Contributor: Renae Green. Lesson ID: 12971
Get ready to tap your feet and swing to the beat! Discover the wild world of jazz, meet a music legend, and create your own jazzy moves and tunes!
Q: What kind of band does not play music?
A: A rubber band!
A rubber band may not play music, but a jazz band plays some of the best music ever!
Maybe you tapped your feet, clapped your hands, or bounced up and down a little. Jazz music has that effect on a lot of people!
Maybe they said they wanted to jazz something up, which means to give it a little sparkle and flair. Or maybe they said they were jazzed about something, which means they were excited.
Jazz is an exciting style of music that started in the United States, and it has become famous around the world.
It began in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It developed from blues and ragtime music.
By the 1920s, jazz music had become so popular that period is now known as the Jazz Age.
One of the most exciting things about jazz is that it doesn’t have a lot of rules. Jazz music takes on the feelings and personality of the people playing it. So as jazz music spread around the world, it began to develop new and distinct sounds.
Two people performing the same jazz song might perform it very differently, and both are the right way to perform it.
Listen to two versions of the same song below.
Now, take a look at one of the most famous jazz performers of all time: Louis Armstrong.
Louis was a singer and played the trumpet. As you watch the video below, think about Louis Armstrong’s voice.
You’ve heard the sounds and seen the style—now it’s your turn to test your ears and creativity with some fun jazz practice activities!