Handout
PBS

Encyclopedia of Composers & Songwriters

For Students 9th - 10th
A great resource for learning about some of America's greatest composers and songwriters. From Irving Berlin to George Gershwin, among other, this resource provides biographies, pictures and some video.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: History Wired: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the great big band leader Duke Ellington at this informative website. This site highlights his life and career in a well written article.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Great War & Jazz Age (1914 1928)

For Students 3rd - 8th
This Library of Congress time-line series surveys World War I and the Jazz Age. When World War I broke out in Europe, many changes were going on in the United States. Women were voting for the first time and African-American culture was...
Handout
PBS

Pbs American Masters: Placido Domingo

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the most popular opera singers today, Placido Domingo is discussed on this American Masters web site by PBS. Including a biography, a short list of his major works and a video, you will certainly learn more about this great singer.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Making of African American Identity: The Blues

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Examples of the blues inspired by the African American migration to Northern cities. These lyrics and audio clips explores the reasons for, and effects of, these migrations.
Article
Scott Alexander

Red Hot Jazz: Ferdinand Jelly Roll Morton

For Students 9th - 10th
Red Hot Jazz offers a biography of jazz great, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, with selections of Morton's compositions and arrangements in Real Audio format.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Blues Road Trip

For Students 9th - 10th
Come and trace the migration of the blues through the United States. This site features an in-depth look at the origins of the Blues throughout its development across the Deep South of the US and beyond.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Billy Eckstine

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Billy Eckstine, an American singer and bandleader who achieved great personal success while fostering the careers of a number of younger jazz musicians.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Erroll Garner

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Erroll Garner, a U.S. pianist and composer, one of the most virtuosic and popular pianists in jazz. Garner was influenced by Fats Waller and was entirely self-taught. He substituted for...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Mary Lou Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Mary Lou Williams, a jazz pianist who performed with and composed for many of the great jazz artists of the 1940s and '50s. This site, rich in detail and breadth...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Maps Etc: Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, 1898

For Students 9th - 10th
A map from 1898 of Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. The map includes an inset map of Cuba and the Isthmus of Nicaragua. "The surface of the Rocky Mountain highland in Mexico is quite similar to that of the great plateau...