Wadda Wadda Wadda

Though you can certainly sing this exciting, upbeat song without any discussion whatsoever (your kids will love it), here are a few points you may wish to discuss:

• jazz in general
• big bands
• improvisation
• the trumpet
• the swing feel and how it affects eighth notes
• the boogie woogie bass line that starts at measure 5
• the 12 measure phrases typical of the blues
• the call and response of the singers and the trumpet(s) during the "waddas"

We highly recommend that you use the Performance/Accompaniment Cassette so you and your students can hear the big band arrangement of this song. It really adds a lot, especially considering that the tune is about a trumpet player (who is featured on the cassette - his name is Dominic Spera). On side two, you will hear two versions of this tune. The first one is the usual instrumental mix with no vocals. The second one is an instrumental mix with no improvisational trumpet solos at measure 39 (both times). This allows your students the opportunity to fill in the solos themselves, either through scat singing, on an instrument, or perhaps with a kazoo. We have provided an illustration of a trumpet on page 17 which can be duplicated on heavy paper, colored, cut out and attached to a kazoo so that your students can pretend to play the trumpet either during the improvisation sections or whenever the trumpets play. Doing so will help them recognize the sound of the trumpets in the context of the big band.

For more information on jazz, refer to the article "Jazz is Elementary!" from Music K-8, Vol. 2, No. 4.