Jazzy+Fairy+Tales

=Jazzy Fairy Tales=

P. Mandarino and A. Epstein The Friends of the Arts (FOTA) Jazz Sampler project was in full swing at California Avenue Elementary School this spring. Select first, second and third grade library classes were introduced to Louise Rogers who is a professional storyteller, jazz vocalist and jazz educator. Our resident jazz artist has written three original jazzy versions of traditional fairy tales, and recently released a CD entitled Jazzy Fairy Tales. Two classes from Grade One worked on The 3 Jazzy Little Pigs, two classes from Grade Two worked on The 3 Jazzy Bears and two classes from Grade Three completed the jazz play trio with The 3 Jazzy Goats. Ms. Rogers’ original fairy tale versions are jazz-infused and focus on character education and conflict resolution. Ms. Mandarino and Ms. Epstein, our librarians, prepared the classes prior to the first day of the jazz residency with knowledge of the original three fairy tales, and demonstrated what happens when Latin jazz and bebop music and rhythms were added to the familiar stories. The jazz residency consisted of an intensive four week session where the students immersed themselves in the jazzy versions of the original scripts that Ms. Rogers created and personally adapted for their use. The students found new life as the magic and playfulness of jazz gave them the freedom to swing, sway, scat and dance. The students sang the blues with the pigs, danced with the bears and learned to scat with the goats. The culmination of this activity involved a stage presentation for their grade levels. A cool time was had by all, and the students loved all that jazz!