Composer/Jazz Research Paper
Date Due:_____________________________
Purpose:
This paper is a make-up for the Band/Choir Concert or Festival you missed. It is NOT a punishment.
If you miss a Math test, no one would consider it unusual to write the missed test on your own at a later date. If you
miss a Band/Choir Concert or Festival, we cannot have you perform on your own at a later date, so the paper is in
lieu of the time spent with Band/Choir Event.
All students who miss a Concert or Festival will need to participate in this assignment.
Remember, your presence, personally, at a Concert or Festival is of the utmost importance to the band. We always
practice with the understanding that each person would play their part come time for a performance. Although
nothing can replace you in your absence, the report can make up for the time and work that you could not contribute
at the time of the Concert or Festival.
On a Report Card or Progress Report, a missed Concert or Festival may show up as “NHI” (Not Handed In) until this
paper is complete.
Format:
Should be hand written.
Length:
Your project should take about 2 hours from start to finish – about the time commitment with most concerts. It
should also be long enough to impress, so use your good judgment.
Items:
Please do not simply list facts. Be creative and string them together in an interesting and imaginative way. The
paper must deal with these following ideas using full sentences:
 Dates of birth, death and other important events in the individual’s life.
 Major influences on their music (people and ideas).
 Places (especially the country) they lived and worked.
 Major compositions, pieces or albums.
 Other composers, musicias or famous people who lived at the same time; major world events at that time.
 Any interesting or odd bits of information about that individual.
 Any opinions you have formed on that individual during your research.
Sources:
Plagiarism (exactly copying someone else’s work) is a highly illegal mess to get yourself involved with. Even if you
are using the internet you need to give proper credit to all your sources.
Plagiarized work will result in a rewrite and will not receive full marks.
You MUST print off the internet pages and include with report.

Composers: For Concert Band/Choir: The following composers are excellent choices to select from. If you have a composer
you would like to research who is not on this list please check with Mr. Stelter first. (Spellings of first names may
vary due to translations from other languages.)
 Johann Sebastian Bach
 George Friedrich Handel
 Sergei Rachmaninoff
 Johannes Brahms
 Franz Joseph Haydn
 Jan Sibelius
 Ludwig van Beethoven
 Gustav Mahler
 Igor Stravinsky
 Frederic Chopin
 Felix Mendelssohn
 Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
 Claude Debussy
 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
 Giuseppe Verdi
 Edvard Grieg
 Giovani Palestrina
 Richard Wagner
Musicians: For Jazz Band: The following musicians are excellent choices to select from. If you have a musician you would
like to research who is not on this list please check with Mr. Stelter first.
 Alto Sax:
Charlie Parker
Lester Young
Ornette Coleman
 Tenor Sax:
John Coltrane
Sonny Rollins
Coleman Hawkins
 Bari Sax:
Gerry Mulligan
Pepper Adams
Hamiet Bluiett
 Trumpet:
Miles Davis
Louis Armstrong
Dizzy Gillespie
 Trombone:
JJ Johnson
Kai Winding
Curtis Fuller
 Guitar:
Freddie Green
Ed Bickert
Pat Methany
 Piano:
Oscar Peterson
Thelonius Monk
Bill Evans
 Bass:
Charles Mingus
Ray Brown
Charlie Haden
 Drums:
Art Blakey
Dave Weckl
Buddy Rich
Condition: If the content of the paper is unsatisfactory it may need to be redone until satisfactory. Effort, originality (attention
to plagiarism), neatness, creativity and quality of work will all be taken into consideration.
Students may also use this project as a way of regaining some marks lost through a lack of Practice Minutes, poor
participation or poor behaviour in class, as well as poor behaviour or improper Dress Code during a Concert or Festival.