Jumpin’ JaKs Pre-K Curriculum

Jump for Jazz

Jump for Jazz is the unofficial theme song of the Jazz Arts Groups’ Jumpin’ JaKs preschool music program, written by Becky Ogden. It’s a favorite at PBJ & Jazz, a summer concert series for preschool and elementary school children, held at the Topiary Garden in Downtown Columbus every summer.

Jump for Jazz is a great song to help students refocus their energy if they are more excited than usual or just tired of sitting. Students will have the opportunity to experience and engage with jazz through a variety of different movements and scat singing. The basic movements in the song are jumping, clapping, shimmying, and mimicking playing different instruments. Later in the song, students will be scat singing for jazz. You can learn all the moves in the video “Jump for Jazz Instructions.”

Jump for Jazz is a great song to help students practice developing patterns, following directions, naming jazz instruments, and singing a song. You can have students sing and dance along to either the Jump for Jazz Music Video or the audio track, both linked here. These two recordings are different and were performed with different musicians. Older kids may be able to compare and contrast the two versions, discussing how jazz musicians are able to make choices with the music and make it their own.

Want to send this video to your students? Use this link: https://youtu.be/NBJE47wLhCk

Want to send this video to your students? Use this link: https://youtu.be/9xn3izh07Ww