This lesson provides a structure and framework for a visit with a local jazz musician.

Students experience the process of performance-feedback-revision through the construction of a sound-producing, Rube Goldberg machine. Students learn how the loop helps musicians improve their craft.

Students learn four basic Charleston steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twist on this classic dance.

Students are introduced to several musical instruments through various hands-on activities. They begin to connect instruments to their sound. Students put this knowledge into practice by creating an album cover which matches a jazz style.

Through improvisational games, students identify music's ability to transcend language barriers when conveying emotion and experience. Students use this insight to create Sound Skits - or stories told only through sound.

Students use everyday objects to learn how to create and manipulate sound. They practice a Design Process through the construction of musical instruments.

Students experience collective improvisation through everyday conversations and vocalizing like animals.

This activity is Part 1 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Take learning further with "The Blues 2: Chords" activity.

The blues are an accessible, poignant style of jazz that can act as a powerful tool for processing our experiences and emotions. By learning the basic lyrical structure of blues songs and writing their own lyrics, students share and reflect on an event, decision, or choice they made in their lives.

This is Part 2 of 2 in a series on The Blues. Start first with "The Blues 1: Lyrics" activity for a more holistic learning experience.

In this activity, students create a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning - the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Using the same set of questions, students explore reactions to different musical genres. Students use the responses to uncover similarities with peers and older generations through two comparison diagrams.

Students learn four basic, Lindy Hop steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twists on this classic dance.