The cost of 13 jazz and blues books, including Satchmo's Blues and If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong, is $198, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
February is Black History month and several key figures are often the focus: Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and Harriet Tubman. Isn't it time to expand our students' knowledge beyond these names and include other notable African-American accomplishments?
What do you know about African-American music history? Can you give the real names of musicians such as Satchmo, the Duke, and the Bird? They are some of the true musical geniuses in the 20th century- their names are Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker.
Music standards mandate that a variety of music and cultures be studied. Yet how often do we closely examine our own American music? Jazz is often called the original American art music.
Jazz music, with roots in the blues, tells the story of African-Americans through the 20th century. Alongside white musicians, African-American musicians helped break down racial barriers through the strength and popularity of their music.
In my rural South Carolina music classroom, we frequently read picture books aloud, covering topics ranging from classical composers to musical instruments to jazz. Since many of my 100 students read below grade-level, picture books are a perfect avenue to help them develop reading skills.
Will you help us purchase thirteen new African-American music books? They include stories about early slaves transported from Africa, the roots of jazz, jazz musicians Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Wynton Marsalis.
Thank you for helping us learn African-American history.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. J. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.