The 2020 NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles Jazz Ensemble performed online during 2021 Music In Our Schools Month®. Watch the performance now.
“What Is Jazz, and Why It Is Important to America“
Tuesday, April 13, 1:00 PM EDT: Hosted by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and 14-time GRAMMY-award winning jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Register now.
Jazz Education’s Unexpected Outcomes
While we are all fortunate with the type of students we have the opportunity to work with, many parents and fellow educators do not see all of the hard work it took by everyone to go from the first rehearsal to that final performance. Attention to detail with subtle nuances of style and technique did not just emerge with the talent of the students. The rehearsal process before the performance included listening lessons as well as performance techniques. Historical and contextual connections were explored as students connected through the musical compositional genius of Thad Jones, Sammy Nestico, Duke Ellington, and Hank Levy, just to name a few. One way of establishing the importance of jazz education as well as validating evidence of the hard work you and your students have demonstrated is the construction of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)s currently used in many states.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Fundamentals Series
Jazz at Lincoln Center is excited to offer a series of Jazz Fundamentals videos. Join drummer Bryan Carter and his band as they explore, explain, and perform some of the basic concepts of Jazz in a fun and swinging set!
Exploring Jazz: Jazz Fundamentals from Jazz at Lincoln Center
Teaching Music in the 21st Century, with Wynton Marsalis, Part 1
Teaching Music in the 21st Century, with Wynton Marsalis, Part 2
Read more articles on teaching jazz.
How You Can Celebrate Jazz in April — and Throughout the Year
7 Cool Ways to Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month
Every April, we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month. Not every school participates for various reasons: lack of a jazz program and/or lack of understanding of jazz being some. Even without a great understanding of Jazz, this can be a great learning opportunity for you and your students to enjoy and appreciate this great music.
Get to Know the 2021 NEA Jazz Masters
Watch the virtual concert on April 22, 2021, 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT. Second Gentleman of the United States Douglas Emhoff will provide opening remarks as part of the 2021 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, discussing his personal connections to jazz and the art form’s connections to our nation’s past, present, and future.
Hot Jazz Saturday Night is a radio program hosted by Rob Bamberger, available on WAMU-FM. Teachers can listen to the past week’s show for one week directly online, and other related stories are available well.
Check out the webinar “Hands-On Jazz for Young People – The Birth of Jazz: New Orleans” webinar by Sharon Burch
Bringing Jazz Into the Classrooms
Celebrate the music of the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet as you engage students in a cross-disciplinary set of classroom projects and activities through this video series and curriculum created by Jazz at Lincoln Center!
The Council for Jazz Education is one of two NAfME Societies and 14 NAfME Councils that serve various NAfME constituencies.
More Jazz Resources and Announcements.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has many great resources for learning about and celebrating jazz in April, including a poster for your classroom which is included in the April issue of NAfME’s Teaching Music. You can also request your 2021 JAM poster online now, although quantities are limited.
Why Every Month Should Be Jazz Appreciation Month
Each April, in observance of Jazz Appreciation Month, many music educators bring jazz instruction, jazz history, and other jazz activities into the classroom. Three teachers whose students were chosen for NAfME’s 2014 All-National Jazz Ensemble discuss why they believe teaching jazz throughout the school year offers valuable benefits for them and their students.
How Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement Intertwine
Jazz is the low moan of a saxophone, the growl of a trumpet, or staccato notes on a snare drum. Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) describes the art form as “a mingling of the musical expressions of all the people who came to the United States, by choice or by force; people from Africa, Europe, Latin America, as well as people who were already living in the U.S. Jazz was created by mixing together music from field chants and spirituals, to African rhythms and folk songs.”
