Trombone Shorty
Written by Troy Andrews, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Publisher’s Summary:
New Orleans jazz musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews tells the story of how he got his nickname and his start in jazz music.
Primary Source Pairing:
The music is alive in this autobiography by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. For this primary source pairing, invite students to analyze a photograph of Trombone Shorty as a boy. How does the text support what the photograph shows? That trombone really is as big as he is!
Additionally, invite students to listen to a song or watch a video featuring Trombone Shorty on his trombone. There are many songs viewable on YouTube. Check out the one embedded below of Trombone Shorty playing when he was 13 years old. Use the Primary Source Analysis Tool for Analyzing Sound Recordings.
Questions for Discussion:
- Describe what you see.
- What do you notice first?
- What people and objects are shown?
- How are they arranged?
- What is the physical setting?
- What’s happening in the image?
- What do you remember from the text that you see in this image?
Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
Trombone Shorty as a child: Delightful Children’s Books
Trombone Shorty Playing at 13 Years Old: YouTube
Primary Source Pairings 