The History of Jazz - MUS 225 at Virginia Highlands Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu./colleges/vhcc/courses/MUS225-TheHistoryofJazz
Effective: 2021-08-01
Course Description
Studies the underlying elements of jazz, concentrating on the socio-cultural and historical development from earliest stages to the present. Explores key figures and significant works instrumental in the development and evolution of jazz.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
Increase knowledge of the world of jazz by examining its history, the socio-cultural context of its development, key artists and performances.
Course Objectives
- Communication
- Effectively communicate music observations through written and/or oral communication
- Civic Engagement
- Identify values that diverse cultures and life experiences bring to society through the world of jazz to promote civic engagement
- Cultural and Social Understanding
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of music in different socio-cultural contexts
- Identify historical factors that influence the evolution of music within a culture
- Recognize/describe how aesthetics vary from one social group/culture to another
- Identify commonalities and value differences between social groups
- Personal Development
- Augment listening skills through ear training exercises and listening quizzes
- Enhance knowledge and understanding of the world of jazz
- Cultivate personal goals related to music listening, participation, or performance attendance
- Fundamentals of Music and Jazz Foundations
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the basic elements of music
- Identify octaves, diatonic and chromatic scales, clefs
- Locate notes on a keyboard
- Identify ?the pickup?
- Essential Features of Jazz and the Blues
- Recognize the significance of improvisation
- Identify syncopation and polyrhythms
- Understand the influence of swing
- Recognize musical characteristics of the blues and the influence of pitch bending
- Identify basic Blues chord progressions
- Basic features and origins of jazz
- Recognize standard forms and the bridge
- Identify jazz instruments
- Describe the influence of African American traditions on jazz
- Describe the influence of New Orleans brass bands
- Describe the influence of call and response on jazz performance
- Early jazz through the 30s
- Identify the influence of New Orleans Jazz and the musicians who shaped it
- Describe how Chicago influenced the recording of jazz
- Identify characteristics of scat singing
- Recognize musical characteristics of New York Jazz and Harlem stride piano
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Django Reinhardt, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn
- Swing in Chicago, New York and Kansas City
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald
- Advent of Modern Jazz
- Recognize musical characteristics of Bebop and bop piano style
- Identify components of Afro-Cuban jazz
- Recognize instruments within jazz big bands
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Sarah Vaughan
- Cool Jazz
- Recognize musical characteristics of cool jazz
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, and the Modern Jazz Quartet
- Hard bop
- Identify musical characteristics of hard bop
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis
- Key figures in the late 50s and early 60s
- Recognize important contributions of key figures, such as Miles Davis, Bill Evans and John Coltrane
- Identify the components and purpose of modal jazz
- Avant-garde and Free Jazz Musicians
- Explain the movement toward free jazz
- Recognize the musical characteristics of free jazz
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman and Charlie Mignus
- Jazz Fusion
- Recognize the musical characteristics of jazz fusion
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett
- Modernism, Postmodernism and Neo-classicism in Jazz
- Recognize the musical characteristics of modernism, postmodernism and neo-classicism in jazz
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Wynton Marsalis
- Latin Jazz, Globalization of Jazz and other Recent Trends
- Recognize the musical characteristics of Latin Jazz and key figures, such as Tito Puente
- Identify the musical characteristics of Afro-Cuban Jazz
- Recall important contributions of key figures, such as Arturo Sandoval, Branford Marsalis, Diana Krall, and Medeski, Martin & Wood
Major Topics to be Included
- Personal Development
- Fundamentals of Music and Jazz Foundations
- Essential Features of Jazz and the Blues
- Basic features and origins of jazz
- Early jazz through the 30s
- Swing in Chicago, New York and Kansas City
- Advent of Modern Jazz
- Cool Jazz
- Hard bop
- Key figures in the late 50s and early 60s
- Avant-garde and Free Jazz Musicians
- Jazz Fusion
- Modernism, Postmodernism and Neo-classicism in Jazz
- Latin Jazz, Globalization of Jazz and other Recent Trends