Thelonious Monk

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/thelonious-monk

1. When was Thelonious Monk born?
2. Where was Thelonious Monk born?
3. What is Thelonious Monk known for?
4. What is the recorded jazz composer ranking?
5. What made Thelonious Monk's piano playing different from other jazz musicians?
6. Why does Thelonious Monk use strange notes like the flat ninth and flat fifth in his songs?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Thelonious Monk born?October 10, 1917
2. Where was Thelonious Monk born?Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA
3. What is Thelonious Monk known for?Pioneering jazz pianist and composer with a highly distinctive style
4. What is the recorded jazz composer ranking?Second-most recorded jazz composer, after Duke Ellington
5. What made Thelonious Monk's piano playing different from other jazz musicians?He used unusual harmonies and rhythms, with sharp dissonances and sudden pauses, making his music feel surprising and original.
6. Why does Thelonious Monk use strange notes like the flat ninth and flat fifth in his songs?Those notes create tension and excitement, giving his melodies a unique, memorable sound that many listeners find interesting.

Dissonance: A combination of musical notes that sound unstable or clashing, creating harmonic tension and interest.
Chromaticism: The use of notes outside the diatonic scale, adding color and complexity to melodies and harmonies.
Jazz Standard: A musical composition that is widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, forming a core part of the repertoire.
Whole Tone Scale: A scale consisting entirely of intervals of a whole step, creating an ethereal and ambiguous sound.