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Website
PBS

Pbs: Jazz Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
With this timeline, learn about how the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and other forms of racial oppression impacted the rise of jazz in America. Also highlights the achievements of women, including Viola Smith in this world of music....
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Website
Other

Jazz at Lincoln Center: Jazz for Young People Curriculum

For Students 9th - 10th
This jazz resource provides many lessons which include audio, video, slideshows and quizzes.
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Unit Plan
Other

Jazz Improvisation Primer

For Students 9th - 10th
An info-packed lesson on jazz improvisation and jazz history. Very useful for musicians aspiring to play in the jazz idiom.
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eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: The Jazz Age: Redefining the Nation 1919 1929: A New Generation

For Students 11th - 12th
Looks at the new morality that emerged in the 1920s. It changed the role of women and the perception of African Americans, the latter facilitated by the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on the music and dance of the Jazz Age. Also...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Photographs From the Age of Jazz

For Students 9th - 10th
This William P. Gottlieb Collection from the Library of Congress contains over 1600 photographs of celebrated jazz artists and documents the jazz scene from 1938 to 1948.
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Article
Other

Acid Jazz: But Is It Jazz?

For Students 9th - 10th
A lengthy article discussing the validity of Acid Jazz as a genre.
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Handout
Other

Jazz Dance History: Jack Cole

For Students 9th - 10th
The influence and importance of Jack Cole in the development of jazz dance in the theater, includes shows he choreographed.
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Article
Scott Alexander

Red Hot Jazz: Louis Armstrong Orchestra

For Students 9th - 10th
Includes brief history of Louis Armstrong and his orchestra, a photo, and a complete discography list.
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Website
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission

Explore Pa History: Jazz in Pennsylvania

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the history and influences of jazz in the state of Pennsylvania. Resource includes links to audio clips and video from artists, and stories of jazz from around the state.
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Handout
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission

Explore Pa History: Dorsey Brothers

For Students 9th - 10th
A succinct biographical sketch that examines contributions to the jazz and swing eras by noted musicians, band leaders, and Pennsylvania natives, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.
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Handout
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission

Explore Pa History: Billy Eckstine

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn of the historical contributions of jazz musician, band leader, and Pennsylvania native, Billy Eckstine in this succinct biography.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Smithsonian Jazz: Duke Ellington

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This site provides audio clips, photos, and biographical information of this legendary composer and performer. A match game teaches and tests your knowledge of Ellington.
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Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Documents Gallery: Ellington and Strayhorn

For Students 9th - 10th
Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, two of the greatest jazz composers, collaborated on hundreds of works. As you explore this exhibition, you will have an opportunity to view original music scores, listen to audio clips, and view videos...
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Website
Stanford University

Sulair: The Monterey Jazz Festival Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
This fabulous site describes the repository of the digitized collection of music from the Monterey Jazz Festival from 1958 which is housed on the Stanford University campus. On this site you can read about the performances, watch and...
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Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Hazel Scott

For Students 9th - 10th
Jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott was not only the first African-American woman to host her own television show, but she also bravely stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood studio machine.
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Website
American Movie Classics Company

The Film Site: The History of Film: The 1920's

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides information about the history of film.
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Activity
PBS

Pbs: History Detectives: Investigations: Black Star Line [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS had a series called "History Detectives." The video is no longer available for this episode, but this transcript of the video is. Read about the Black Star Line, envisioned by Marcus Garvey as a shipping company in which African...
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1890 1945: American Culture in the 1920s

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about jazz, flappers, and the Lost Generation.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Time for Jazz

For Students 8th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a girl named Lina who wanted to learn more about jazz music and its history. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Handout
Tennessee History For Kids

Tennessee History for Kids: Bessie Smith

For Students 3rd - 8th
Often known as the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith influenced entire generations of blues, jazz, and rock musicians and was the highest-paid black entertainer of her time. This website will provide more information about Smith's...
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Article
Other

Voice of America: American History: 1920s Were a Big Time for the Arts

For Students 9th - 10th
Voice of America offers an article about the arts in the Jazz Age including information about authors who wrote to protest what they saw happening in society. Read this article or listen to the narration of it.
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Website
Other

Nlbpa: Negro Leagues Baseball History

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about the history of early Negro baseball beginnings in the late 19th century before reading about the advent of the Negro National League in the 1920s. Baseball was the American pastime for everyone in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: Biography of Dizzy Gillespie

For Students 9th - 10th
This PBS biography about trumpeter and jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie includes photos, multiple audio features, and links within the text to other famous musicians.
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Musical Harlem

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...

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