“Jazz Literature with Inclusion and Diversity in Mind: Programming from Novice to Advanced” – April 26, 2023, town hall recording available soon
“Serving Educators of All Levels” – February 2023 NAfME Council for Jazz Education Town Hall Crossover Event with Jazz Education Network
“Energize and Expand Participation in Your Jazz Program” – 2022 NAfME Council for Jazz Education Town Hall
“Building Your Jazz Program at Any Level” – NAfME Council for Jazz Education Town Hall
“Jazz Is for Everybody: Student Voices Supporting an Inclusive Approach to Jazz Education” – 2021 NAfME Council for Jazz Education Town Hall
April 4, 2023: Jazz Informance
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, in conjunction with the Department of Education, presented a Jazz Informance on April 4 at 1 p.m. ET (recording available). Hosted by Secretary Cardona, this event — a combination of performance with educational information — featured four of the country’s most gifted high school music students, internationally acclaimed jazz trumpet recording artist Terell Stafford, and renowned jazz educator Dr. J. B. Dyas. It focused not only on what jazz is and why it is so important to America but also on the American values that jazz represents. (Note: The event was live-streamed from the Department’s headquarters building.) Learn more at hancockinstitute.org.
Get to Know the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters
The concert took place April 1, 2023, 7:30PM ET (recording available). The National Endowment for the Arts honored the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters—Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, Louis Hayes, and Sue Mingus. These events mark the culmination of the 40th anniversary of the NEA Jazz Masters, which since 1982 has awarded more than 160 fellowships to great figures in jazz.
“What Is Jazz, and Why It Is Important to America“
Tuesday, April 13, 2021: Hosted by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and 14-time GRAMMY-award winning jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Watch now.
“Peer-to-Peer Jazz Informance“
Tuesday, April 19, 2022: Hosted by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and 14-time GRAMMY-award winning jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Watch now.
Jazz Education Resources from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Visit “Jazz Classes” to hear the elegant Duke Ellington, the scat singer extraordinaire Ella Fitzgerald, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, and swingin’ Benny Carter. There is also a cool Duke Ellington Interactive lesson. For those of you who want to find out more about jazz, click on “What is Jazz” to answer your questions.
International Jazz Day 2023 Registration Now Open on jazzday.com
Registration is now open for International Jazz Day 2023, with participants invited to add their April 30 events to the official calendar and map on jazzday.com.
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.
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.
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. You can download your 2023 JAM poster online. The 2023 theme is “Jazzed about Art ‘Miles Davis’.”
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.”
