A Selective Survey of Jazz Materials for the Elementary General Music Classroom

This paper provides a review of a selection of available materials to teach jazz in an elementary general music classroom and explored the kinds of early exposure to jazz in childhood that lead to continued involvement and study. Commercially available products were purchased at retail by the author and analyzed for author affiliations, visual appeal and packaging, target grade levels/audience, ease of implementation, digital resources, types of activities, quality and usefulness of recordings if included, and need for outside supplementation. Primary results are the emphasis on vocabulary-based activities, included recorded examples were not universally accurate or of high quality, and improvisation activities were often absent from the materials. The author provides recommendations on how to implement the materials effectively and authentically. The paper includes a list of online resources as well as an informal survey of early jazz experiences of music professionals.