- Nov 17
- 3 min read

Trombone Shorty by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Bryan Collier

PICTURE BOOK LESSON PLAN

GUIDED ANTI-BIAS/ANTI-RACIST READING | GRADES K+

BOOK Trombone Shorty by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Bryan Collier

LESSON PLAN CREATION Ian Fuller

LESSON PLAN EDITING Bridget Fuller & Kevin Lembke

INTRODUCTION

This lesson is a guided reading experience designed to accompany Trombone Shorty by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Bryan Collier. Lesson content, written by Ian Fuller, a student in the Anti-Bias in K-12 Education course at Portland State University, was designed to start or deepen anti-bias conversations in families and other learning communities.

THEMES

Roots, Black American Music, Culture, Inclusivity, Collaboration

SUMMARY & PERSONAL NOTE

Trombone Shorty tells the story of Troy Andrews’ childhood, how he got his nickname "Trombone Shorty," and how his world famous career as an African American funk musician began. Growing up in Tremé, he is first introduced to music by his brother’s trumpet playing and Mardi Gras parades. After picking up the trombone, his hard work pays off when he plays with his mother’s favorite musician, Bo Diddley, at a concert; Trombone Shorty’s career takes off from there.

Today, Trombone Shorty is one of the most talented horn players in the world. He’s played with countless pop and funk musicians, and tours nationally with his band “Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue” (and is very fun to watch!).

LISTEN TO THE STORY

OBJECTIVES

This guided reading lesson is designed to be part of a larger life-long commitment to anti-racist teaching and learning for the student and the facilitator. Reading Is Resistance sees reading as an opportunity to seed deeper conversations and opportunities for action around racial equity in our communities. We hold the belief that being anti-racist is a process of learning (and unlearning) over time.

The Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards (focused on Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action) serve as guides for our work.

TEACHING TOLERANCE STANDARDS REFERENCED IN THIS LESSON

These standards were developed by Teaching Tolerance. The Teaching Tolerance Standards and Domains referenced during discussion question development in this lesson are for Grades K-2. This book, however, can be used with a wide range of ages. Here are the domains used to create the discussion questions:

Diversity Domain, Standard 8: I want to know about other people and how our lives and experiences are the same and different.
Identity Domain, Standard 1: I know and like who I am and can talk about my family and myself and name some of my group identities.
Identity Domain, Standard 3: I know that all my group identities are part of me—but that I am always ALL me.
Diversity Domain, Standard 6 I like being around people who are like me and different from me, and I can be friendly to everyone.

READ, WATCH, & DISCUSS QUESTIONS

Discuss After Reading

Trombone Shorty said he got back up every time he fell. What lessons does this teach about trying something new for the first time? (Diversity #8)
How did Trombone Shorty’s brother and friends help him to pursue music? (Diversity #6)
What live music have you heard in your life? How has it influenced who you are today? (Identity #3)

Next, Watch These Videos

After Watching, Discuss These Questions

After watching the videos, which parts of the music and dancing do you see, and hear, Trombone Shorty use in his performance?
Trombone Shorty said his music is like Gumbo, adding together different styles from everywhere he goes. Does his music remind you of other music you’ve heard before?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

And try making your own homemade musical instruments to play along! Use this tutorial to get started.

RESOURCES