At the close of the twentieth century, Duke Ellington stands as one of the era' s greatest and most prolific composers. Ellington's musical artistry using his orchestra as his medium created harmonies, tonal colorings, and rhythms that were startling in their originality, yet essentially American.

Students, feel free to play with the lessons here and see what you discover about the composer whose name is synonymous with Swing, Jazz, and the Big Band Sound. Teachers, these interactive lessons about Duke Ellington's musical genius were developed for the middle-level music student by MENC: The National Association for Music Education. Each lesson helps you guide your students to many of the goals set forth in the National Standards for Music Education. These National Standards, listed at the end of the For Teachers section, identify what our country's children must know and be able to do in the arts and offer a framework for an arts education that benefits both student and society as it cultivates the whole child.

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