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5

Dixieland and the Swing Era

Overview

I.

Early Jazz (AKA "Dixieland")

II.

The Swing Era

Student Handout

Test Bank

Answer Key

footnotes

1. National Center for History in the Schools, UCLA

2. NAfME: The National Association for Music Education

3. For information on ordering The Instrumental History of Jazz 2-CD set, click here.

4. Student handouts can be downloaded from the Jazz in America website and photocopied.

5. Any material from the Jazz in America website may be downloaded, printed, and/or made into a PowerPoint slide as the instructor sees fit.

TOPICS:

  1. Jazz – The Early Years
  2. The Swing Era
STANDARDS:
National Standards for United States History1

Historical Thinking
Students should be able to:
  1. Draw upon the visual, literary, and musical sources, including (a) photographs, paintings, cartoons, and architectural drawings; (b) novels, poetry, and plays; and (c) folk, popular and classical music, to clarify, illustrate, or elaborate upon information presented in the historical narrative (Historical Comprehension Standard 2I).
  2. Draw comparisons across eras and regions in order to define enduring issues, as well as large-scale or long-term developments that transcend regional and temporal boundaries (Historical Analysis and Interpretation Standard 3D).
Historical Content
Students should understand how new cultural movements reflected and changed American society (Era 7: The Emergence of Modern America Standard 3C) and how American life changed during the 1930s (Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II Standard 1B). Therefore, the student should be able to:
  1. Analyze how radio, movies, newspapers, and popular magazines created mass culture.
  2. Examine the contributions of artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance and assess their popularity.
  3. Explain the cultural life of the Depression years in art, literature, and music and evaluate the government’s role in promoting artistic expression.
ARTS STANDARDS
National Standards for Music Education2

Artistic Process - Responding: Select, Analyze, Interpret, and Evaluate Music
Students:
  1. Choose music appropriate for specific purposes and contexts. – Select programs of music (such as a CD mix or live performances) and demonstrate the connections to an interest or experience for a specific purpose (MU:Re7.1.8a).
  2. Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response. – Compare how the elements of music and expressive qualities relate to the structure within programs of music (MU:Re7.2.8a); Identify and compare the context of programs of music from a variety of genres, cultures, and historical periods (MU:Re7.2.8b).
  3. Support an interpretation of a musical work that reflects the creators’/performers’ expressive intent. – Support personal interpretation of contrasting programs of music and explain how creators or performers apply the elements of music and expressive qualities, within genres, cultures, and historical periods to convey expressive intent (MU:Re8.1.7a).
  4. Support evaluations of musical works and performance(s) based on analysis, interpretation, and established criteria. – Apply appropriate personally developed criteria to evaluate musical works or performances (MU:Re9.1.8a).
Artistic Process - Connecting: Select, Analyze, Interpret, and Evaluate Music
Students:
  1. Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music (MU:Cn10.0.8a).
  2. Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life (MU:Cn11.0.8a).
SESSION OBJECTIVES:
The student will:
  1. gain a fundamental understanding of early jazz and its American historical significance and cultural implications
    1. ragtime
    2. Dixieland
    3. Roaring Twenties
    4. Harlem Renaissance
  2. gain a fundamental understanding of big band jazz in the Swing Era and its American historical significance and cultural implications
EQUIPMENT:
  1. computer logged onto www.jazzinamerica.org
  2. LCD projector and screen
  3. CD player (optional)
MATERIALS:
  1. The Instrumental History of Jazz (IHJ)3 – optional
    1. two CDs
    2. accompanying booklet
  2. Student Handouts4 (one per student)
    1. chapter glossary
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
The instructor will:
  1. distribute student handouts5

  2. discuss the fundamentals of
    1. ragtime
    2. Dixieland
    3. big band swing
  3. discuss American history and culture regarding:
    1. ragtime
    2. Dixieland
    3. big band swing
    4. Roaring Twenties
    5. Harlem Renaissance
  4. play various jazz recordings of ragtime, Dixieland, and big band swing
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
The students will:
  1. participate in a class discussion regarding ragtime, Dixieland, and big band Swing Era jazz
  2. participate in a class discussion regarding jazz history as a part of American history, including jazz's cultural implications
  3. listen to jazz recordings of ragtime, Dixieland, and big band swing
ASSESSMENT:
Test Bank
  1. Multiple Choice Test
  2. Essay/Discussion Questions at the Teacher’s Discretion

the Herbie Hancock institute of jazz
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