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In anticipation of Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009, Jazz at Lincoln Center organized a series of concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The occasion allowed former US Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis to talk about two of their favorite topics: jazz and democracy. The result was a series of short videos produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center on jazz and its many connections to democracy. The videos, We The People, E Pluribus Unum, and A More Perfect Union, served as the inspiration behind the curriculum, which was developed by professors and graduate students at Teachers College, Columbia University. The EdLab created all the web resources accompanying the project, and where teachers can download the curriculum, view the videos and other additional resources including more footage, resources from the web, and relevant books on jazz and democracy. The videos and study guide are designed for use in social studies, humanities, and music classes in grades 6-12, although teachers may be able to adapt the materials for use with younger children.
Learn more here.