Whether you are a music teacher looking for some fresh and new ideas or a mainstream classroom teacher trying to introduce a new topic within your current music unit, check out our 10 jazz activities for middle school students. There are so many different and amazing jazz musicians to teach your students about. There is also such rich jazz history to explain to your students as well. Teaching jazz can be exciting and educational for your students.
1. Backbeat
Practicing backbeat is important in jazz music. Your students can practice this skill and participate in making their own jazz songs. Students love to be involved in the learning process and practice playing instruments. They can do this in groups, too!
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2. Improv
Whether you have a middle school jazz program or not, improv will be a blast for your students to participate in! Middle school jazz band players will love this too. Even beginners to jazz will feel less pressure performing if they can add their own pieces.
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3. Structural Analysis
Learning about the structural analysis of the actual jazz music composition is fundamental to playing jazz. This may be for the advanced jazz students you have who are ready for this topic and do not feel intimidated taking on this lesson.
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4. Jazz Music and Jazz Dance
If your school or town has an annual jazz festival, your students can compose and choreograph their own routine featuring jazz music and jazz dance. Incorporating cool jazz tunes will hook those fans of jazz who are at the festival. Your students will be jazz cats and show their jazz chops.
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5. Simple Jazz Craft
Jazz educators and art teachers will love this craft! It is a tribute to the jazz greats of the past who played the trumpet. The students will create their own personalized and custom pieces of artwork. Add this idea to your jazz music program today!
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6. Blue Skies
Teaching videos are excellent jazz learning resources to get some ideas about different activities. Check out blue skies and improve your jazz lexicon!
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7. Bean Bag Composition
Create an amazing jazz performance, strengthen your students' jazz skills or simply use this as one of the jazz warm-ups you do with them.
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8. Interactive and Co-Constructed Mind Map
Place the word jazz in the middle of this mind map and see what the students know. This can work for students in grades 1-8. Depending on the grade level, you will get answers of different complexity.
Learn More: 25 Invigorating Music Activities for Middle School
9. Jazz Musician Bracket
This project can be done in band classes, band rehearsals, or music classes. These musicians will be ranked and have a tournament. Who will win the championship? Learning links like this are great!
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10. What a Wonderful World
Mix math and literacy by incorporating music read-aloud in your classroom. What a Wonderful World is the perfect example of a book to include at some point in your jazz unit.
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