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Exploring
Jazz Improvisation |
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New resources
are being developed for this unit and will appear soon. Please see the
older-style “Jazz Improvisation” Musical Contexts unit below for
resources. |
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This unit develops pupils’ understanding of
bass lines and chords as a harmonic foundation upon which a melody can be
constructed upon and as a foundation for improvisation. Pupils begin by learning about the history, origin
and development of the Blues and its characteristic 12-bar Blues structure
exploring how a walking bass line is developed from a chord progression. Pupils also explore the effect of adding a
melodic improvisation using the Blues scale and the effect which “swung”
rhythms have as used in jazz and blues music. Pupils are introduced to
seventh chords and how these are formed and their characteristic sound used
in jazz and blues music. Pupils
examine the lyrics of blues songs before composing their own set of lyrics
for a performance of their blues song using different textural layers. Finally, pupils explore Ragtime Music as a
type of jazz examining how chords have been used differently in a “vamp”
style. |
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Musical Contexts Legacy
Secondary/KS3 Unit - Jazz Improvisation |
Musical Contexts “IN ACTION” - The Entertainer Performances
Actual classroom recordings!! - Hear
how a variety of ability ranges tackle the
“The Entertainer”
performance task from Musical Contexts.
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Exploring Improvisation and the Blues |
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Key Words,
Concepts and Musical Knowledge |
Swing, Modal Jazz, Ostinato, Call and Response, Scat
Singing, Frontline, Texture, Dorian Mode, Syncopation, Rhythm Section |
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Music Theory |
Chords I, IV & V |
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Links to GCSE
Music |
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Jazz Improvisation Crossword |
The Twelve Bar Blues (with optional composing activity) |
Blues Musicians |
The Development of the
Blues |
Bessie Smith Activity Sheet |
Where Jazz and Blues
Started |
7 Introduction to Blues
Music |
“The Sting” |
Jazz Improvisation Key
Words Crossword |
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Chords
in the Twelve-Bar Blues |
Bass Line of
Chords in the Twelve-Bar Blues |
Chords as
Triads in the Twelve-Bar Blues |
Performing
“In the Mood” |
“In
the Mood” Introduction (GAT) |
“In
the Mood” Glenn
Miller |
“In the Mood” Walking Bass
Line |
“In the Mood” Swung Melody
Solo |
“In the Mood” Straight
Melody and Walking Bass |
“In the Mood” Swung Melody
and Walking Bass |
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Straight
Rhythm Example |
Swing Rhythm
Example |
Blues
Scale Improvisation Cards |
The
Entertainer |
The
Entertainer - Scott Joplin |
The
Entertainer 2-part arrangement |
The
Entertainer Full
Score |
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Honky-Tonk
Blues |
Honky-Tonk
Blues Walking Bass Line |
Honky-Tonk
Blues Boogie-Woogie Part |
Honky-Tonk
Blues Chords, Walking Bass & Boogie-Woogie |
Honky-Tonky
Blues Melody Line |
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Listening
to Jazz & Blues Card
Sort (uses Audio 1) |
Listening
to Jazz Card
Sort |
Vamping
the Chords |
Vamping the
Chords Vamp 1 |
Vamping the
Chords Vamp 2 |
Vamping the
Chords Vamp 3 |
Vamping the
Chords Vamp 4 |
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Chords
in the Twelve-Bar Blues |
Blues Scale Improvisation
Example No.1 |
Blues Scale Improvisation
Example No.2 |
The
Blues Scale
of C |
Rainy
Day Blues (uses Audio 5) |
Rainy
Day Blues |
The
Blues Quiz |
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My
Jazz Improvisation Learning |
Ragtime
Dance -
Scott Joplin |
Maple
Leaf Rag -
Scott Joplin |
Performing
Seventh Chords |
Performing
Seventh Chords |
Blues
Songs Lyrics (uses Audio 9) |
Thinking
Blues -
Bessie Smith |
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In the Mood Evaluation
Sheet |
Ragtime Music Information and
Questions (uses Audio 6) |
The
Entertainer -
Scott Joplin |
Evaluating
Blues Songs |
Learning
about The
Blues (uses Audio 3) |
St.
Louis Blues Bessie
Smith |
Learning
about Seventh Chords |
Blues
Song Lyrics Composing Sheet (uses MIDI 20) |
Honky-Tonky
Blues Melody Line |
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Scheme of
Work |
Lesson Plan
(PDF) |
Lesson Plan
(DOC) |
Lesson
Bundles (ZIP) Download all the resources you need for each lesson
(excluding video files) in a ZIP file. |
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Lesson 1 Exploring Blues’ Chords & Bass Lines |
Resource Bundle |
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Lesson 2 Exploring Swing Rhythms and The Blues Scale |
Resource Bundle |
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Lesson 3 Exploring Blues Scale Improvisations |
Resource Bundle |
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Lesson 4 Exploring Seventh Chords |
Resource Bundle |
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Lesson 5 Exploring Blues Songs Lyrics |
Resource
Bundle |
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Lesson 6 Exploring Ragtime Music |
Resource
Bundle |
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Level 3 |
Lower Level 4 |
Higher Level 4 |
Level 5 |
Level 6 |
Level 7 |
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