Jazz: A Reaction to American LifeJazz, the “purest expression of American democracy; a music built on individualism and compromise, on independence and cooperation” has had a great impact on American life since the early 1900s (Burns, 2009). When jazz first emerged on the scene, it immediately had a profound impact on all individuals who experienced it. It didn't matter who you were. That said, jazz has changed the lives of the African-American population in particular. It opened the door of opportunity for this group of people, who quickly seized this opportunity before it could disappear. The development of jazz can be seen as a reaction to American life because it functioned as a form of expression, it placed emphasis on collaboration,20). For the African American people this was huge. Jazz music served as a common language spoken among this population. Sometimes it was soft and sweet, other times it was very loud and almost obnoxious. No matter how it was presented, there was always an through line of experience and life represented through the notes played and words sung within a piece of jazz music. For example, “Down the Dirt Road Blues” by Charley Patton told a story by discussing common topics such as travel, sex, manual labor, sadness, oppression, and death (Harker, 2005, p. 33). Before jazz, people had difficulty telling these kinds of stories in such free and effective ways. Furthermore, jazz allowed African Americans to gain a sense of individuality, even though their “slave” label was still present. To prove this, with the advent of jazz, slaves began writing spirituals and plantation songs combining 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 people through both good and bad times, giving them a new way to express themselves in ways they've never seen before. Jazz brought together individuals who had the common goal of making music. This was especially true when evaluating the African American population. They knew they had to unite to survive the constant discrimination they faced every day, and jazz seemed to help them unite on a deeper level as they expressed all their feelings through singing. Beyond that, each musician involved in a jazz band brought something unique to the table, and this diversity makes incredible things happen across the various instruments and notes played. While playing, these musicians soon began to improvise and play “off the cuff” (Vernick, 2009). But for this technique to work successfully, members of jazz groups had to trust each other and accept uncertainty about what was happening. It was a requirement that the members should listen to each other very carefully and work together to create something powerful. Jazz brought a whole new meaning to the whole idea of ​​collaboration; helped them survive and