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Get in the Groove with International Jazz Day!

International Jazz Day is a worldwide celebration held on April 30, 2022. The day before, April 29, 2022, is International Dance Day. Recognize both of these musical celebrations this week with our featured resources! 

Grades K-12

Dance

Learn about dance and its impact on culture, how dance can tell stories, and some new moves. This collection includes lesson plans, how-to videos, articles, and more related to swing, tap, ballet, salsa, and many other dance forms.

Grades 9-12

¡Baila! Latin Dance in the Spanish Classroom

This extensive lesson plan teaches students about the origin and history of traditional Latin dance. Correlated to Common Core and National Core Arts Standards, this lesson compares samba, salsa, merengue, rumba, mambo, cha-cha, and bachata.

Grades 3-8

Jazz

Dive into this interactive site with several resources for learning about jazz. View the five-minute video to learn the basics of jazz and explore lesson ideas and activities that provide opportunities to listen to different artists and types of jazz.

Grades 5-12

Jazz in America

Explore these lesson plans for grades 5–11. Click on Jazz Resources to discover a rich collection of biographies, background information, musicology, in-depth analyses of different jazz musical styles, and other jazz-related information.

Grades K-12

MathScienceMusic

Click letters on the homepage to begin your musical experience, then scroll down to view the available resources. Each group of resources includes a video introduction explaining the content. Don't miss Scratch Jazz (music and coding activity)!

Grades 6-9

Living Pictures Representing the History of Black Dance

Read about the history of Black dance through the study of paintings, books, photography, videos, and poetry. This extensive unit highlights the evolution of Black dance from the African period through the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.

Grades K-12

Ballet

Check out this eclectic collection related to ballet. Discover the connection between ballet and the Russian Revolution, and learn the differences between plié, jete, and cinquième. This collection has lesson plans, videos, how-to dance guides, and more.

Grades 2-12

Smithsonian Jazz

Designed to both inspire and teach, this site offers several online instructional modules that introduce the history and structural elements of jazz. Students can also learn about the influence of particular composers and performers.

Grades 4-12

Learn about Jazz

Engage in the interactive history of jazz and its evolution as part of the African American experience. Click Classrooms on the top menu to find lesson outlines, then explore the locations where Jazz music began and spread.

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