I have a late intermediate student (age 13-14) who is really interested in learning "how to play jazz." We have not yet discussed if she just wants to "learn a jazz piece" or learn how to actually PLAY jazz (with improvisation, learning blues scale, more chords, etc.) She is currently playing some Clementi sonatinas and when she puts effort into practice, plays very well.

Any great book ideas/piece ideas for an intro to jazz? I am not a jazz musician myself (I'm good at teaching improv in the classical/diatonic world but not so much with jazz) so this will be a nice learning experience for me, too.

-Klavierspielen

Martha Mier has a series of books called "Jazz, Rags, and Blues." I really like these pieces. They don't teach improvisation, but they introduce the style and feel and rhythms.

Best place to start would be "Discover Blues Improvisation" by Faber/McLean.