From Swing King to Swing Kids: The jazz era of ‘Big Band Orchestras’ in World War II

Known as the ‘King of Swing’, clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman (1909-1986) threatened the Nazi cause during WWII. With intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate swing music during World War II. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) identify how the swing music of Benny Goodman (1909-1986) influenced adolescents in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany; (2) explore the Nazi party view on ‘swing’ music of the era; (3) examine how the music of Charlie and his Orchestra became used as a tool for Nazi propaganda; and (4) create a unit plan entitled “From Swing King to Swing Kids: The Jazz era of ‘Big Band Orchestras’ in World War II”. Infectious and relatable, the swing music of Benny Goodman provided a sense of peace for civilians during WWII. Nazis and their sympathizers saw this music as degenerate and degrading. Nazis employed Charlie and his Orchestra to record versions of popularized American tunes and twist the lyrics to reflect pro-Nazi politics. As the attempt was ineffective, this political concept deserves more research to be used as a positive influence, as opposed to its Nazi use