PBS
Pbs: Jazz Timeline
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....
Other
Jazz at Lincoln Center: Jazz for Young People Curriculum
This jazz resource provides many lessons which include audio, video, slideshows and quizzes.
Other
Jazz Improvisation Primer
An info-packed lesson on jazz improvisation and jazz history. Very useful for musicians aspiring to play in the jazz idiom.
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Jazz Age: Redefining the Nation 1919 1929: A New Generation
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...
Library of Congress
Loc: Photographs From the Age of Jazz
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.
Other
Jazz Dance History: Jack Cole
The influence and importance of Jack Cole in the development of jazz dance in the theater, includes shows he choreographed.
Scott Alexander
Red Hot Jazz: Louis Armstrong Orchestra
Includes brief history of Louis Armstrong and his orchestra, a photo, and a complete discography list.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Jazz in Pennsylvania
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.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Dorsey Brothers
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.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Billy Eckstine
Learn of the historical contributions of jazz musician, band leader, and Pennsylvania native, Billy Eckstine in this succinct biography.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Smithsonian Jazz: Duke Ellington
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.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Documents Gallery: Ellington and Strayhorn
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...
Stanford University
Sulair: The Monterey Jazz Festival Collection
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...
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Hazel Scott
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.
American Movie Classics Company
The Film Site: The History of Film: The 1920's
This resource provides information about the history of film.
![Pbs: History Detectives: Investigations: Black Star Line [Pdf] Activity](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/35500-5ce0e7c72f9615a7b74440d3571e2d59.jpg?1661252960 "Pbs: History Detectives: Investigations: Black Star Line [Pdf] Activity")
PBS
Pbs: History Detectives: Investigations: Black Star Line [Pdf]
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...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1890 1945: American Culture in the 1920s
Learn about jazz, flappers, and the Lost Generation.
Read Works
Read Works: Time for Jazz
[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.
Tennessee History For Kids
Tennessee History for Kids: Bessie Smith
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...
Other
Voice of America: American History: 1920s Were a Big Time for the Arts
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.
Other
Nlbpa: Negro Leagues Baseball History
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.
PBS
Pbs: Biography of Dizzy Gillespie
This PBS biography about trumpeter and jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie includes photos, multiple audio features, and links within the text to other famous musicians.
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...