Chord Changes on the Chalkboard

How Public School Teachers Shaped Jazz and the Music of New Orleans

Al Kennedy - Foreword by Ellis Marsalis Jr.

The world's fascination with New Orleans stems from the allure of the music of the city_music that owes its origins and development to many sources. Until now, popular and scholarly books, dissertations, and articles that attempt to explain these sources have failed to recognize the unsung heroes of the New Orleans jazz scene: the teachers in its public schools. Through more than 90 original interviews and extensive research in New Orleans' historical collections, Dr. Kennedy documents ways that public school teachers pushed an often unwilling urban institution to become an important structure that transmitted jazz and the other musical traditions of the city to future musicians. Music legends from Louis Armstrong to Ellis Marsalis Jr._who also provides the foreword_are just two of the many well-known former students of the New Orleans public schools. Chord Changes on the Chalkboard shows that, particularly after the 1920s, public school students benefited not only from the study of instrumental music and theory, but also from direct exposure to musicians, many of whom were invited to perform for the students. The impact the teachers had on generations of musicians and music fans is undeniable, yet their teaching techniques are only part of the story. In addition to the successes enjoyed with their students, the teachers' own musical experiences, recordings, and performances are also examined. The interaction between teachers and students in New Orleans public school classrooms opens a new field of research for music historians, and this book is the first to document ways in which public school teachers acted as mentors to shape the future of jazz and the music of New Orleans. An important addition to its field, Chord Changes on a Chalkboard will provide invaluable information for jazz fans and historians, music scholars and students, and it is also useful reading for any public school teacher. A must for any music library, it should also be a welcome addition to any collection supporting African-American history or popular culture.

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 248 • Trim: 7¾ x 9

978-0-8108-5710-0 • Paperback • October 2005 • $57.00 • (£44.00)

978-1-4616-5746-0 • eBook • October 2005 • $54.00 • (£42.00)

Series: Studies in Jazz

Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century

Chord Changes on the Chalkboard

How Public School Teachers Shaped Jazz and the Music of New Orleans

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The world's fascination with New Orleans stems from the allure of the music of the city_music that owes its origins and development to many sources. Until now, popular and scholarly books, dissertations, and articles that attempt to explain these sources have failed to recognize the unsung heroes of the New Orleans jazz scene: the teachers in its public schools. Through more than 90 original interviews and extensive research in New Orleans' historical collections, Dr. Kennedy documents ways that public school teachers pushed an often unwilling urban institution to become an important structure that transmitted jazz and the other musical traditions of the city to future musicians. Music legends from Louis Armstrong to Ellis Marsalis Jr._who also provides the foreword_are just two of the many well-known former students of the New Orleans public schools. Chord Changes on the Chalkboard shows that, particularly after the 1920s, public school students benefited not only from the study of instrumental music and theory, but also from direct exposure to musicians, many of whom were invited to perform for the students. The impact the teachers had on generations of musicians and music fans is undeniable, yet their teaching techniques are only part of the story. In addition to the successes enjoyed with their students, the teachers' own musical experiences, recordings, and performances are also examined. The interaction between teachers and students in New Orleans public school classrooms opens a new field of research for music historians, and this book is the first to document ways in which public school teachers acted as mentors to shape the future of jazz and the music of New Orleans. An important addition to its field, Chord Changes on a Chalkboard will provide invaluable information for jazz fans and historians, music scholars and students, and it is also useful reading for any public school teacher. A must for any music library, it should also be a welcome addition to any collection supporting African-American history or popular culture.

Details

Scarecrow Press

Pages: 248 • Trim: 7¾ x 9

978-0-8108-5710-0 • Paperback • October 2005 • $57.00 • (£44.00)

978-1-4616-5746-0 • eBook • October 2005 • $54.00 • (£42.00)

Series: Studies in Jazz

Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century

Author

Al Kennedy worked as a communications coordinator in the public information office of the New Orleans Public Schools for 21 years. During this period, he began a series of interviews with retired teachers, principals, and superintendents. Much of his research has focused on the lives of music teachers who taught in the city's public schools and on the history of public education in New Orleans. Kennedy has conducted additional research through UNO's Ethel and Herman L. Midlo International Center for New Orleans Studies, and he has taught as a member of the part-time history faculty at Dillard University and UNO.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Acknowledgments
Chapter 3 Introduction
Chapter 4 Chapter 1. From Teachers to Jazz Mentors: On the Periphery of New Music
Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Clyde Kerr Sr.: From Student to Jazz Mentor
Chapter 6 Chapter 3. Yvonne Busch: Shaping New Orleans Music
Chapter 7 Chapter 4. The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts: From Jazz Mentors to a Jazz Institution
Chapter 8 Chapter 5. The Community Comes into the School: Celebrating the Music Traditions of New Orleans within a Classroom
Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Conclusion: The Current Renaissance is No Accident
Chapter 10 Appendix 1. Clyde Kerr Sr.: A Link in the Public School Musical Network
Chapter 11 Appendix 2. Musical Influences: Yvonne Busch
Chapter 12 Appendix 3. Musical Influences: Dr. Bert Braud
Chapter 13 Appendix 4. Musical Influences: Ellis Marsalis Jr.
Chapter 14 Appendix 5: Musical Influences: Clyde Kerr Jr.
Chapter 15 Sources and Bibliography
Chapter 16 Index
Chapter 17 About the Author

Reviews

Worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the New Orleans school system or has an interest in New Orleans musicians of every persuasion and from every period.
— New Orleans Music

… a fascinating read….worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the New Orleans schools system or has an interest in New Orleans musicians of every persuasion and from every period.
— Jazzwise

Kennedy's survey is charming, scholarly, and affectionate, written with lucid grace…it deserves as populous a readership as possible.
— Jazz Journal International

An insightful glimpse into jazz education in the Crescent City over the years.
— Just Jazz

A carefully researched history of music education in New Orleans Public Schools.
— Best Of New Orleans.Com

In Chord Changes, the reader is introduced to many...notable educators, from... Arthur P. Williams, the principal of Abijah Fisk School to (William Joseph Nickerson (who gave piano lessons to Jelly Roll Morton and Manuel Manetta), to Professor Valmore Victor (whose students included "Sing" Miller, Ellis Marsalis and Earl Turbinton) and Clyde Kerr, Sr., who 'supposedly' charged a dollar for a one-hour private music lesson.
— Bunny Matthews; Dis 'N' Dat

This is a paperbound reprint of a 2002 book. Kennedy (history, Dillard U. and U. of New Orleans) examines the influence of New Orleans public school teachers in promoting the study of jazz. Drawing on 80 interviews with these musician-teachers as well as historical records, he traces their contributions from the early 20th century to the present, and profiles Clyde Kerr Sr. and Yvonne Busch. He describes the important role of public school administrators, the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, and interactions students had with musicians such as Wynton Marsalis. Appendices chart the musical influences of Kerr, Busch, Bert Braud, Clyde Kerr Jr., and Ellis Marsalis Jr., who wrote the foreword.
— Reference and Research Book News