Jazz Music

• Listen to and identify various styles of jazz music throughout its history.
• Comprehend and articulate the various characteristics of different jazz styles.
• Identify and distinguish major composers, artists, and arrangers, as well as genres and stylistic trends from throughout the history of jazz.
• Describe the progress and changes of music from one jazz style to the next.
• Articulate what cultural, social, and political factors influenced musical sound and its development throughout the history of jazz
Instructions:
• Select three different works as indicated below for analysis. Be sure to include functioning hyperlinks to a YouTube performance for reference purposes.
• Submit your essay online via SafeAssign. No emails, please.
• Essays will be graded in accordance with the Music Paper Grading Rubric.
Successful essays will include the following sections:
A first paragraph analyzing one jazz work from one of the styles we have studied (e.g., early jazz, the swing era, modern jazz, avant garde, historicism, etc.) for melody and tex-ture.
• Include a functioning hyperlink to a YouTube performance of the song.
• Justify your choice by answering the following prompts:
• What is the full title of this work?
• Who is/are the composer(s) of this work?
• What type/genre of jazz is this work considered to be from? What musical aspects make it this way?
• Who is performing this work? An ensemble? Soloists? Is there a conductor? Be sure to identify and differentiate between ensembles, single performers, and/or conductors as necessary.
• If there are lyrics, who wrote them and what do they say/mean? (summarize in 2-3 sen-tences)
• Why is this work and artist important to you?
• Define melody and texture using official, correct definitions from course resources.
• Provide a detailed, objective analysis that specifically addresses melody and texture as heard in the music using associated course terminology.

A second paragraph analyzing a second work of your choice from another one of the styles we have studied (e.g., early jazz, the swing era, modern jazz, avant garde, histori-cism, etc.) for two of the following elements of music: rhythm, harmony, dynamics, tem-po, and timbre. This work should not come from the same style as your first work.
• Include a functioning hyperlink to a YouTube performance of the work.
• Justify your choice by answering the following prompts:
• What is the full title of this work?
• Who is/are the composer(s) of this work?
• What type/genre of jazz is this work considered to be from? What musical aspects make it this way?
• Who is performing this work? An ensemble? Soloists? Is there a conductor? Be sure to identify and differentiate between ensembles, single performers, and/or conductors as necessary.
• If there are lyrics, who wrote them and what do they say/mean? (summarize in 2-3 sen-tences)
• Why is this work and artist important to you?
• Define using correct and official definitions any two (2) of the following elements of music: rhythm, harmony, dynamics, tempo, and timbre.
• Provide a detailed, objective analysis that specifically addresses the two elements defined above as heard in the music using associated course terminology. If using a multimove-ment work, please identify and choose just one movement to analyze.

A third paragraph addressing the following prompts on third jazz work of your choice from another one of the styles we have studied (e.g., early jazz, the swing era, modern jazz, avant garde, historicism, etc.). This work should not come from the same style as your other two works.
• Include a functioning hyperlink to a YouTube performance of the work.
• Justify your choice by answering the following prompts:
• What is the full title of this work?
• Who is/are the composer(s) of this work?
• What type/genre of jazz is this work considered to be from? What musical aspects make it this way?
• Who is performing this work? An ensemble? Soloists? Is there a conductor? Be sure to identify and differentiate between ensembles, single performers, and/or conductors as necessary.
• If there are lyrics, who wrote them and what do they say/mean? (summarize in 2-3 sen-tences)
• Why is this work and artist important to you?
• Respond now to the following subjective prompts:
• Why does this piece appeal to you subjectively/Why did you choose this particular work? (No objective analysis required.)
• How does this music make you feel emotionally overall?
• Does the music remind you of anything? A life experience? A person? Another piece?
• Was there a specific point in the composition that affected you especially? If so, what did you feel emotionally during that/those moment(s)?
• How does this piece align with your cultural background and/or history?
• How does this piece align with your personal moral/ethical views?
• How would you convince someone else that this is a “good” piece of music?

A fourth/final paragraph addressing the following prompts on your overall impressions and experience in the course:
• Respond to the following subjective prompts:
• In your opinion, what is the most compelling thing about jazz as an American gen-re/style of music?
• Why should people continue to play and study jazz?
• What’s the most impactful/important thing you learned in this course?
• How do you plan to incorporate jazz into your everyday life beyond this course?

Essay Format:
Your essay should adhere to the following formatting requirements. If you are unsure how to select these options, check with your instructor:
• Font size: 12 point
• Acceptable Fonts: Cambria, Arial, or Times New Roman
• Spacing: Double-spaced
• Length: 1000-2000 words prose in the body of the essay