Carolyn Graham is the creator of numerous English language teaching books, most notably Jazz Chants and Let's Sing, Let's Chant, published by Oxford University Press. She wrote the songs for Susan Rivers' Tiny Talk series of ELT books, also published by OUP.
Graham developed the technique of jazz chanting during her twenty-five years of teaching ESL in the American Language Institute of New York University. She has also taught at Harvard University and has conducted workshops in the NYU School of Education, Columbia Teachers College in New York and Tokyo, and elsewhere throughout the world. Ms. Graham is the author of numerous Jazz Chants® books, all published by Oxford University Press.
Jazz Chants are world-famous exercises when students repeat rhythmically words and short phrases to music. It is a rhythmic expression of natural language which links the rhythms of spoken American English to the rhythms of traditional American jazz. A jazz chant is a fragment of authentic language presented with special attention to its natural rhythm. It is important to remember that jazz chanting is not like rapping, nursery rhymes, or songs, which distort the spoken language for poetic effect. The rhythms, stress and intonation pattern of the chant should be an exact replica of what the student would hear from an educated native speaker in natural conversation.
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s Graham’s jazz chants spread far and wide along with the ESL teaching methods and techniques that sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain during the same period. Today jazz chants can be heard in hundreds and thousands of ESL and EFL classrooms around the world.
Carolyn Graham is the author of the following works:
Carolyn Graham (April 1978). Jazz Chants(r): Student Book. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195024079. Carolyn Graham (March 1979). Jazz Chants for Children. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195024966. Carolyn Graham (March 1982). The Carolyn Graham Turn-Of-The-Century Songbook: The Sounds and Structures of English Set to the Music of Favorite American Songs. USA: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0883454882. Carolyn Graham (July 1986). Small Talk More Jazz Chants. Small Talk. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194342204. Carolyn Graham (February 1992). Small Talk: More Jazz Chants, Exercises. Small Talk. USA: Delta Systems. ISBN 0194346382. Carolyn Graham (March 1992). The Chocolate Cake: Songs and Poems for Children. USA: Delta Systems. ISBN 0155996959. Carolyn Graham (September 1992). Let's Go 1: Teacher Cards. Let's Go. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194344908. Carolyn Graham; Marilyn S. Rosenthal (April 1993). Grammarchants: Student Book (Jazz Chants). Grammarchants. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194342360. Carolyn Graham (January 1995). The Story of the Fisherman and the Turtle Princess. USA: Harcourt Brace and Company. ISBN 0155996932. Carolyn Graham (January 1995). Let's Chant, Let's Sing Sb 2: Sb 2. Let's Chant, Let's Sing. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194346528. Bill Bliss; Steven J. Molinsky; Carolyn Graham; Carol H. Van Duzer; Deborah L. Schaffer (January 1995). "Navigator". Navigator. USA: Pearson ESL. 1. ISBN 0133595633. Carolyn Graham (November 1996). Let's Chant, Let's Sing Sb 4: Sb 4. Let's Chant, Let's Sing. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194348946. Carolyn Graham; Susan Rivers (October 1997). Tiny Talk 2a Student Book. Tiny Talk. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194351602. Carolyn Graham (February 1997). Expressways 3 Activity Workbook. Expressways 3. USA: Pearson Education. ISBN 0135708966. Carolyn Graham (March 1998). Let's Chant, Let's Sing 1-2 Sample Pages - Gratis. Let's Chant, Let's Sing. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194700623. Carolyn Graham (September 1999). Holiday Jazz Chants: Student Book. Holiday Jazz Chants. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194349276. Carolyn Graham; Susan Rivers (June 1999). Tiny Talk Songbook. Tiny Talk. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194353583. Carolyn Graham (October 1999). Holiday Jazz Chants: Cassette. Holiday Jazz Chants. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194349284. Carolyn Graham (1999). The Fisherman and the Turtle Princess-Songs and Chant Book: A Classic Folktale Chant. USA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0155996908. Carolyn Graham (December 2000). Jazz Chants Old and New. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194366987. Carolyn Graham (March 2000). Travel Smart: Nevada. USA: Avalon Travel Publishing. ISBN 1562614347. Steven J. Molinsky; Bill Bliss; Carolyn Graham; Peter S. Bliss (February 2001). Side By Side: Activity Workbook 1. Side By Side. USA: Pearson Education. ISBN 0130267457. Steven J. Molinsky; Bill Bliss; Carolyn Graham; Peter S. Bliss (February 2001). Side By Side: Activity Workbook 2. Side By Side. USA: Pearson Education. ISBN 0130267503. Steven J. Molinsky; Bill Bliss; Carolyn Graham; Peter S. Bliss (November 2001). Side By Side: Activity Workbook 3. Side By Side. USA: Pearson Education. ISBN 0130268755. Steven J. Molinsky; Carolyn Graham (November 2002). Zabadoo! Level 3. Zabadoo!. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194383679. Carolyn Graham (March 2003). The Oxford Picture Dictionary for the Content Areas: Worksheets. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194343421. Carolyn Graham (May 2003). Grammarchants: More Jazz Chants. Grammarchants. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194343421. Carolyn Graham (November 2003). Word & Picture Cards. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194345807. Helen Kalkstein Fragiadakis; Carolyn Graham (April 2004). Grammar Step by Step - Book 1 (Beginning) - Student Book. Grammar Step by Step. USA: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0072845201. Carolyn Graham (April 2006). Creating Songs & Chants. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194422364. Carolyn Graham (September 2007). Longman Young Children's Picture Dictionary. USA: Prentice Hall. ISBN 9620054105. 
