Jazz in the Middle  8th Grade  Jazz in the Middle  Jazz & The
American Spirit  Jazz & The American Spirit is designed to help
8th grade students understand the resiliency of the American
spirit and how that spirit was reflected in the evolution of
jazz.  The one-week residency project is divided into five one-
hour sessions. The program is lead by guest artists in jazz and
improvisational theater. Students explore the American
Revolution, the Civil War, The Great Depression, WWII, and the
Civil Rights Era through a series of hands-on jazz-focused,
standards-based interactive exercises.  Students create music,
learn to improvise, generate stories, learn about musical forms,
participate in improv storytelling, create art, respond to
poetry, and perform solos. The final day consists of a
performance that highlights what students have learned
throughout the residency.  The one-week program can be
implemented in either 8th grade Social Studies or Language Arts
classrooms.  Sessions Overview:  Day 1: The American Re