Writing/Essay/Journal
The first time Phil Mattson played a chord on the piano as a five year old, “the hair on his head and back stood up.” From that moment on, he couldn’t resist music. Write about a time when you did something that felt completely engaging and made you never want to stop doing it.

Activity
Jazz music is considered to be a uniquely American form of music. Do some research to learn more about jazz music. Look up the composers he mentions: Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin. As you research, identify another significant jazz musician from history and prepare a 5-minute long report including a brief biography and that person’s main contributions to the genre. Try to locate one recording of that artist that illustrates your research and share that with the class as part of your presentation.