Current Events Lesson Plan: April 20-26, 2017
Current Event: Jazz Appreciation Month: Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 2017, marks the 100th anniversary of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald’s birth. Fitzgerald was one of the best and most popular singers in jazz history. Often called the “first lady of song,” she was known for her pure and beautiful tone, extended range, flawless intonation, and strong sense of jazz feeling. She also became famous for her ability to improvise through scat singing. Fitzgerald enjoyed a lengthy and successful career, winning 13 Grammy Awards and selling more than 40 million albums. She received the National Medal of Arts and is a Kennedy Center Honoree. (Such honorees are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.) Ella Fitzgerald died on June 15, 1996, at the age of 79.
Ella Fitzgerald performs with her husband, bassist Ray Brown, as trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie looks on. Credit: Library of Congress
Objective:
Jazz is a kind of music that has often been called the only art form to originate in the United States. The history of jazz began in the late 1800′s. The music grew from a combination of influences, including black American music, African rhythms, American band traditions and instruments, and European harmonies and forms. One of the key elements of jazz is improvisation—the ability to create new music spontaneously. This skill is the distinguishing characteristic of the genuine jazz musician. Improvisation raises the role of the soloist from just a performer and reproducer of others’ ideas to a composer as well. Another important element of jazz is syncopation. To syncopate their music, jazz musicians take patterns that are even and regular and break them up, make them uneven, and put accents in unexpected places. The earliest jazz was performed by black Americans who had little or no training in Western music and by “Creoles of color,” who were educated and had musical training. Creoles were descendants of early French or Spanish settlers in Louisiana. These musicians drew on a strong musical culture from black life. As jazz grew in popularity, its sound was influenced by musicians with formal training and classical backgrounds. During its history, jazz has absorbed influences from the folk and classical music of Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world. The development of instruments with new and different characteristics has also influenced the sound of jazz. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore jazz and other kinds of music.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Jazz is one kind of music. Ask your students to name some other kinds of music. (Students might say blues, classical music, country music, folk music, popular music, rap music, reggae, rock music, salsa.)
2. Ask your students who their favorite singer is.
3. Ask your students to debate, “All students should be required to take either an art or a music class each school year.”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Jazz timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Jazz” article for help.)
