Curated OER
Women in Jazz
Pupils watch a video: "VH1 Millennium Jazz Festival From The White House" to become familiar with prominent women in jazz. They discuss the vocally oriented nature of jazz and the contributions made by women on and off stage.
Curated OER
Negro Leagues Baseball
Students write a one page paper on one of the following players: Fleetwood Walker, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, or "Cool Papa Bell". They listen to the taped selection of Black Diamond by McKissack and McKissack and write a one page...
Curated OER
Smithsonian Jazz Class: Benny Carter
Students play "Benny's Match Game" to learn about the life and career of Benny Carter. Students listen to samples of Benny Carter's music and create written responses that evaluate his music.
Library of Congress
Loc: First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald
This article about the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald explores major moments in the jazz singer's career.
PBS
Pbs: Jazz: Biographies: Ella Fitzgerald
Learn about the life of Ella Fitzgerald, from her childhood as an orphan to her rise as a successful jazz singer. Includes audio (requires RealPlayer).
Other
Usps: Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Celebrate Black Heritage Month by studying this extraordinary vocalist who transcended a troubled childhood to become an American treasure. Create a musical timeline of the noteworthy events in Ella's life. Explore her sensational lyrics...
PBS
Pbs: American Masters: Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald is featured on this PBS site. Find out about her life and musical career. Be sure to check out the interactive career timeline as well.
PBS
Pbs American Experience: The Casual Excellence of Ella Fitzgerald
By challenging conventional links between black women's lives and their art, Ella Fitzgerald made space for imagination, virtuosity, and play.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Ella Fitzgerald
Brief biography of famous singer and Grammy winner Ella Fitzgerald.
Black Past
Black Past: Fitzgerald, Ella
This encyclopedia entry details the life of Ella Fitzgerald, the incredible jazz singer.
Danuta Bois
Distinguished Women of Past and Present: Ella Fitzgerald
This is a very short article on Ella Fitzgerald, a jazz singer who was discovered while "singing in a Harlem talent show."
Other
Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald
This is just a large black & white photo of Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. It's a nice one!
Curated OER
Museum of the City of New York: Ella Fitzgerald
A photograph of Ella Fitzgerald from the Musum of the City of New York.
Other
Kingwood Library: American Cultural History: 1940 1949
Take a walk through this part of American history surrounding World War II. Each section includes cultural history of the time, with links pertaining to art and architecture, books and literature, education, fads and fashion, historic...
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Musical Harlem
The Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge offers a great unit for introducing jazz to students. Its use of Harlem as the "glue" which binds together elements such as jazz history and jazz terminology, makes it particularly effective for the...
Other
Old Time Jazz Online
Choose and listen to jazz music from the 1800s to today. Listen to artists such as Buck Johnson, Kid Ory, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more.
Other
Famous Singers
Biographical profiles of famous singers in major musical genres. Includes photo and links to snippets of their songs.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Great War & Jazz Age (1914 1928)
This Library of Congress time-line series surveys World War I and the Jazz Age. When World War I broke out in Europe, many changes were going on in the United States. Women were voting for the first time and African-American culture was...
Other
All About Jazz
Has reviews, interviews, and articles. Of special interest is the jazz time-line.
PBS
Pbs: American Masters: Louis Armstrong
PBS provides an overview and highlights of the life of jazz great, Louis Armstrong.
My Hero Project
My Hero: Charlie Parker
Use this resource to learn about Charlie Parker's life and musical career, which provides links to further information, quotes, and images.