. I have a remote to flip through the slides as students draw their listening map.

Carnival of-the-animals copy from mlauricella68

Peter and the Wolf

I began my Peter and the Wolf unit this week. I find it a great way to introduce "theme" and specific instruments of the orchestra. I begin by introducing the idea of theme (special music you will hear for each character in the story). We discuss how the characters can be people or animals. Here is a great little presentation I found on Mimio Connect (Thank you Maria O.):

Peter and the Wolf 

I usually start with the slide that shows Peter and the violin. I discuss each character, their theme and instrument. Then, I move on to the next character.

After hearing the theme for each one, I begin to tell the story. I use a book I found that was being recycled from my old school's library! It is wonderful, but you can use any Peter and the Wolf book. I flip from slide to slide as I tell the story and review what instruments are being heard. 

I have the English version of this edition. It has great illustrations and the theme for each character appears on the opposite page.

I use the slides that come after this section to review the instruments with the students on the Mimio. Sometimes, I will play the beginning of the Disney version. I bought the Dvd and am happy to loan it out anytime. It used to be available on YouTube, but Disney removed it for copyright violations. There is a version of the Disney book and record on YouTube.

During the second week I use a poem retelling the story from Boosey Hawkes, I've had for several years. 


I use instrument stations for this lesson. I have a character card at each station (except for Grandpa, as it worked better for me with the six stations instead of seven). Each station has a different instrument (4 of each) to represent each character. I use the woodblock/duck, handbells/Peter, drums/hunters, triangle/bird, maracas/cat, wrist bells/Wolf. I add characters that are mentioned early on in the story so each group has a fair amount of time to play their instrument before moving to the next station. Students love to play as I read and they get a chance to be active!

I finish with a final listening and matching game. I know that some teachers with more time make finger puppets. There are some templates out there, so I will add as I go. Also, you can check out this Pinterest board on Peter and the Wolf; Pinterest: Peter and the Wolf.
There are a ton of resources out there! 

Bluebonnet Folktale and Composition

This lesson beings with a discussion on folktales. We discuss some examples and why students think they were given the name "folktale". (Babe and the Blue Ox, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed) I explain that we will be using a folktale from the State of Texas as a basis for an original composition. We then learn the American folk song Deep in the Heart of Texas.

 

I ask students to identify a repeating pattern in the song. After we decide that the four eighth note clapping is the repeated pattern, they create a square around them and shade them in with colored pencils or crayons.

In the next lesson, we read The Legend of Bluebonnet, a folktale of Texas.

 

Then we identify the five W's. I use their answers to create a poem about Bluebonnet. Together we review rhythms using the poem. Then, we use the poem along with the rhythms to create our own pieces using xylophones.

I have used this composition model before. They improvise in groups of four, each taking one measure. Then, they create a piece to perform for the class. Later, we practice together as we make a treble clef. (I start with a number 6 and add a loop to the top, line down, then opposite loop on the bottom) You can skip the bottom section if you do not have time, but students like to add their notes on the staff. I sometimes have them skip the bottom and use noteflight.com, finale, sibelius or another similar program.

Dia De Los Muertos and Composition

I begin by reading the story of Beto and the Bone Dance. This is an excellent introduction to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). 

 I ask students to share any personal experiences they have with this celebration. We review the Spanish vocabulary words and pronunciation. 

Then, I share this poem with them: Skeleton bones, dance around. Dia de los Muertos, can you hear the sound? This is a good time to review rhythms. Together, we use rhythm sticks to show the rhythmic patterns in this poem. If there is time, students can complete a coloring/word search.

 

The next week, we are into split into groups of four. Each group has one xylophone and is responsible for improvising one measure if the song. I let students experiment on the instrument and then every member of their group adds the notes chosen.

My apologies to purists, but for this lesson I let students compose using a six note scale. After they have practiced, the groups play their song for the class.

On the second week of this composition lesson, I have students practice writing notes on the staff using the musical cups game. It is a great way to practice writing music. They can write three or four letter songs. (with four cups)

 Their final class for this composition is a chance for students to write their song on the staff.

Beethoven and Obstacles

We start this (third grade) unit on Beethoven with a discussion on obstacles. I begin with a silly demonstration. I start telling them about Beethoven's music and keep bumping into a chair placed in the middle of the room. After a few giggles, I ask them why I kept stopping and restarting my lesson. This leads into the short discussion on obstacles. We tie this into Beethoven's life and then I move on to this presentation from ArtsEdge.

 Beethoven Rocks! Artsedge

After we get to know a little bit about Ludwig Van Beethoven, we learn to sing Ode to Joy from his ninth symphony. I created this Mimio slide:

I like to show the movie or read the story of Beethoven Lives Upstairs. I split it into two parts, using the song Ode to Joy (singing and/or with bells) with the first, and some questions with the second.

After we complete the movie, I have students give me a list of words they associate with Beethoven. I write the (numbered) list on the board. We then discuss his great obstacle and how it affected his life/music. 

I ask students to use the word list and their imagination to write a letter to Beethoven, discussing his music, life and great obstacle.

(Letter template)