EDTS 551 - Teaching Jazz: History and Appreciation

Many believe that jazz is the most important original American contribution to the world of creative arts. It is deeply intertwined with American history and the artistic, social, and political movements led by African-Americans in the 20th century. Jazz changed the way the world looked at music, introducing musical techniques never heard before.

In this course, you will review the development of jazz music and its various styles, its historical context, and the leading figures who popularized jazz and made it a worldwide musical treasure. You’ll develop strategies for instilling in your students a musical appreciation for jazz by teaching the elements of jazz (improvisation, rhythm, etc.) and by listening to original performances by musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington. In addition, you’ll explore resources for showing your students how social and cultural issues contributed to the development of jazz and how it intersected with key events in our country’s history.

Using the knowledge and techniques from this course, you will be able to teach your students not only about the history and finer points of jazz, but also how it helped shape and contribute to American culture and the musical world.