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Have students brainstorm a list of significant Canadians. Then review the list and ask: What qualities do these people have? What recognition have they received in our society? What criteria do people use to determine the status and value of those public figures? Record their responses.

Then ask: What do you know about Oscar Peterson’s contributions to jazz music in Canada and around the world? Does he have a place on our list? How has he been recognized?

In small groups, students will visit the topic Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Giant on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. They will research and write to tell about Oscar Peterson’s life, career, accomplishments, and influence on the world of jazz, both in Canada and around the world. Students should focus their search on the following topics:

1. Oscar Peterson’s youth, growing up in Montreal’s Place St-Henri
2. Oscar Peterson’s early musical career in Montreal
3. The development of Oscar Peterson’s distinctive jazz piano style
4. Oscar Peterson’s “big break” at New York’s Carnegie Hall and its consequences
5. Oscar Peterson’s trio and its accomplishments
6. Oscar Peterson’s views of his career and his Canadian identity
7. National and international recognition for Oscar Peterson

Using their information, students should prepare either a broadcast retrospective about Peterson or a mock news- or talk-show interview with him.

Have students share their presentations with the class. To summarize, create a list of Peterson’s main achievements as a musician and the extent of his influence and significance in the world of music.

Students can write a position paper discussing why they believe Oscar Peterson is not as well known as he deserves to be.