Middle School Jazz Band Survival Guide Packet

• Do you feel overwhelmed or lost in the weeds a bit with jazz band for you middle school?
• Do you wish you had some ideas of content, instruction, or listening assignments to draw from?
• Perhaps you also need to document guided or "depth of knowledge" questions for lesson plan approval with your administration?

Here you go!

This over 40 page comprehensive packet includes pages designed for either class handouts, quick references for the director, or both. Included in this packet are:

1. Verbalized Syllables, 2 pages of jazz vernacular commonly used for style/rhythm. Remember to have kids say these/sing these while learning charts!
2. Jazz Musical Terms, 1 page
3. Swing Guide Interpretations, 2 pages of common performance practices or alla "rules" for authentic swing style
4. Getting the most out of your jazz band experience tips/advice, 1 page
5. Possible Listening Activity Log with instructions, 1 page
6. Learning by ear, 1 page tips/advice, including recommended tunes to start with.
7. Artist Listening Links!-1 page, This page has a handful of recommended jazz artists on each instrument as well as jazz bands to listen to. A must handout for your students! QR codes take you to a google doc with hyperlinked jazz albums available on YouTube. Or, if you send students a PDF of this page, they can simply click their instrument's name to get to the same hyperlinked google doc. Included lists are for Alto, Tenor & Bari sax, trumpet, trombone, piano, drums, vibes, bass, and guitar.
8. Jazz History Summary, this 1 page brief history can make a good class work activity or sub plan. Also included are optional comprehension questions/answers if you choose to use them.
9. Common Jazz Styles, 2 pages, This is a quick 1 paragraph description/history of 6 basic jazz styles (Swing, Blues, Modal, Rhythm Changes, Bossa, Afro-Cuban). It can make a good class work activity or sub plan. Also included are optional comprehension questions/answers if you choose to use them.
10. Instruments Background, 17 pages, This has a 1 page historic background on each jazz instrument. These can make a good class work activity or sub plan. Also included are optional comprehension questions/answer pages if you choose to use them. Included lists are for saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, drums, vibes, Latin percussion, bass, and guitar.
11. Jazz Band listening Depth Of Knowledge Questions, 4 pages, These include levels 1,2, and 3. Great for an observation, or just expanding your tool box of possible questions to incorporate into your day-to-day routine. Included are a rationale for each sample question.
12. Typical Band Set Up, 1 page, for the non-jazz band director reference sheet for typical seat placement, and drums set up.
13. Typical Drum Grooves, 1 page, 9 typical patterns young level drummers should know!
14. Basic Jazz Cheat Sheet, 1 page, great for scale, chord, modes, and scale short cuts for the budding "want to" improviser!
15. Recommended Tunes, 7 pages, reference for the director. Nearly 100 jazz chart recommendations especially for the middle school level jazz band. Believe me that there are more I could have included! I include the style type of each tune and some other comments for some of them to help you start to pick tunes, especially if you are new to jazz, trying to build your jazz library, or have not coached many jazz groups.

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7 Major Scales Cheat Sheet Grids

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