Jazz: a reaction to American lifeJazz, “the purest expression of American democracy; music based on individualism and compromise, independence and cooperation” has had a great impact on American life since the early 1900s (Burns, 2009). When jazz first appeared on the scene, it immediately had a profound impact on everyone who experienced it. It didn't matter who you were. That being said, jazz particularly changed the lives of the African-American population. This opened the door to opportunity for this group of people, and they quickly seized this opportunity before it disappeared. The development of jazz can be seen as a reaction to American life because it functioned as a form of expression, emphasizing collaboration20). For African-American people, this was huge. Jazz music was a common language spoken among this population. Sometimes it was soft and gentle, and other times it was very loud and almost obnoxious. No matter how it was presented, there was always an underlying line of experience and life represented through the notes played and words sung in a piece of jazz music. For example, Charley Patton's "Down the Dirt Road Blues" told a story by addressing common topics such as travel, sex, manual labor, sadness, oppression, and death (Harker, 2005, p. 33 ). Before jazz, individuals struggled to tell these kinds of stories as freely and effectively. Additionally, jazz allowed African Americans to gain a sense of individuality, even though their label of “slave” was still present. To demonstrate, with the advent of jazz, slaves began to write spirituals and plantation songs blending European-style music with specific African elements (Harker, 2005, p. 21). Their teachers could do nothing to stop them from expressing their feelings of frustration and doubt in the form of music. Jazz has helped individuals through good times and bad, while giving them a new way to express themselves in a way never before. Jazz brought together individuals who had the common goal of making music. This was especially true when assessing the African American population. They knew they had to bond together to survive the constant discrimination they faced every day, and jazz seemed to help them bond on a deeper level as they expressed all their feelings through song. On top of that, every musician involved in a jazz band brought something unique to the table, and this diversity causes incredible things to happen through the different instruments and notes played. While playing, these musicians quickly began to improvise and play “off the cuff” (Vernick, 2009). But for this technique to work successfully, jazz group members had to trust each other and accept uncertainty about what was happening. It was necessary for members to listen very carefully to each other and work together to create something powerful. Jazz brought a whole new meaning to the whole idea of ​​collaboration; it helped them survive and