Exploring Jazz and The Blues

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All That Jazz - 5 Minutes Silent Reading

For teachers who prefer to begin their lessons with quiet, focused openers.  All contain “Questions to Think About” which can also be used as Cover or Homework tasks.

1. The Blues

2. The Development of The Blues

3. Blues Musicians

4. Bessie Smith

5. All About Jazz 1

6. All About Jazz 2

7. Types of Jazz

All That Jazz - Music Theory

Learning about Seventh Chords

Constructing Chords I, IV and V and then I7, IV7 and V7 in C Major on staff notation and keyboard diagrams. 

All That Jazz - General Jazz and Blues Resources

1. The Blues

2. X

3. X

4. The Development of the Blues

5. Blues Musicians

6. Bessie Smith

All That Jazz - Performing and Improvising Resources

All That Jazz - Ragtime Resources

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All That Jazz - Cover and Homework Activities

All That Jazz Knowledge Organiser

Learning about Modes

Constructing and notating on treble clef staff notation 6 modes following given patterns of tones and semitones. 

This unit develops pupil’s understanding of the key musical features of Jazz and Blues, exploring chords, chord patterns and how improvisation is used within Jazz and Blues genres. 

The history, origins and development of the Blues and different types and styles of Jazz can be interspersed throughout the unit in as much depth as the teacher deems appropriate.  Instruments, timbres, and sonorities used in Jazz and Blues are also explored and the different roles between Frontline and Rhythm Section instruments within Jazz and Swing/Big Bands. 

The characteristic 12-Bar Blues chord pattern makes a traditional starting point for the unit with pupils learning chords I, IV and V as triads in C Major before pupils extend these into seventh chords triads and turn these into a Walking Bass Line.  The Blues Scale introduces a new melodic resource on which to improvise using ostinato, riffs and fills within the 12-Bar Blues.

The (adapted) Swing/Big Band piece “In the Mood” provides a case study into the 12-Bar Blues and textural layers of Swing and includes performance and improvisation activities consolidating knowledge, skills and understanding of Jazz and Blues from previous lessons. 

The unit ends with optional lesson pathways to either explore Modal Jazz, Ragtime (“The Entertainer”) or a Jazz-inspired song (“All That Jazz” from ‘Chicago’) in more detail.

All That Jazz - Blues Basics

Blues Basics

Step-by-step “Basics Guide” to the 12-bar Blues: Primary Chords in C Major as Triads, The 12-Bar Blues Chord Sequence as Triads, Primary Chords in C Major as Seventh Chords in the 12-Bar Blues, the 12-Bar Blues as a Walking Bass Line and Improvising using the notes of the Blues Scale.  

All That Jazz - Plenary Review Activities

A series of lesson reviews where pupils review their learning and understanding.

All That Jazz - DOITNOW (Starters) and Plenary Activities

All That Jazz - Scheme of Work and Lesson Pathways

All That Jazz - Scheme of Work and Lesson Pathways

Includes Scheme of Work Overview, Unit Learning Objectives, Learning Outcomes and Lesson Pathways.

All That Jazz - “DOITNOW” Presentation

Cutting down on printables, file storage and media files, the “new look” Musical Contexts “DOITNOW” All That Jazz lesson openers Presentation contains  a wealth (only two samples shown here), of effective “DOITNOW’s” when delivering the All That Jazz unit in just one place - all audio and video files are embedded and there’s accompanying Teacher’s Notes in the “slide comments” section. 

All That Jazz - Riffs in Jazz