Swing Music
Audrey Reich
Katherine Glover
Katie Runion
Vanessa Vertin
The History of Swing Music
 In the mid-1930s Swing
music came alive.
 During the 1930s
Americans suffered
significantly from the
Great Depression.
 In the 1940s swing continued in its
popularity especially as families longed for
their loved ones who were fighting across
the seas during World War II.
The Swing Era
 The optimistic feel of swing music lifted the
spirits of the American people during the
hard times.
 Swing music quickly became our national
dance and big bands were playing this
style of music.
 This period in time was thought of as the
“swing” era.
Famous Swing Leaders
 Famous orchestra
leaders such as Duke
Ellington, Count Basie,
and Benny Goodman
led some of the great
bands of the era.
 Swing music was
played on radios from
coast to coast & heard
in the movies.
What is Swing Music?
 Swing is the basic
rhythm of jazz.
 Swing is best
categorized for its
unique upbeat
rhythm & the sense
of motion it portrays.
 It is also considered
to be a specific
type of early jazz.
 The rhythm & beat,
exclusive to swing
music, makes swing
listeners want to
dance.
Band leader,
clarinetist
Started at
age 10
In the mid
30’s,
Goodman
led one of
the most
popular
musical
groups in
America
Benny Goodman
16 -18 piece
big band
Awarded The
Grammy 17
times
After Basie’s
death in 1984
they are now
a “ghost
band”
Count Basie Orchestra
From New
Orleans
Played
trumpet,
bandleader &
vocalist
Oldest artist to
have a
Billboard #1
song (age 63)
Louis Armstrong
Composer,
pianist, and
big band
leader
Awarded the
Grammy
Lifetime
Achievement
Award in
1966
Duke Ellington
Modern Swing
Swing Music in the Classroom
 Play swing music in the
background while students
work.
 Show students some of the
“lindy hop” swing dance steps.
After viewing the clip let the
children dance freely to swing
music, encourage them to
incorporate swing moves.
 Relate swing music to children
through modern examples.
Students Explore Swing Music
 Allow students to dress like swing dancers
would have dressed.
 Students can make up their own swing
dance.
 Ask the children how they felt when they
listened and danced to the swing music.
As a class, compare how they felt and
how past children probably felt when they
listened to swing music.