Earlier this summer, I went to an amazing street sale, and came across some jazz CDs associated with the name Ken Burns. He has produced a documentary about jazz which is just amazing.  For the last several weeks I have been riveted by this program – the photos, the film footage, the history, the interviews, and the music… all of it. I love to learn new information and chase it in different directions, and I was absolutely fascinated to discover so much about each artist, to be awakened to the context in which they lived and created and performed.  As I have gotten older, I have had a greater desire to appreciate and understand music in this way – not just as a recording that I enjoy, but as being the expression of someone’s unique and extraordinary life, and as a part of history.

For young children, history is an abstraction.  Children live so fully in the moment and learn best through concrete and tangible experiences that can be absorbed through their senses and actions.  Their emotions can be engaged through the expressive qualities of music, which tell them to relax and listen, or to move and dance.  I have selected some picture books about jazz that – in addition to being fun to read – will introduce children to some of the names of great jazz artists, to the historical context of jazz, to the instruments that were played and to the sound and rhythm of the music.  These are books that will allow children to take in information through images, sounds and movement and to imagine the time and places in which jazz emerged and evolved.  I hope these are books that educators will enjoy using as part of their music curriculum for the very young.

Ehrhardt, Karen.  This Jazz Man.  Orlando: Harcourt, 2006

Though I reviewed this one in an earlier blog post (http://earlychildhoodartsconnection.ca/?p=449) I feel it must be included in this grouping of books.  So, here it is, again!  “Sung to the tune of ‘This Old Man’ Ehrhardt’s be-bopping book invites readers to learn about numbers, instruments, rhythm patterns and jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. R.G. Roth’s gorgeous mixed media collages and prints bring motion and joy to the text, and include musical phrases such as “hop-step-sliiiide!” and “doodly-doodly-doot-doot!” and “thimp dumple thump-thump!” – a playful opportunity to imitate snapping fingers, tapping feet, congas, trumpets, pianos and more. The conclusion of the book includes some biographical information about well-known artists and their contribution to the music world. What a wonderful introduction to jazz!”

Wheeler, Lisa. Jazz Baby.  Orlando: Harcourt, 2007

Using a variety of sounds, movements and familiar musical terms, the rhyming text in Jazz Baby invites readers to dance and sing along with a family, to the joyful jazz that starts the baby’s day and tucks him in at night.  The moment dad puts a record on the turntable, both family and friends join in snapping, tapping, clapping, scatting, swinging and more!  Gregory Christie’s illustrations in gouache capture the movement of this book and the happiness that happens when music brings people together.  Children will enjoy the rhythm, rhyme and repetition of this book, and could be encouraged to explore their own dance moves to their favourite jazz recordings.  (As a starting place, try listening to Jazz for Kids: Sing Clap Wiggle and Shake – see image above).

Raschka, Christopher.  Charlie Parker Played be bop. New York: Orchard Books, 1992

This playful book allows children to explore the rhythms, syncopations and sounds of jazz (be bop), but particularly if the text is read with special attention to the musical details expressed in the words.  The lively poem, packed with sound effects, repeated words and devices like alliteration has a motion to it that will allow readers to physically feel the pulse of the music and to join in the reading.  Raschka’s humorous water colour and charcoal pencil illustrations capture Charlie Parker playing his alto saxophone, as well as showing alphabet letters, birds and shoes moving to his distinctive music.  This book could allow children to find out more about who Charlie Parker was, how his style of playing influenced other musicians and showed new possibilities for making music.

Dillon, Leo and Diane.  Jazz on a Saturday Night.  New York: Blue Sky Press, 2007

This extraordinary book ushers readers into a concert venue where they have front row seats to see jazz greats like Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Max Roach and others set up and perform for an audience eager to enjoy the sounds of trumpet, drums, saxophone, piano, guitar, bass and voice.  The dark colours in the paintings capture the dreamy mood of a story that brings together musicians who never actually performed in this configuration. Perhaps this is why the musicians are often depicted with their eyes closed – not simply because they are deep in concentration, or because they are feeling transported by the music, but because they also share in the authors’ dream about a magical night that never happened.  In addition to information about the jazz artists represented, this gorgeous book includes a CD narrated by the authors.  Different instruments, including the human voice, are described and listeners are introduced to their distinctive sounds.  There is a track which sets the text to music, guiding us through each instrument in the story and adding to the special sense of attending a concert.

Isadora, Rachel.  Bring on That Beat.  New York: Putnam, 2002

Rachel Isadora’s simple rhyming couplets capture the rich details of her black and white oil paintings (accented with splashes of computer generated colour).  The book allows readers to spend the night dancing with children and jazz musicians in a Harlem neighbourhood in the 1930’s.  Children dance in doorways, on front steps, under streetlamps, on fire escapes and on rooftops, where what might be the music of Duke Ellington rises up from the streets and high above the tops of high rises.  Isadora’s book allows modern readers to have a glimpse into the past and imagine what life and music in another time might have been like.  The book concludes with a reminder that music transcends the particular time and place in which it first was created and enjoyed, and influences what we create and listen to today.

Weiss, George David and Bob Thiele.  What a Wonderful World.  New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1995

Ashley Bryan’s tempera and gouache paintings provide bright and cheerful illustrations for a lovely composition recorded by jazz great, Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971). It is a positive song, that was written in the face of challenging times in the history of the United States during the 1960’s.  The lyrics are sweet and simple, and the text could easily be sung to young readers.  This would be a way to introduce children to a beloved artist and individual whose enormous talent and contribution to music has indeed made this a wonderful world.

]]> http://earlychildhoodartsconnection.ca/?feed=rss2&p=545 0 http://earlychildhoodartsconnection.ca/?p=449 http://earlychildhoodartsconnection.ca/?p=449#comments Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:48:13 +0000 Lullabies http://earlychildhoodartsconnection.ca/?p=449 Continue reading →]]> “I see a song. I paint music. I hear colour.  I touch the rainbow and the deep spring in the ground.  My music talks.  My colors dance. Come, listen, and let your imagination see your own song.” ~ Eric Carle

Here is a collection of five books that provide readers with the chance to explore different aspects of music – meanings of musical terms, the joy and magic of self expression, sounds that inspire us, genres of music that make us move, the musical imagination, and how music connects us to others.  These are some of my favourites and I hope they add to your enjoyment of listening to and learning about music!

Kitamura, Satoshi.  Igor, the Bird who Couldn’t Sing. London: Andersen Press 2005

With humour and sensitivity, Satoshi Kitamura describes how it feels to have a musical soul, but not musical “talent”.  Igor wants to sing with the other birds, and though he tries, and practices and takes lessons, he is laughed at by his more talented peers.  Everywhere he goes he meets different musical types and his confidence goes downhill.  Discouraged and down-hearted, Igor flees to an empty desert.  Inspired by a beautiful sunset, he sings joyfully, thinking no one can hear him.  To his surprise he awakens a dodo that joins in his song, and truly appreciates his unique voice.  The simple story and bright illustrations capture the joy, beauty and sense of community that music can bring to our lives, and encourage us to just sing!

Krull, Kathleen. M is for Music. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003

“M is for music, music teachers, mistakes and Mozart” is just one of the inviting sentences to be found in this unusual alphabet book.  Embedded in Stacy Innerst’s dream-like paintings are images of musicians, instruments, and words for musical terms and styles.  Readers can hunt for intriguing words from aria to zither, count words on each page, and try to group the words (e.g., by instrument, artist or style).  The book begins with inspirational quotes and concludes with a glossary that defines terms and provides details about composers, instruments and music history.  While encouraging alphabetic awareness, this lovely book welcomes young readers into the rich world of music and provides a window into the breadth of its beauty.

Ehrhardt, Karen. This Jazz Man. Orlando: Harcourt, 2006

Sung to the tune of ‘This Old Man’ Ehrhardt’s be-bopping book invites readers to learn about numbers, instruments, rhythm patterns and jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.  R.G. Roth’s gorgeous mixed media collages and prints bring motion and joy to the text, and include musical phrases such as “hop-step-sliiiide!” and “doodly-doodly-doot-doot!” and “thimp dumple thump-thump!” – a playful
opportunity to imitate snapping fingers, tapping feet, congas, trumpets, pianos and more.  The conclusion of the book includes some biographical information about well-known artists and their contribution to the music world. What a wonderful introduction to jazz!

Pinkney, J. Brian. Max Found Two Sticks. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1994

Pinkney’s perfect book introduces readers to Max and his friends and family as he spends a day making his own music with found objects like sticks, bottles, buckets and hat boxes.  As he taps different rhythms he hears them reflected in sounds around him like pigeons flying, rain falling, church bells ringing and trains rattling by. Readers can participate in the music making, either tapping rhythms on their laps or repeating phrases like, ‘putter putter pat-tat’, ‘dong-dang-dung’ and ‘cling clang da-BANG!’ The exquisite details in Pinkney’s scratchboard illustrations capture the rich life of Max’s neighbourhood and the sounds he attends to in his day to day life.  Though Max does not talk until the end of the story, the sounds he makes speak volumes about his unique ability to express himself through music with whatever is available to him.

Carle, Eric. I See a Song. New York: Crowell, 1973

This is a bright and beautiful book that speaks to the musical imagination.  What makes it unique is the absence of words, which provides a wonderful opportunity to discover what children know (or would like to know) about music, by making space for their words.  Eric Carle’s artwork suggests all kinds of moods, patterns and ways to move.  By asking children open-ended questions, such as “How does that picture make you feel?” or “What kind of sound does that picture make you hear?” or “Who can use their body to move like the shapes in this picture?” children can construct and describe their own understandings about music and movement.  As an extension to reading the book, you could play different styles of music and encourage children to paint or create torn paper collages inspired by the illustrations.  This book allows children to deepen their understanding of music using even more than the sense of sound.