Scott Joplin: A Guide for Music Educators PART II—King of Ragtime Composers

Abstract

Scott Joplin (1868–1917) was an African American composer and pianist of singular merit and influence. This article is the second in a three-part series considering the biographical, artistic, and cultural contexts of Joplin’s life and work. “King of Ragtime Composers,” focuses on Scott Joplin’s artistic processes, including his structuring of melodic and harmonic content and his novel contributions to ragtime. The discussion is followed by suggested student activities written in accordance with NAfME’s 2014 National Music Standards, including performing a ragtime accompaniment, playing an original Orff arrangement of Joplin’s “The Easy Winners,” improvising within a ragtime framework, and listening to and analyzing performance choices.