The Bass is BIG
The double bass, which we simply call the bass, is the largest member of the string family. You may have heard of the bass being played with a bow in a symphony orchestra. However, in jazz, the strings of the bass are pulled with the finger, creating a unique LOW sound with a nice ATTACK that helps to drive the rhythm of the band.
Listen to the sound of the bass and sing along to our song, “The Bass is Big”. Watch how Derek DiCenzo, our bassist, pulls the strings of the bass during his performance. He even takes a jazz solo during the song!
Jump for Jazz
Jump for Jazz is the unofficial theme song of the Jazz Arts Groups’ Jumpin’ JaKs preschool music program, written by Becky Ogden. It’s a favorite at PBJ & Jazz, a summer concert series for preschool and elementary school children, held at the Topiary Garden in Downtown Columbus every summer.
Jump for Jazz is a great song to help students refocus their energy if they are more excited than usual or just tired of sitting. Students will have the opportunity to experience and engage with jazz through a variety of different movements and scat singing. The basic movements in the song are jumping, clapping, shimmying, and mimicking playing different instruments. Later in the song, students will be scat singing for jazz.
Jump for Jazz is a great song to help students practice developing patterns, following directions, naming jazz instruments, and singing a song. You can have students sing and dance along to the “Jump for Jazz Music Video” linked here. You can learn all the moves in the video “Jump for Jazz Instructions.”
