Music Educators Should Be Experts In Both Jazz And American Folk Music!

Once the reader learns that my background consists of a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford's Hartt School, along with a stint at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts (a performing arts magnet high school known for the jazz end of its music department), he or she may feel that I have an unfair bias towards this particular musical genre. Putting my own feelings aside, jazz is America's true art form. This improvisational entity is our gift to the world of music. The meeting of western classical music, sounds of Africa, the pseudo-European culture of New Orleans, Louisiana's French Creoles, earthy, heartfelt emotions of both the blues and spirituals, along with the harrowing struggles and triumphs of slaves all across this side of the Atlantic Ocean made for the perfect storm that subsequently evolved into the Sunday happenings at Congo Square, later giving birth to what was first called "jass" and later jazz. It is particularly doubtful that this "worlds colliding" scenario could have happened anywhere else and at any alternate time in modern history. The pianist whom you see in the picture below is none other than Count Basie, one of the iconic figures of the big band/swing era and leader of a truly remarkable orchestra, which is still in existence today and currently touring!

From the very beginnings of our public school music education, we are taught about three legends of western classical music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. These gentleman are undoubtedly some of the most prolific musicians and composers that this world will ever see. Their contributions to the development of music as a whole are endless and I think that it is safe to say the history of the discipline would look markedly different, were it not for the innovations of this triumvirate. Be that as it may, why should public school music education be primarily focused on events that transpired outside of the United States? If we are adamant that every child be able to recognize "Ode to Joy" then why aren't we insistent that they also correctly identify "Take The 'A' Train" or "Summertime"? Western classical music is placed on a pedestal in the typical K-12 music curriculum and it is a rarity that students hear the names Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington or Miles Davis, let alone more obscure legends of jazz, beyond either the elementary school general music classroom or jazz band. The artistic achievements of Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Horace Silver and their ilk are no less significant or impassioned than those of their counterparts in the classical realm. Jazz is a reflection of the cultural and social revolutions that took place throughout the twentieth century in America. The personal sacrifices made by many of our predecessors that ultimately led to the circumstances by which jazz was created are monumental and compelling. In the words of pianist Hotep Idris Galeta (Cecil Barnard), "There are bodies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for this music." Not only do our students need to be familiar with jazz in all of its many forms, but music educators have an absolute obligation to carry on the rich traditions of the colorful culture and language that is jazz. Incorporating a substantial amount of jazz into the discussion and instruction of any music classroom, regardless of specific focus or age group only serves to enliven and deepen a child's musical horizon. Despite the revision of our National Standards for Music Education in 2014, the idea of creation through improvisation is one that will most assuredly remain a constant as we move forward in the twenty-first century and beyond. The freedom and constant evolution of jazz make this musical genre the perfect environment for a student to embrace his or her creative inclinations, subsequently experiencing the true   joys of invention and heartfelt expression. The video clip that you see below features well-known San Francisco Bay Area artists such as John Handy and Elena Pinderhughes reciting a speech entitled "On The Importance Of Jazz" that was given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the opening of the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. The thoughts and feelings presented in this monologue epitomize the essence of the music and its universal message to humanity.

When the topic of jazz becomes part of any music education conversation, invariably American folk music should simultaneously share the podium. One might make the statement that jazz is America's folk music, which can be embellished upon to further offer that jazz is one of America's many forms of so-called "folk music". According to dictionary.com, the term "folk music" refers to, "music, usually of simple character and anonymous authorship, handed down among the common people by oral tradition." A secondary definition says, "music by known composers that has become part of the folk tradition of a country or region." American folk and/or roots music is another integral part of the fabric of our nation's history. The lyrics of songs that make up the repertoire of this style chronicle the birth of the United States and its subsequent developments throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries respectively. At this moment in modern history it is of the utmost importance that our students be immersed in the folk and roots music of those who came before them. It is only through a thorough study of one's ancestors that the present-day traveler will comprehend the road that he or she walks upon. There is an old saying that those who do not learn from the lessons history has to teach are doomed to repeat the same events. Music educators in 2015 should be fully prepared to incorporate the American Songbook and its many prominent composers into the curriculum of any band, orchestra, chorus, jazz ensemble, music technology, music theory, music history or general music class that they teach. Inevitably each instructor will choose to focus on a slightly different set of composers, but with that being said an initial list of figures to consider would include Stephen Foster, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Cole Porter, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Harold Arlen, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, James Weldon Johnson and Huddie Ledbetter. Volumes one and two of Get America Singing…Again! provide ample resources for the music educator at any level to begin assembling a repertory list for students to become familiar with. Selections such as Amazing Grace, America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee), America the Beautiful, Danny Boy, God Bless America, Havah Nagilah, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, Home on the Range, I've Been Working on the Railroad and Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child are featured in volume one. Volume two builds upon the previous collection, adding Auld Lang Syne, Camptown Races, (Oh My Darling) Clementine, The Erie Canal, Follow the Drinkin' Gourd, I Got Rhythm, Kum Ba Yah, My Favorite Things and numerous other tunes that both student and teacher alike should count as part of the material available for performance in class and elsewhere. The two aforementioned songbooks were  compiled by MENC (Music Educators National Conference), now known as NAfME (the National Association for Music Education) in an effort to bring people of all walks of life back together again, through the simple pleasures of song. One of the most appealing factors of this collection is the exemplification of America's diverse cultural makeup. This country is a land of immigrants and consequently its musical heritage is quite vast. Songs of Africa, the Holy Land, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, France, Spain, Wales, Britain and every corner of the globe have become part of the "folk" canon of the United States. I haven't even begun to touch upon the many rhythm and blues artists who draw upon material that should be considered part of the aforementioned musical genre. Leaving that component of the conversation for another day, I will close by saying that if we lose jazz and folk music in America, then we very well are choosing to forget where the country that we call home came from. It is my unwavering opinion that this would be a grave mistake, which might never be reversed once carried out. Below is the first extract from an in-depth documentary on the history of American folk music, which I would encourage everyone to watch in full. This clip chronicles the legend of John Lomax's discovery of Huddie Ledbetter, the early days of the protest movement as spearheaded by Woody Guthrie and the political positions of the "left" as articulated by Pete Seeger. Enjoy!