Genre & Terms
This is a true story written by the person who lived it; it uses first‑person pronouns like I, me, my. (See pages 80–81)
What is an autobiography?
Troy names the New Orleans neighborhood where he grew up. (page 85–86)
What is Tremé?
The text defines this word as “related to important traditions from the past.” (page 93)
What is heritage?
Before Troy had a real trombone, what did he and his friends do to make music? (pages 90–91)
What is they made their own instruments / pretended to be in a band?
One main purpose Troy has for writing this autobiography is to do this with readers—share his feelings about music and place. (pages 84–85)
What is to express his love of music / express ideas and feelings?
The anchor chart lists signal words for time order. Give two signal words from the chart. (page 81)
What are “first” and “then” (or “finally,” “before,” etc.)?
Who played loudly in Troy’s house and inspired him—the family member mentioned on pages 84–85?
Who is his big brother, James?
Troy compares his music to a dish made by mixing many ingredients; name the dish. (pages 88–89)
What is gumbo?
Paragraphs 30–31 describe a band Troy formed with friends. What did they call themselves and why? (page 96)
What is the 5 O’Clock Band because they played at 5:00 after homework?
Find and copy the sentence that shows why Tremé was important (page 87). (short citation task)
“All day long I could see brass bands parade by my house while my neighbors danced along. … People didn’t have a lot of money in Tremé, but we always had a lot of music.” (paragraph 14)
Name the weekly question used to guide the unit and discussion about the book. (pages 78–79, 106)
“How does music bring people together?”
At a festival, a famous musician stops and asks, “Who’s that playing out there?” Name the musician and the festival referenced. (pages 92–93)
Who is Bo Diddley and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival?
Explain in one sentence why the gumbo metaphor helps readers understand Troy’s music. (short constructed response)
Because it shows his music mixes many styles and ingredients to create a new, flavorful sound.
Describe the sequence from finding a broken trombone to Troy’s nickname. Give two events in order. (pages 90–93)
What is he found a broken trombone → played in the parade → his brother called “Trombone Shorty” → everyone used the nickname?
How does the repetition of “WHERE Y’AT?” support the author’s purpose? (short constructed response)
It creates a sense of community voice and rhythm, reinforcing the book’s musical and communal themes.
This literary device repeats a short phrase and appears throughout the text as a call. Identify it and give the phrase. (multiple pages)
What is repetition; the phrase is “WHERE Y’AT?”
Troy names his band after a street in his neighborhood. Give the band name. (page 99)
What is Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue?
Give a context clue in the passage that helps define “festival.” (pages 92–93)
What is “an organized series of special events and performances” / example: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival?
Identify a sentence showing Troy’s life coming full circle — playing at the same festival as an adult and leading a parade. (page 100–101; requires citation)
“Today I play at the same New Orleans jazz festival where I once played with Bo Diddley. … I lead a parade of musicians around, just like I used to do in the streets of Tremé with my friends.” (paragraph 34)
Make a personal connection: name one way music brings people together (use text + student experience). (student speaks; collect short answer)
Example — Because parades let neighbors celebrate together and forget problems (cite paragraph 14).