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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using excerpts from Ken Burns' fabulous jazz series documentary, jazz rhythm is explored. This is a well designed lesson plan!
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson deals primarily with the number of rhythmic combinations that can be found in a four beat measure of music. Students will learn through trial and error and derive a mathematical formula to calculate the number of possible...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Jazz and Math: The Beat Goes On

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This instructional activity will require students to collect data through listening, counting and timing. They will use ratios, rates, and proportions to report data. They will also demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of rhythm...
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Website
Other

Jazz Improvisation Primer/ Free Improvisation

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at what makes free jazz musically unique. Contains specific examples of free rhythm and tonality.
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Article
OpenStax

Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Listening to Ragtime

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent resource explaining the details that characterize ragtime music. From the rhythms to the typical form, this site gives a great overview of this early style of jazz.
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Handout
Classical Net

Classical Net: Aaron Copland, 1900 1990

For Students 9th - 10th
A good biography, with a good list of works, make this worthwhile, with links to related composers and at least one work, "Appalachian Spring."
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Horace Silver

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Horace Silver, an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, exemplary performer of what came to be called the hard bop style of the 1950s and '60s. The style was an extension of...
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Herbie Nichols

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Herbie Nichols, an African-American jazz pianist and composer whose advanced bop-era concepts of rhythm, harmony, and form predicted aspects of free jazz.
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Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Aaron Copland

For Students 3rd - 8th
Aaron Copland (1900-1990 CE) was one of the first composers to put jazzy music into symphonic music, Copland was also one of the greatest American composers. Read more about him and his work. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to...
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Website
University of Michigan

University of Michigan: Chico's Salsa Virtual Tour

For Students 9th - 10th
This multimedia tour of Salsa dancing includes general background information, a chronology of salsa, sound and video clips, biographies on salsa artists, and resources for further reading and research. Also included is a "Salsa...
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Website
Academy of American Poets

Poets.org: Langston Hughes

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a biography of Langston Hughes, followed by several of his poems (some complete with audio clips) and a bibliography of his more influential works.
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Lesson Plan
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Langston Hughes

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Erroll Garner

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Erroll Garner, a U.S. pianist and composer, one of the most virtuosic and popular pianists in jazz. Garner was influenced by Fats Waller and was entirely self-taught. He substituted for...
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Adelaide Hall

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Adelaide Hall, an American-born jazz improviser whose wordless rhythms ushered in what became known as scat singing.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Lou Rawls

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Lou Rawls, an American singer whose smooth baritone adapted easily to jazz, soul, gospel, and rhythm and blues.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Randy Weston

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Randy Weston, an American jazz pianist and composer noted for his use of African rhythms.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Sammy Price

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Sammy Price, an American pianist and bandleader, a jazz musician rooted in the old rhythm and blues and boogie-woogie traditions who had a long career as a soloist and accompanist.
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Website
Other

Swing What Is It?

For Students 9th - 10th
Through block notation, this page attempts to bring into focus the concept of swing patterns. The swing patterns are accompanied by various midi files.
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Unknown Type
My Hero Project

My Hero: Langston Hughes

For Students 3rd - 8th
This introduction to the life and writing of Langston Hughes profiles the poet who emerged with the Harlem Renaissance to earn "a place amongst the greatest poets America has ever produced."

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