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Elementary Lessons in Jazz and the Art of Improvisation 

Joan E. Griffin  

Academic setting 

This course is designed for gifted and talented students at the middle school level.   Taylor Middle School is located in Albuquerque’s north valley.  The majority of the students enrolled in gifted classes are residents of Corrales.  Classes will be taught to gifted, and talented students, grades 6-8 in the language arts/ literature classroom.  Gifted students at Taylor have the opportunity to choose their gifted course in either language arts and literature or science.  If  students who are classified as gifted choose to enroll in all regular education classes, the special education department monitors them. 

   Lessons will be designed to give students some understanding of the roots of American jazz music while at the same time allowing them the opportunity to use what they have learned to create something that is uniquely theirs. Students will be required to do a research paper and presentation.  They will also be expected to use their creativity and imagination to transfer ideas to writings, presentations and each other. A class of this type will help students develop their listening skills, critical thinking ability, creativity, communication skills, and perhaps spark an interest in the history behind what has become a major part of our American cultural heritage: popular music, particularly jazz.  I also think a biographical study of some of the people who were innovators and popularized the music will inspire them to write and create music and art and literature of their own. 

 Much of our contemporary music has its origins in African-American musical traditions. An examination of these roots could open dialogue concerning race, diversity and tolerance. 

Through war, poverty, good times and bad, music has always been a way for people to express themselves, entertain each other, or forget their troubles.  People have improvised in all the musical forms and structures and even forgone structure entirely (in the case of free jazz) to use their imagination, creativity, talent, emotions, knowledge and personal power to create music. 

Over the centuries, people have improvised in all aspects of their lives in order to “get along” in this world, using whatever resources might be available to create something wanted or needed. Many “catch phrases” describe this: making do, necessity is the mother of invention, etc.  The dictionary defines the verb to improvise this way 1. To perform or deliver without previous preparation to improvise a sermon  2. to compose (music verse etc.) on the spur of the moment  3. to make, provide or arrange from whatever materials are readily available to improvise dinner  4. to compose, utter, execute or arrange extemporaneously.  We will examine these and other definitions of the verb  “improvise.” 

Context and Background

History 

For the purposes of this class we will begin with a brief look at some of the American musical history that influenced and preceded the development of the music we call jazz.   European settlers and their African slaves in America exchanged, maybe unwittingly, many cultural elements. In music,  Europeans brought with them melody, harmony, and a mix of religious music, folk songs and ballads. Slaves carried on their oral traditions, storytelling, singing and dancing, and also brought with them their music, rich in rhythm and polyrhythms. 

Slaves picked up the hymns and ballads of the Europeans and recreated them using rhythmic patterns and  styles of singing particular to their own tribal heritage. Folk songs that dealt with personal issues of the day, loneliness, infidelity and oppression were passed on orally and recreated, or improvised to fit the situation or occasion (Megill Demory 4-5).  These songs may have been forerunners to what we now call the blues, a form that is fundamental to the formation and creation of early jazz in particular and which some consider the root of almost all of our popular music. 

Mimicry is a recurring theme in the development of jazz and American popular music.  A good example of this is the emergence of minstrel shows in the mid 19th century.  Minstrel shows were a variety of music, dancing and comedy acts performed by white people in “blackface.”  Most acts were based on stereotypes of blacks.  The shows were quite popular in the northern U.S., especially among immigrants and the unskilled.  An article taken from the history net attributes the popularity of blackface minstrel shows to the emergence of a class system.  “Whites could feel superior and unified while at the same time stereotyping African-Americans.” A standard in the repertoire of the minstrel show was the “coon song” which was sung in dialect and took a comedic and patronizing view of the condition of the African-American. I see this as almost being a mimic or mock-up of the blues. 

A form of entertainment among slaves in the earlier part of the 19th century was parodying European dances they had seen white people performing at balls and social gatherings. The parody dances were accompanied by syncopated tunes played on stringed instruments.  These dances often included what was called a “walkaround,” which was a high stepping, kicking improvised dance routine.  This entertainment was sometimes performed for whites, and they would judge the dancers. They offered a prize, usually a cake, to the best couple.   The “walkaround” became known as the “cakewalk.”  The “cakewalk” became a dance craze that swept the country during the 1860’s.  Whites everywhere imitated the cakewalk.  We see the mimicry again, and a double deception, whites imitating blacks imitating whites (Megill Demory 5). 

Although it is not exactly what one might call mimicry, beginning players of jazz find someone whose style they admire and work towards copying or imitating them with precision (Berliner 120). Innovative jazz musicians like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis have had a lasting and far reaching influence on those who play the music today.   Contemporary jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford admits to “stealing” many of her “licks” from Ella Fitzgerald (Biography A&E 2/98). In learning how to be a good improviser (which is an important facet of being a jazz player) the musician listens to all of the greats, and tries to mimic them.  So, taking a phrase from this artist and another from a different artist, adding something, deleting something, from a particular song or piece of music, that is improvisation, and that is what makes the music or the piece something that belongs to the one who brought the ideas together. 

The tradition of artistic contest or challenge still has a place in American music. Examples might be dance contests, battles of the bands and “cutting contests” (a term used during the bebop period of jazz where musicians had soloing competitions). 

The legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald got her start in a competition at the Apollo Theater in 1934.  She and several of her friends were scheduled to get on and dance.  When a group of talented dancers preceded them, Ella’s friends “chickened out” and Ella went to the stage alone.  She didn’t want to dance so she sang a song she knew that was made popular by the singer Connie Boswell.  She won the contest and went on to become one of the most beloved and innovative singers in the history of jazz.  I mention Ella Fitzgerald here because I plan to use her as a part of our study. Taking the child’s nursery rhyme “A Tisket, A Tasket” and making it into a swinging, award winning recording, is something that might be of interest to my students and could hopefully inspire them to exercise their own creativity in a similar manner.  In his book Singers and the Song, Gene Lees says of Ella,  “If the ability to improvise vocally is part of the definition of a jazz singer, then it assuredly fits Ella Fitzgerald, whose ability to scat sing with impeccable rhythmic imagination and accurate intonation at high speed was incomparable” (Lees 150).  We define scat singing as the singing of nonsense syllables, sometimes mimicking the different instruments. 

In the study of jazz I plan to do with my students, I would like them to recognize different styles and periods of jazz and also to know some of the influential and important artists.  Genres and eras I plan to cover include (but are not limited to): Blues (1900-), New Orleans and Dixieland (1910-), Swing (1935-), Bebop (1943-), Cool and Beyond (1949-).  I leave the parenthetical times open because all of this music is still being played, listened to, taken further, and enjoyed somewhere.  The starting dates of these eras were taken from the contents section of the book Introduction to Jazz History by Donald Megill and Richard Demory (v-vii). 

Some of the artists I plan to introduce are: Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Count Basie,  Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus. Go to top of page.

Ella Fitzgerald 

In this unit I intend to use Ella Fitzgerald as somewhat of an “anchor” in our study of jazz.  I chose her because I feel her style of singing is very accessible in the sense that   she swings, delivers a ballad sensitively, and is one of the great improvisers. If we consider the idea that jazz is a musical conversation between the players, partially planned and partially improvised, when listening to Ella, we can distinctly hear the repartee that occurs between the vocalist and the musicians.  

            She has been called the “First Lady of Song” and many would argue that she is the finest jazz singer who ever lived. She recorded over seventy albums during her lifetime and more than two thousand songs.  She worked with other legends in jazz, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman and Sarah Vaughn, to name a few.  Her ability to scat sing is unsurpassed to this day.  She was given the gift of a beautiful voice which she used for over fifty years to delight listeners and jazz aficionados all over the world. 

            Ella was born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia.  Most of her childhood was spent in Yonkers, New York, where she and her mother went to live after her father died.  They struggled financially and Ella spent much of her young life in poverty. 

            Living close to Harlem was a blessing for Ella, exposing her to the finest jazz musicians of the day.  She also had the opportunity to begin her career. After winning her first amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in 1934 (for a prize of $25) she continued appearing at amateur nights where many jazz musicians heard her. 

            She was introduced to the drummer Chick Webb by saxophonist Benny Carter who heard her at one of the amateur nights. Webb’s band had a long standing gig at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.  Webb was reluctant to hire Ella, partially because of her appearance and partially because throughout his career as a bandleader he had avoided hiring female vocalists.  But after hearing her sing and seeing what a great response she got from the audience, Chick Webb realized that Ella had a great talent and she would be an asset to his band.   Webb took her under his wing and actually became her legal guardian after her mother died (she was still a minor when she joined his band). He was a teacher and a mentor to Ella and provided her with the guidance she needed to help her along on her blossoming career in jazz.  Ella recorded and performed with Webb’s big band in 1935 and by 1937 more than half the material the band performed featured Ella.  She had two radio hits with Webb’s band, “A Tisket A Tasket” and “Undecided.” 

            In 1939 Chick Webb died and Ella took over his position as bandleader.   She continued with the orchestra for two years after Webb’s death. The advent of WWII made it difficult for Ella to keep the big band going, so Ella embarked on a solo career. 

 In 1941 Ella disbanded the Webb orchestra and recorded with different musicians and groups.  By the mid-forties the blooming of a jazz style called bebop had a major influence on Ella’s way of singing.  She joined and toured with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band and started to incorporate scat singing into her performances and recordings. At this point in time Ella clearly developed the style of singing she could call her own.  Her distinctive voice, which almost sounds like that of a young girl, her way of mimicking the instruments through her scat singing and her genuine joy and excitement in making music won her a worldwide audience. 

In 1946 Ella met Norman Granz  who became her manager and career guide.  She signed with his record label, Verve, and recorded the “songbook” albums, which as Gene Lees says “secured her place in history” (Lees 155).  The songbook recordings were full albums of songs that were written by one (or a team of) composers.  Ella recorded works by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Harold Arlen (who wrote “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and Duke Ellington.  These recordings were very accessible to the general public and Ella won an audience of non-jazz  listeners making her popularity even more widespread. 

In 1948 Ella married bassist Ray Brown and they adopted the son of Ella’s half-sister, Frances, naming him Ray Brown Jr.  Although the marriage didn’t last very long (they were divorced in 1952) they remained friends and worked together for many years. 

Ella enjoyed tremendous popularity throughout the 1950’s and 60’s.  Ella Live in Berlin (Verve 1960) has what some call a classic version of “Mack the Knife” where she forgets the lyrics and makes up words of her own as she goes along (a terrific example of spontaneous improvisation). She did television shows, toured the world constantly and continued recording.  She lived for her music.  Watching her perform one gets the sense that music was the great joy of her life.

Although she never had children of her own (aside from Ray, Jr.), she was very generous with all of her nieces and nephews and children in her neighborhood. She funded and maintained, entirely with her own money, the Ella Fitzgerald Day Care Center in the Watts area of Los Angeles (Lees 157). 

            Among the list of honors Ella was awarded during her illustrious career are: Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Medal of Honor; thirteen Grammy awards; National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award; the Pied Piper Award; the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers highest honor; the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Outstanding Achievement and the National Medal of Art (awarded by former president Ronald Reagan).  The American Society of Singers created an award to honor her which they named the “Ella.” 

Ella had always been heavy and struggled with diabetes most of her adult life.  Her eyesight was poor and she wore very thick glasses to compensate for cataracts on her eyes. As a result of her diabetes her circulation suffered.  In the early 1990’s her legs were amputated. Not long after that she slipped into a coma.

Ella Fitzgerald died June 15, 1996.  Her voice and the legacy of her music lives on.            

Improvisation 

As described in the “academic setting” section, improvisation is the act of performing or delivering without any previous preparation and to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.  If we look at prior knowledge of a particular song, piece of music or activity as the material that is available then we can apply the dictionary definition of improvisation to jazz music   In his book, Jazz Styles, Mark C. Gridley defines improvisation as  “the practice of spontaneously varying individual parts.” 

            In his personal definition of jazz music, professor of jazz studies at UNM, Glenn Kostur says “jazz has several elements, one of them being improvisation.”  I intend to show my students various examples of improvisation by jazz artists by comparing a piece of music to the same piece done without improvisation.  A stunning example of this is listening to the song “My Favorite Things” from the soundtrack of The Sound of Music, then listening to John Coltrane’s version of the same song.  I want my students to think about what happens.  What does Coltrane do with the song?   Another example might be comparing Cindy Lauper and Miles Davis versions of her song “Time After Time.”  Where and how does Miles improvise?  What is the biggest difference in the two versions of the song?  Which do you like better?  How can you describe them? 

            Kostur described his approach to the teaching of jazz improvisation as the learning of a language.  The student develops a vocabulary of “licks” or ideas he learns and internalizes, then uses in various other contexts.    How students choose to use what they know will give their knowledge different shades of meaning.   It will be interesting to see how individuals apply their knowledge in different situations.  I see it as one of those magnetic poetry kits where you have limited resources, but no limit of possibilities. 

            Christopher Azzara I is a professor of music at the Hart School of Music, University of Hartford, Connecticut.  I recently observed a class in improvisation he taught to elementary school children who played the violin. First, he had them learn a simple melody.  They all play the melody in unison.  Then he taught them the root note of each chord in the progression of the song.   Students then played that together.  Then he divided the class so some play the root and others play the melody.  Then he kept that same division and chose one student to “play whatever they felt” over the melody and the root.  The students took turns soloing (Azzara 6/17). Observing this process was interesting because the final outcome was beautiful and complex, even though it was a very simple melody.  

            The idea about improvisation is exposing students to it as an element in jazz music and transferring that knowledge to their language arts instruction.   We have certain materials to work with and it is up to us to use our creativity, imagination and prior knowledge to create something that is ours.   The instruction will be centered on creative writing and I am interested in facilitating personal expression and piquing my students’ curiosity about whatever motivates them.  Music is very important to most of my students.  I hope they will develop a liking for, or at least an appreciation of jazz as a result of this study. 

            The act of improvisation can be easily and readily applied to all forms of art.  The language arts classroom is particularly fertile ground for the students to hone their improvisational skills in the areas of writing, public speaking and performance.  A television program popular with my students is “Whose Line is It” (Thursdays 7:00pm ABC) where actors improvise scenes that are set up by a suggestion from the audience. The talented members of this cast also improvise songs.  This kind of improvisation encourages “thinking on your toes” and demands that students be aware and “in the moment.”  I find activities of this type gratifying and exciting and I believe my students will too. Go to top of page.

Implementation 

Objectives 

This unit will explore the lives and music of some of the people who created the music we call jazz.  Students will be required to do a research project on an influential artist in the jazz world.  This particular activity will help them learn to research, using library and computer resources.    I will encourage the students to open their ears to different kinds of music.  I would like to facilitate discussion regarding race, the diversity of cultures which meld in American culture, and tolerance.  

            Students will do creative writing using jazz music as a prompt.  Students will be required to present their work whenever appropriate, i.e. reading their poetry aloud, acting out skits , presenting the artist they have researched, etc. This type of activity helps students develop their public speaking and listening skills.  They will be asked to respond to various  types of jazz through writing, speaking, drawing and questioning.  Most lessons are geared toward developing student’s creativity and critical thinking skills.  All lessons allow for personal expression.  This unit is designed to help students find their individual “voice.” 

Assessment 

At the beginning of each year I have students create their own portfolios, which hold all written work.  Mid-year I conference individually and review what they have done. I find this method of informal assessment very effective in monitoring student’s progress toward their goals. 

Lesson Plans 

Week One: What is Jazz? 

We will listen to various performances and recordings by Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Miles Davis and others.  Students will be asked to describe the music in writing.  They will be asked to compare and contrast the different styles of trumpet playing.  We will discuss the similarities and differences in the pieces. 

We will listen to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter.  Students will again respond in writing to the different styles of singing. They will be asked to describe the voices, and compare and contrast. 

We will listen to John Coltrane’s recording “A Love Supreme.”  While listening I will ask students to describe images the music brings to their minds in a free writing exercise. I will read to them some excerpts from  Introduction to Jazz History by Donald  D. Megill and Richard S. Demory (pgs 245-248).

We will view some segments from Ken Burn’s Jazz series that discuss some of the artists we have listened to. 

We will read Yevgeny Yvetushenko’s poem “Satchmo” 

Students will write a poem in the style of Yvetushenko about one of the artists we have listened to, or a jazz artist they are familiar with who we have not discussed. 

Weeks Two & Three: Who are jazz musicians and what do they do? 

Students will select an artist from an extensive list I have given them. Artists will include:

We will have reserved time in the computer lab for students to research their artist.  They will be allowed to print out whatever they choose that might be helpful in writing a short biography of their artist. We will have reserved time in the library for research.   Students will be responsible for a rough draft of their paper 10 days after it is assigned.  I will edit their work. Go to top of page.

Rubric for Jazz Artist Project

3-6 page paper containing information about their artist’s life, music and contribution to jazz

·        typed

·        double-spaced

·        14 font

·        title page

·        bibliography

·        discography

a visual representation (photos, album covers, poster, video, or an original work of art ) a sample of their artist’s music on cd or cassette tape (I will help them procure recordings to avoid any legal issues)

This project will culminate with oral presentations.   Students will teach the rest of the class about their artist. They will play some of their music for us.  They will be prepared to answer questions about their artist.   

We will have a “jazz party” and I will teach them how to swing dance to the music of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. 

Week Four: Creative Writing  

We will write free verse poetry using jazz music as prompt.
We will write a “blues” poem, using the form AABA.
We will put the blues poems to music.
We will perform our blues songs for another class.
We will record our blues songs and design album covers for them.
We will read selections by Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Amiri Bakara and discuss them.  

Weeks Five, Six and Seven: Creative Drama/Play Writing and Production 

Part One:Background 

I will have the students select a period of time between the 1920’s and the 1950’s.  We will research what is happening in American history during that period of time.  For example: Great Depression, WWII, Civil Rights Movement, Inventions and discoveries (television, atomic power), etc.

Students will get a feeling for life in America during the time they have chosen.
They will explore fashion and trends in design during the period.
They will research the music popular during the period.

We will listen to the music popular at the time and discuss why it was popular (for example, the advent of swing music after the depression might have been an indication that Americans wanted to lift their self-esteem and the spirits of the country after the economic crisis).

We will research what novels were written and being read at the time and select one that is appropriate to read and discuss as a class.  Novel reading will take place the first fifteen minutes to half hour of each block.  We will read either silently or aloud round-robin style.

Upon completion of the novel, each student will be required to write a book review.

The above activities are designed to give students a sense of place and time in which to have the events of their play take place. 

Part Two:Play Writing 

Students will write their play as a class (my classes are special education, so I usually do not have more than ten students per class. In a regular education lang/lit class I would allow the students to work in groups of more than four).

Brainstorm ideas for the story line

Questions to ask: 

Students will first write their play as a short narrative, discussing the story line, briefly describing the characters and time and place where the story happens, what the main character’s problem is and how it gets solved. 

Students will choose a character to portray.
Students will develop the character through various writing and theater exercises
Questions to ask about character: 

            Age
            Physical characteristics
            Gender
            Family background
            Education
            Mode of dress
            Manner of speech
            Personality (shy, extroverted, insecure, happy, worried, etc.)

Students will present a short monologue as their character. 

Writing Dialogue 

The dialogue will drive the action of the play, so it is important that students know how their character relates and speaks to others. Each page of dialogue is equal to about one minute of reading time…so if we are to produce a one-act play that is fifteen minutes in length, we will need fifteen pages of dialogue. Each writing class will culminate with reading dialogue aloud as characters and discussing what did and did not work. When the class is satisfied with the number of pages they have written and know what they want to change, we will edit and refine the script.    

Students will read through material several times and I will record them reading so they can hear what they sound like. 

Part Three: Production Go to top of page.

Blocking

We will block the play, scene by scene, on the stage set up in the classroom. 

Costumes

Students will be responsible for creating a costume appropriate for their character, I will provide some options, we will explore what is available from the drama department, and they will bring things from home. 

Set Design

Students will create backdrops for the performance using butcher paper, paint, crayons, markers and whatever other resources they find appropriate.   We will procure lighting from the drama department. 

Music (jazz)

Students will decide upon music from the time period to use before, after and during the play.  We might find a song (for example “Undecided”) that could be a theme, the title of the piece might even be the same as the title of the song.   

Performance

We will have several complete dress rehearsals with costumes and props.
We will invite other students and parents to attend the performance.
We will provide refreshments for after the performances.

Standards Addressed
Content Standards 6.30.2.13
Language Arts/Literature
Grades 6-8 

5-8 Benchmark I-A

Listen actively and critically by: asking questions, delving deeper into the topic, elaborating on information and ideas presented, evaluating information and ideas, making inferences and drawing conclusions, making judgments 

Interact in group activities and/or seminars to: share personal reactions to questions raised, give reasons and cite examples from text to support opinions, clarify, illustrate or expand on a response. 

5-8 Benchmark I-B 

Gather and use information for research and other purposes 

Research multiple sources to deepen understanding and integrate information and ideas across varied sources and content areas by: conducting research for assigned and self-selected projects Interpret and synthesize information 

Use multiple sources of print and non-print materials 

Organize information gathered for research topic into major components based on appropriate criteria 

Use images videos and visual representations as informational research tools 

5-8 Benchmark I-C 

Apply critical thinking skills to analyze information 

5-8 Benchmark II-A 

Use speaking as an interpersonal communication tool 

Documentation

Bibliography 

Azzara, Christopher, Creativity in Improvisation  class observation.  6/17/02.  University of New Mexico. 

Berliner, Paul E.  Thinking in Jazz the Infinite Art of Improvisation.   Chicago, IL:  University of Chicago Press, 1994. 

Crawford, Richard.  America’s Musical Life.  New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2001. 

Demory, Richard S. and Megill, Donald D.  Introduction to Jazz History. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996. 

Gridley, Mark C.  Jazz Styles: History and Analysis. New Jersey:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.,  1997. 

Kostur, Glenn.  personal interview.  6/8/02. 

Lees, Gene.   Singers and the Song II.   NY, New York:   Oxford University Press, 1998. 

Internet Resources 

Smithsonian Jazz Class  http://www.smithsonianjazz.org   

The History Net  A Look Back at Minstrelsy http://afroamhistory.about.com/library 

Other Resources 

Biography A&E.  Ella Fitzgerald.  2/98.Go to top of page.