[Dixielandjazz] TJEN Curriculum Project

[Steve barbone]

Here's a synopsis of the Traditional Jazz Educator Network's School
Curriculum project. All of us in the USA might figure out a way to
contribute to this organization. Bless to doers.

Cheers,
Steve

Traditional Jazz Curriculum Project

TJEN is partnering with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
(NOJNHP), the Smithsonian Institution, and the International Association for
Jazz Education (IAJE) to produce the first-ever curriculum package for the
teaching of traditional jazz styles to high school and college students.
This project will fulfill Goal #11 in the TJEN Action Plan. Initial funding
is being provided by the National Park Foundation, the National Endowment
for the Arts, and a private donor.

The Traditional Jazz Curriculum Project will develop and disseminate a
package enabling music teachers to teach young people how to perform
traditional jazz (i.e., New Orleans styles and their outgrowths). The
package will contain lesson plans; arrangements, transcriptions and lead
sheets; a sampler CD; an instructional video; a resources guide; a jazz
style guide; and a poster. The package will be distributed to 10,000 high
school and college music instructors at no charge.

While scholastic jazz education programs are widespread, due in large
measure to the efforts of IAJE, there currently exists no formalized
curriculum for the teaching of New Orleans-derived styles. Relatively few
young people are carrying forward the New Orleans music tradition,
especially outside of New Orleans. The Traditional Jazz Curriculum Project
will acquaint students nationwide with the music of Louis Armstrong, King
Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden,
Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, Eddie Condon, and later
exponents of traditional styles, including the top traditional jazz artists
of today. The goal of the Traditional Jazz Curriculum Project is the
national revitalization of traditional jazz styles through the increased
participation of young people.

The curriculum package is being designed to augment existing scholastic
music programs, and will support the Goals 2000 National Standards for Music
Education. Project development and management is being carried out by a team
comprising:

*    David Robinson Jr., founder of TJEN
*    John Quirk, Superintendent, NOJNHP
*    Dr. John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music, Smithsonian Institute
*    Greg Carroll, Director of Education, IAJE

with input from other experts in the field.