Jazz Is Elementary

Use jazz to develop children's creativity! This collection of 60 jazz-based teaching strategies is designed to foster music making, creative movement, and improvisation in the K-5 music classroom. The innovative strategies are grounded in the best practices in elementary music education and are partnered with a curated playlist of jazz music that is available on streaming audio platforms. Representing the music of nearly 80 iconic jazz artists of yesterday and today - Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Sarah Vaughan - these strategies can be used to engage children and prompt their creative and original expressions. Includes singing, instrument play, body percussion, games, chants, and dances that support both individual and group assessment. Online companion materials include instructional videos for dances; printable resources such as visual aids, notation cards, movement directives, and color sheets; and artist profiles that provide brief biographies and put each musician in historical and musical context. Foreword by bassist Victor Wooten!