Jazz Music Research Paper

Music has been a part of human culture since the beginning of time. It has been used for communication, self-expression, entertainment, religious worship, and personal health management. One of the only styles of music that is native to the United States is jazz music. Dating all the way back to slavery, jazz music started as field songs sung by African American slaves laboring away in the fields. Since then, Jazz music has slowly progressed to country blues, city blues, ragtime, dixieland, swing, be-bop, cool jazz, latin jazz, and fusion. Though jazz is not as popular now as it was in the 1940s, it has influenced modern music by giving way to rock, funk, hip-hop, and pop music.

Jazz music has a certain informality that cannot be found in classical literature. By incorporating solos and other grooves, jazz music is a lot more amusing and interactive for the musician to

Jazz and then their skills progress to a higher level? The answer is nothing. The only option currently available is to quit jazz band altogether or deal with the easy music in Jr. Jazz for the rest of highschool.

My goal is to be the first flutist in the North Kingstown High School Sr. Jazz band. To enhance my already slim chances of making Sr. Jazz as a flutist, I enrolled in the History of Jazz elective with this goal in mind. I am currently taking this class this semester and it has immensely expanded my knowledge of jazz music. I now better understand the music that I am playing and can better interpret the meaning behind it. The class has also increased my appreciation and passion for the jazz style. It is truly amazing how artists such as Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra strated in jazz and later evolved into pop.

I clearly have a passion and appreciation for jazz music and want to continue to play it. Thus, I believe having the addition of me, as a flute playing, in Sr. Jazz would be beneficial to everyone playing and enjoying the