ABSTRACT
To understand the complex relationship between curriculum materials and the practices they facilitate, consider an example from jazz. The song Take the A Train, written by Billy Strayhorn, was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and was performed by countless others. If we compare Duke’s rendition to one by Ella Fitzgerald, we have little difficulty identifying each rendition as being the same song. Yet, despite their essential similarities, the songs sound distinctly different. (The same can often be said for two renditions by the same artist.) We can examine some of the sources of this variation – ranging from obvious differences such as instruments used to less obvious ones such as cultural influences, contextual factors, and stylistic preferences. But it is also the case that, although performers use pre-rendered scores as foundations to support their practice, a great deal of the creative work takes place during the performance.
