tammyw Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 DD11 just finished an online writing class - Bravewriter's Mini Reports. The following was her final submission (she actually had put it into a nice format with pictures and title page, etc. but for this purpose, I'm just including the text. I was pretty happy with the flow of the class and her final submission! Duke Ellington and His Rise to the Top Duke looked around, growing tense. His audience was tired, and half of them were gone. He would need something good to get their attention, and he knew what!Edward Kennedy Ellington (Duke) was born April 29, 1899 in Washinton, D.C. Being the second son of Daisy and James Edward Ellington, he was an only child, for the first Ellington child had died as a baby. As a child, Duke loved baseball, but after he got hit in the head with a bat, his mother forbid him to play sports. She felt piano was a safer option. But Duke didn't like piano, and very rarely practiced. In contrast, his love for baseball was so deep that he would find jobs selling peanuts and sodas to be able to watch professional games for free.During his childhood, racism against African Americans was still very strong. The Jim Crow laws, separating 'blacks' from 'whites' were all over America. Daisy didn't want her son to grow up racist or treated as badly as 'blacks' were treated in most places at that time, so the Ellingtons lived in an area known as the Uptown District, where they were mostly treated just as whites. Luckily, Washington, D.C. had the largest population of African Americans in the US, making racism more rare than in places like Texas and Louisiana, where blacks were treated like dirty dogs. This meant being turned away from cafes, hotels, and theaters because of their color. Even bathrooms had segregation, where blacks weren't allowed to use whites-only bathrooms, and vice versa.The Ellingtons were always very comfortable financially, and Duke's father, James Edward, was a distinguished butler at many high end establishments, including the White House when Teddy Roosevelt was president.You may be thinking, "when did he ever start on music again? I don't want to hear about Teddy Roosevelt. I want to hear about Duke or whatever his name is!" Well, that all started in 1913.The summer of 1913 was a very important year for 14-year-old Edward. It was that summer that one of Edward's friends decided to start calling him 'Duke'. It was more of a joke really, since both friends dressed nicely and had a sophisticated way of talking. By this time, Edward had started enjoying music again, and since all musicians had nicknames back then, the name stuck.The same summer, Duke and his mother took a vacation to a place called Asbury Park to get away from the heat of D.C. During their time there, Duke got a job washing dishes in a small inn where a few other young men were working. Washing dishes was hard and boring work, so the friends found something interesting to talk about that they all enjoyed - music! Since Duke enjoyed piano again, he could relate to the endless talk of all types of music. One day he heard about another young fellow around his age named Harvey Brooks. He was already making a living at music. Harvey dressed well, played amazing ragtime, and was generous about teaching Duke piano techniques. Harvey inspired Duke to play more than he ever knew. When Duke returned home, he decided to become a musician.When he was younger, it had been decided he would be an artist. He even had a scholarship for a good art college! But Duke decided he liked music better, and so he dropped out of high school. Nowadays, that would be unheard of, but back in his day, it was quite common. He started taking piano lessons again, and was mentored by several semi-famous musicians, including Doc Perry. Duke was getting better, and people noticed.One day, one of Duke's friends convinced him to play at a party. He was a hit! But he needed to come up with more songs to be able to play at an event like this again. He worked harder, practiced more, and wrote new songs. Sometimes when other jazz musicians had better gigs to play, he would substitute for them at certain events. But he heard whispers about how some thought his playing wasn't very good, so he worked even harder to get better.A few years later, he arranged a small band called the Washingtons. Around this time, the first jazz record was made (the music Duke was famous for), and the Washingtons started playing this new-fangled jazz, the rock 'n roll of their era.Duke now had a family - a wife and a son. And he had heard that New York was where all the big bands were playing, he set off for the big apple.Duke arrived in New York, and quickly found his work would be cut out for him. All the night clubs and other events wanted the famous musicians such as Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong. Duke would tag along with musicians who were in high demand, and in this way, found jobs playing at a few parties. But people still wanted the famous players. One day, Duke found some money in the street, and Duke and his associates took a train back to D.C. But Duke had seen New York, and he wanted to be famous more than ever. After a couple of weeks, another opportunity struck in New York for Duke's band. The whole band left for New York again, and got to play at exclusive night clubs. From then on, Duke and his band became popular. His career from there had some ups and downs, but to this day, Duke Ellington is one of America's most cherished jazz artists of all time. The next time you hear jazz, it just might be one of his many masterpieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Yay!!! I'd be very happy if my son could write that! Well Done :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey00 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 That is great! How old is she? Good job. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey00 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 She's 11, I see it now. I would love to see my 14 yr old write like this. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 Oh thank you for the responses so far! Yes, she just turned 11. I'm honestly a little clueless about what's age appropriate, so I appreciate the feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Well done! !!! I enjoyed reading it. Could you tell some more about the class? How much of your time and energy did it take, for example? Were you able to do the rest of schooling, or did that take priority for the duration of the class? We did Kidswrite Basic, and I was considering going on to the Mini Reports one.... I wish they were less expensive though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I think it's great, and I'd love to hear more about the logistics/mechanics of the class, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Writerdaddy Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Me too-- I would love to hear more. We are doing kidswrite and it's basically TWJ dispensed in weekly chunks, with some feedback from the teacher. I was wondering if there was something more. BTW that's stunning work for age 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 She writes better than most of my 11th graders! Nice hook opening... Glad to see that she got so much out of the course. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.