Baby and his family make some jazzy music.

This valuable resource is designed to give elementary teachers with no formal music training all the tools they need to help their students develop an understanding of and appreciation for music. This book includes lessons, reproducible games, worksheets and puzzles. Also included are MP3 files that feature over 60 minutes of music and a complete PowerPoint presentation. The book follows a well-sequenced curriculum based on the National Standards for Music Education in the United States and the Ontario Curriculum for the Arts in Canada.

How do children learn music? And how can music teachers help children to become independent and self-sufficient musical thinkers? Author Eric Bluestine sheds light on these issues in music education.

The result of an international event celebrating the second UNESCO International Jazz Day held on April 30 2013 at the University of Padova, Italy, this book represents the development of a project begun some years before to investigate the issue of improvisation, considered as a multi-faced concept and practice. The initial focus of this project was to discuss the different meanings attributed to the concept of improvisation, starting from questioning the common misunderstanding which interprets improvisation as a naïve behaviour rather than high-level performance. According with these premises, Education as Jazz represents a metaphor and a challenge, exploring the potential of jazz conceived not only as kind of music or art, but rather as a mix of values, attitudes, and skills fundamental in everyday life and in human development. As such, the book adopts an interdisciplinary perspective and a multidimensional approach. According to the rationale of the UNESCO International Jazz Day, which highlights the role of jazz in promoting peaceful societies, intercultural dialogue, gender equality, and innovative spirit, this book offers a concrete educational resource and theoretical framework oriented towards a new pedagogy for freedom.

Duke Ellington, one of the most influential figures in American music, comes alive in this comprehensive biography with engaging activities. Ellington was an accomplished and influential jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and cultural diplomat. Activities include creating a ragtime rhythm, making a washtub bass, writing song lyrics, thinking like an arranger, and learning to dance the Lindy Hop. It explores Ellington's life and career along with many topics related to African American history, including the Harlem Renaissance. Kids will learn about the musical evolution of jazz that coincided with Ellington's long life from ragtime through the big band era on up to the 1970s. Kids learn how music technology has changed over the years from piano rolls to record albums through CDs, television, and portable music devices. The extensive resources include a time line, glossary, list of Ellington's greatest recordings, related books, Web sites, and DVDs for further study.