Several years ago, I offered a Jazz Appreciation program for children and their families. We had a great time reading Charlie Parker Played Be Bop and Mysterious Thelonious, both by Chris Raschka, playing along to jazz recordings with rhythm sticks, and scat singing.
The Smithsonian offers Smithsonian Jazz Class (http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/class/jc_start.asp), a place to “develop your jazz chops” with lesson plans and worksheets to go with thirty-one recordings by jazz artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and more.
PBS Kids has Jazz Kids (http://pbskids.org/jazz/index.html) which offers an interactive timeline.
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Jazz it up!
–Teresa Walls
Lisa Taylor
For those of us not gifted in singing scat, the Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub is a great choice for a jazzy storytime – it comes with a CD and Mr. Gollub, himself, will sing the book for you (kids love it!). Two other great choices for preschool storytimes are Jazz Baby, written by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, and Jazzmatazz by Stephanie Calmenson. When it’s jazz, you’ve got to find what grooves you!
Lester Young Fan
Cool! My Partner was rcently talking about Sidney Bechet vs. Woody Herman . This should be helpful in the discussion.