EDUCATOR GUIDE

R O T A C EDU DE GUI

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

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A Message from WALDEN MEDIA BANDSLAM is about a high school kid, Will Burton, who wears his nonconformist heart on his sleeve. It’s about what it means (and what it takes) for a person to express himself—loud and clear—through music. Will rocks to the music he hears, capturing the hearts and imaginations of his band, his peers, and even that of a famous rockstar along the way.

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“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The music of BANDSLAM and the history of that music provide extraordinary “teachable moments.” To optimize these opportunities, Walden Media has partnered with two organizations that bring music and learning together with great harmony— the GRAMMY Museum, newly opened in Los Angeles and dedicated to exploring and celebrating the enduring legacies of all forms of music, and MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the foremost arts education organization and one that realizes the power of music as a teaching tool. Drawing on the rich musical resources of these esteemed partners, we have created this interactive Educator Guide filled with history, science, and musical riches. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) and Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) become friends while working on a school project in BANDSLAM.

About BANDSLAM

Teenager Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) lives in his head, and his head is filled with music. When his mom Karen Burton (Lisa Kudrow) gets a new job in New Jersey, Will starts at a new school only to find that while the old cliques and cliches still apply, rock-n-roll rules the scene. A perpetual misfit, Will strikes up a friendship with like-minded outsider Sa5m “the 5 is silent” (Vanessa Hudgens). They’re both surprised when the school’s “It” girl, Charlotte (Aly Michalka) recruits

Will to help assemble a band to compete in “Bandslam,” a battle-ofthe-bands of epic proportions. With Charlotte’s ex-boyfriend Ben (Scott Porter) and his band poised to win it all, Will finds that, for the first time in his life, he is uniquely suited to make a meaningful contribution to something that’s important to him and his peers. With music as the great equalizer, BANDSLAM is a movie that proves love, friendship, and music can all rock your world.

Read the Movie tie-in books from Bandslam: Will’s Guide to Music

ISBN 978-0843134858

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Bandslam: The Novel

ISBN 978-0843134841

Bandslam: The Movie Scrapbook

ISBN 978-0843134865

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We Know It’s Only ROCK & ROLL But– The activities in this Educator Guide are recommended for grades six and up and meet national standards in Music, English/Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. All pages are gray-scaleable to be easily reproducible.

Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka) and Bug (Charlie Saxton) are members of a band called “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” in BANDSLAM.

Some of the music cited in these lessons may include references, consistent with the eras portrayed, to substance abuse, violent acts, and topics of a sexual and/or political nature. Because this may be considered inappropriate for classroom use in some communities, you are encouraged to review lessons before presenting them to your students and, if necessary, choosing those sections that enhance your lesson and are acceptable for use in your classroom.

Our PARTNERS

The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music; the creative process; the art and technology of the recording process; and the history of the GRAMMY® Awards, the premier recognition of recorded music accomplishment. Walden Media is grateful to The GRAMMY Museum for their generous contributions to the contents of this guide and their expert review of the curriculum created from those contributions. To learn more about The GRAMMY Museum, visit

MENC: The National Association of Music Education believes that music allows us to celebrate and preserve our cultural heritages and also to explore the realms of expression, imagination, and creation resulting in new knowledge. Therefore, every individual should be guaranteed the opportunity to learn music and to share in musical experiences. The mission of MENC is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Walden Media is grateful to MENC for their cooperation, the use of its suitability statement, and their expert review of the content of this guide. To learn more about MENC, please see:

www.grammymuseum.org

www.menc.org

Table of Contents ACTIVITY 1: It Starts with a song activity 2: understanding music forms activity 3: music epicenters / new york city


activity 4: spotlight on the 1970s / be a music critic like will activity 5: culture shock, 1950s - 2000 activity 6: revolutions of recorded sound national content standards for activities


April 14, 2009 Dear Colleague: As you watch BANDSLAM, I’m certain that you catch the enthusiasm that young people bring to music making every day all across our nation. And I’m also certain that the enthusiasm expressed by the characters in the movie matches the enthusiasm that you observe in your school’s students when they interact with music. And we have new evidence that documents the importance of that interaction. For example:

Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) loves reading and making music in BANDSLAM.

• • •

Karen Burton (Lisa Kudrow) is Will Burton’s proud and protective mother in BANDSLAM.

A Harris poll showed that high schools with strong music programs have higher attendance and graduation rates than those schools without such programs. A recent study showed that music study is strongly associated with higher lifelong educational attainment and even higher lifetime earning potential. music study has a longstanding correlation with standardized test scores, and with important intelligence measures

With all of this, it’s difficult to understand when we have cutbacks to music programs. But the cutbacks keep appearing, which means that all too many American students don’t get the benefits of a full, balanced education that includes music. And though music is so compelling in itself that students will naturally seek music experiences outside of the school environment, the value of disciplined, sequential music study is such that this subject must be at the core of each and every one of our schools. It’s listed that way in Federal education legislation, it’s recognized in the academic standards of the states, and it’s the right thing for our children.

Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is a passionate music expert in BANDSLAM.

I hope that you will join with me in working to make certain that all of our students receive the benefits of music as part of their school experience. One thing you and your students can do right now is to sign the Petition for Equal Access to Music Education at www.thepetitionsite.com/157/petition-for-music-ed. Sincerely, Bug (Charlie Saxton) is a talented bass player for the band “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” in BANDSLAM.

Barbara Geer President, MENC: The National Association for Music Education



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It Starts With a SONG BANDSLAM celebrates words and music, two things that come together in songwriting. Explore the beginnings of American songwriting and popular musical entertainment. Early American song came from European classical, folk, and sacred music. But in the mid-19th century, unique American styles began to appear. These songs blended simple melodies with lyrics about American life and land. By the close of the 19th century, the growth of transportation and manufacturing brought a national market for popular songs. They were promoted nationwide in traveling minstrel shows and through printed sheet music. Thanks in large part to the railroad and other new technologies, these songs—and their writers—were among the first to find a nationwide “popular” audience.

The Birth of AMERICAN POPULAR SONG

TIN PAN ALLEY: Birthplace of the Music Industry

The songwriters of “Tin Pan Alley” fed this national market. Located along West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth in New York City, the area was filled with sheet-music publishers and related businesses. The noise of many songwriters banging out new material on their pianos gave the street its name. Although at first the name referred to one location, Tin Pan Alley is now used to refer to mainstream American popular music from the 1890s until the early 1950s and the main songwriting styles of the time. Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka) is a singer-songwriter in BANDSLAM..

In the mid-19th century, Daniel Emmett and Stephen Foster became some of the first widely published songwriters of American popular music. Their music (including Emmett’s “Dixie” and Foster’s “Oh! Susanna”), spread throughout the country, made popular by traveling minstrel shows.



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activity The Band “The Daze” are finalists at Bandslam because of their unique style and songwriting in BANDSLAM.

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It Starts With a SONG (cont’d) The term “songw r i t e r ” refe rs to a person who writes songs (in genres like classical and jazz, the term “composer” is more commonly used). Prior to World War II, most popular performers did not write their own material, relying instead on professional songwriters. With a few exceptions to this (particularly in folk, blues, and country music), pop songwriters hardly ever performed themselves.

Some songwriters create work so enduring that it sets a standard for everything that comes after.

Jimmie Rodgers, the “father of country music”; Thomas A. Dorsey, the “father of gospel music”; and Woody Guthrie, legendary folk singer.

TALK ABOUT IT!

Bandleader and composer John Phillip Sousa (“The Stars and Stripes Forever”) was among the most published popular songwriters of the late 19th century.

The “Father of the Blues,” W.C. Handy, early 1940s. His song, “St. Louis Blues,” first published in 1914, was among the first widely published popular songs to present elements of blues music in a standard form.

Composer Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” first published in St. Louis, likely sold over one million copies. It played an important role in introducing “ragged rhythms” to popular song.

Courtesy of The GRAMMY Museum.

This began to change in the years following World War II. As new sounds and styles emerged, artists who both wrote and performed their material found popularity. Today’s popular music is fed by songwriters from both traditions. Whether performing their own songs or creating material for other artists, songwriters continue to be the first of many creative people who play a role in bringing you your favorite songs—whether they be rock, pop, country, hip-hop, R&B, or another popular genre.

Actor, dancer, producer, and songwriter, George M. Cohan. The father of American musical comedy wrote many plays and popular songs, including “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and “Over There.”

MINSTREL SHOWS

An American entertainment made up of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the American Civil War, blacks in blackface. Minstrel shows were once a very popular (and very acceptable) form of entertainment. Today minstrel shows are seen as ridiculing African Americans—depicting them as lazy, buffoonish, ignorant, musical or joyous. How do you account for the difference in attitudes about minstrel shows over time?



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NAME

It Starts With a Song

DATE

Use what you’ve learned about the beginnings of songwriting and popular music to fill in the words that follow each statement. Some letters have been filled in for you. 1. Another word for a songwriter, this term is used when referring to one who writes classical or jazz music: __ __ m __ __ __ __ __ 2. He’s considered the “Father of Gospel Music”: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. An early American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, after the American Civil War, blacks in blackface. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ l __ __ __ __ 4. The noise of countless songwriters banging out new material on their pianos gave this New York City street its name. _ _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5. He wrote “Oh! Susanna.” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

F __ __ __ __ __

6. John Phillip Sousa, bandleader and composer, wrote this famous American song. “ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _” 7. He is considered the “Father of the Blues” and his song “St. Louis Blues” was first published in 1914 and helped introduced elements of blues music in a standard form. W. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8. This “ragged rhythm” was written by Scott Joplin, likely sold over a million copies, but was first published in St. Louis not New York City. “_ _ _ _ p _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _” 9. He is known as a legendary folk singer. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

G __ __ __ __ __ __

10. After this event, artists began to appear who also performed the material they wrote. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ II

TALK ABOUT IT!

Will’s Favorite songwriter In BANDSLAM, Will writes letters to David Bowie, who is both a songwriter and a performer. What is it about David Bowie’s songs that makes Will write to him and tell him about his life? Why do you think the David Bowie song “Changes” is Will’s ringtone?

(According to Rolling Stone the lyrics came from Roger Waters’ experience when he was injected with tranquillizers for hepatitis by a doctor before playing a show in Philadelphia on tour in 1977. “That was the longest two hours of my life,” Waters said. “Trying to do a show when you can hardly lift your arm.” The experience gave him the idea, which became the lyrics to this song. From:

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• Fats Domino

• Bo Diddley

• Little Richard

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• Chuck Berry, “Maybellene”

• Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel”

• Bill Haley, “Rock Around the Clock”

Important Artists:

“Rock & roll” eventually came to define rhythmic teen-oriented music, performed by both white and African-American musicians, which encompassed both R&B and hillbilly roots in a synthesis that was not race-specific. Former country musician Bill Haley’s 1954 hit “Rock Around the Clock” was the biggest early recording classified as rock & roll, while Elvis Presley’s post-Sun recordings for RCA were identified not as rockabilly, but as rock & roll. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Fats Domino were among the crucial black rock & rollers.

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How does music help Will express himself?

www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596159/comfortably _ numb )

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“Rocking,” and sometimes “rocking and rolling,” were terms dating back to country blues and classic blues recordings of the 1920s and 1930s, connoting either a hard dance rhythm or the intense feelings and attitudes of adolescents; the swing vocal group the Boswell Sisters recorded “Rock and Roll” in 1934. But it wasn’t until disc jockey Alan Freed applied “rock & roll” in 1951 to the music on his Cleveland R&B radio show that the handle began to gain widespread cultural traction.

Toward the beginning of BANDSLAM, Will describes his experience in school. Will says, “I have become comfortably numb.” What song are these lyrics from? What band sings this song? Why do you think Will quotes this song and these lyrics?

Express Yourself Through Music

Source: Rice University, “Connexions:” cnx.org

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Ben Wheatly (Scott Porter) is the lead singer for the band “Ben Wheatly and The Glory Dogs” in BANDSLAM.

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“That’s the Way (I Like It)”

• KC & the Sunshine Band,

• Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”

• The Bee Gees, “Stayin Alive”

• Chic

• Donna Summer

Important Artists and Bands:

By the early 1980s the disco sound—which had been embraced in exclusive circles at clubs like New York’s elite Studio 54—had played itself out, but strains can be heard in such later styles as house and hip-hop.

Homegrown acts like Chic and Eurodisco divas like expatriate Donna Summer racked up large hits, but the disco genre truly crossed over with the Bee Gees’ 1977 soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, which sold a record 15 million copies.

Disco—from discotheque (record library), a term invented to describe the dance clubs of the 1960s—became the most popular dance music of the mid-1970s to early 1980s, originally in East Coast cities. The sound was bottom-heavy, percussive dancefloor tracks that featured heavily orchestrated, swirling production, which took its cues from early 1970s Philadelphia soul. Club DJs developed an underground clientele —black, white, and brown; people from all walks of life—for what began as a mainly independent-label explosion.

DISCO

Understandin Music FORMS ROCK & ROLL

Every piece of music has an overall plan or a structure, its “big picture.” This is called the form of the music.

What Is a Music Form?

Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) is a talented guitarist and singer in BANDSLAM.

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• DJ Kool Herc • Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” • Grandmaster Flash, “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On the Wheels of Steel” • Sugar Hill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight”

Important Artists:

The crowd goes wild for their favorite bands in BANDSLAM.

Rap is one of the many music forms seen and heard in BANDSLAM.

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• Millie Small, “My Boy Lollipop”

• Madness

CLASSIC (Traditional) RHYTHM & BLUES (R&B)

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• The Dominoes, “Sixty-Minute Man”

• Ray Charles, “I’ve Got a Woman”

• The Drifters

“Choo Choo Ch’Boogie”

• Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five,

Important Artists and Groups:

By the early 1950s, the R&B moniker/name encompassed the popular work of singer-guitarists Guitar Slim and John Lee Hooker; vocalists Ruth Brown, Faye Adams, Ivory Joe Hunter, and Big Joe Turner; and vocal groups like the Ink Spots, the Dominoes, the Clovers, the Drifters, and the “5” Royales. Singer-pianist Ray Charles, whose gospel-derived style was rooted in jump blues, was the quintessential R&B artist of the day.

In 1949, Billboard magazine staffer (and future Atlantic Records partner) Jerry Wexler coined the term “rhythm & blues” to replace the offensive term “race records” on the publication’s black music chart. The name usually described swing-derived small-group jump blues records, featuring piano and saxophone soloists, that had been popular since the early 1940s. Louis Jordan, Roy Milton, Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Jimmy and Joe Liggins, Charles Brown, and Nat King Cole were among the most successful early R&B acts.


• The Specials, “A Message to You Rudy”

• Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors

• The Don Drummond All-Stars

• The Skatalites, “Guns of Navarone”


Also, a “third wave” emerged in the U.S. by the mid 1990’s which included bands such as No Doubt, which originally began as a ska band.

Despite its overwhelming popularity in Jamaica, ska had run its course by the late 1960s, giving way to rock steady and reggae. In the late 1970s a ska revival began in England and spread to the U.S., thanks to U.K. bands Madness and the Specials, which combined ska and elements of punk and new wave.

Led by trombonist Don Drummond, the Skatalites featured more than a dozen musicians, including horn players Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso and bassist Lloyd Nibbs, who backed ska vocalists. America was introduced to a mainstream version of ska when teen-ager Millie Small had a hit in 1964 with “My Boy Lollipop.”

An early 1960s Jamaican music form, ska’s sound borrowed heavily from American jazz and pop, along with mento, a local music. Ska employed numerous horns, an energetic dancebeat, and a distinct island exuberance; its flagship group was the Skatalites, which from 1963 to 1967 was Jamaica’s most popular band. During this time the Skatalites made ska’s signature recordings under the direction of legendary producer Coxsone Dodd at his Studio One.

SKA


Dismissed as a trend when it arrived, rap has since endured and evolved to become one of the world’s most popular and dynamic music forms.

As these vocal duties fell to their friends, the announcements became increasingly witty and complex—and rap was on its way. Since arriving on record in 1979, it has since gone through several major stylistic shifts, driven as much by the evolving skills of its lyricists as major changes in the technology that is used to produce the music.

Rap was born in the Bronx in the early 1970s, as local DJs, chief among them DJ Kool Herc (Jamaica-born Clive Campbell), used pairs of turntables to isolate and endlessly repeat the most danceable sections of songs. Using a microphone, they’d speak in time over these “breaks” to encourage the dancers and call out friends and others to the floor.

Rap is a rhythmic and rhymed vocal style spoken over a looping bed of music. Traditionally, it is considered one of several elements that make up the broader culture of “hiphop.” Today, however, these terms are frequently used interchangeably, with “hip-hop” considered synonymous to “rap music.”

RAP

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Understanding Music FORMS (cont’d)

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The crowd at Bandslam is full of excitement and energy in BANDSLAM.

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Omar (Tim Jo) is a rock guitarist in BANDSLAM.

Daughter”

• Loretta Lynn, “Coal Miner’s

Your Man”

• Tammy Wynette , “Stand By

Loving Her Today”

• George Jones, “He Stopped


The rural sounds of country & western music gradually merged with elements of pop in the 1960s, broadening the style’s appeal. In addition to (and sometimes replacing) the signature pedal steel guitar, sweeping strings “sweetened” the sound. Male and female choruses smoothed out twangy vocals. Song lyrics focused on broken hearts and the troubles of modern life. At first, male singers were the majority of country singers, but g ra d u a ll y m a ny women became stars of country music too.

COUNTRY

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• Blind Blake “Diddie Wah Diddie”

Grave is Kept Clean”

• Blind Lemon Jefferson, “See That My

• Charley Patton

• Robert Johnson, “Hellhounds on My Trail”

Important Artists:

Today, the country blues form remains alive in the music of Keb’ Mo, Taj Mahal, and John Hammond.

No one knows who the first country bluesman was, since record companies only began recording country blues artists in the mid-1920s—years after the music form surfaced. Seminal country blues artists include Charley Patton, Son House, and the legendary Robert Johnson, all from Mississippi; Blind Lemon Jefferson from Texas; and Blind Blake from Georgia and Florida.

African-Americans living on or near plantations embraced country blues as a main source of entertainment and as a fluid form of cultural expression. Many country blues songs reflect the hard times experienced by Southern blacks during the Jim Crow era.

Country or rural blues was the first kind of blues; its roots extend back to the late 1800s. Played primarily by male musicians, country blues took shape in juke joints, at fish fries, and during Saturday night parties where live entertainment occurred. Typically, songs were performed on guitar with occasional harmonica accompaniment.

COUNTRY BLUES

Understanding Music FORMS (cont’d)

activity

PUNK

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Music genre descriptions courtesy of The GRAMMY Museum.

• Television, “Little Johnny Jewel”

• The Clash, “White Riot”

• Patti Smith

• Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop”


Though pioneers like the Ramones received curious media attention, only the Clash, and such new wave-leaning acts as Blondie and Talking Heads, sold many records in the day, and the first punk epoch was short-lived. But the music endured to inspire a number of chart-topping bands, including Nirvana and Green Day.

The term “punk rock” was originally employed in 1970 by writer Nick Tosches to describe what is now known as garage rock. In its more common later usage, punk defines a type of economical, loud, aggressive rock formulated in the mid- and late ‘70s in reaction to the perceived bloat and decadence of the era’s pop and disco. Intensity was valued above technical expertise, and the music’s most celebrated perpetrators drew inspiration from such raucous predecessors as the Stooges and the New York Dolls. Befitting a renegade movement, many punk bands released their work as independent-label singles.

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Understanding Music Forms

TALK ABOUT IT!

activity sheet Crossing Over

What makes one music form “cross over” into another form?

Will Burton is an expert on many genres of music. Read about Will’s favorites–and find out about some of yours. Then use this sheet to compare and contrast rock & roll with two other forms of music. Type of Music Major performers

Other influences

Characteristics of the style

Where the music is performed?

Why, when, where and/or how did this form come about?

Rock & Roll

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1890s

1920s

The nation’s newest and hottest music— jazz—also finds a permanent home in the city. Duke Ellington finds a home at the Cotton Club, while Fletcher Henderson’s big band is one of the most popular playing in Harlem.

As the epicenter of the popular music industry, 1920s New York is home to many labels, studios, and publishers. Composers Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter, among many others, create legendary songs, particularly for the shows of Broadway.

1920s

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1930s

EPICENTER:


1950s

1950s T h r o u g h o u t the 1950s, the “City That Never Sle eps ” ba rely h a s time to nap amid all the musical changes taking place. The rise of local independent record labels is best illustrated by t h e s u c ce s s of Atlantic Records, which leads the R&B charts with hits by Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, and Ray Charles. Meanwhile, jazz flourishes with groundbreaking “hard bop” recordings by such giants as Miles Davis and John Coltrane. And by the decade’s end, the coffe ehouses of Greenwich Village are filled with the sounds of an emerging folk revival, one that values songs about social change.

Places and times where the sound of American music changed.

New York’s jazz scene becomes a musical “laboratory” in the early-to-mid 1940s, as a group of young players seek to “reclaim” jazz from the commercial sounds of big bands like those of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Charlie Parker and pianist Thelonious Monk, among others, develop the fresh style in all-night jam sessions at Harlem night spots. Played by small combos, this complicated music is definitely not for dancing. A 1945 Gill e s p i e re co rd in g captures the name of the music, “Be Bop.” Driven by a new breed of both musicians and listeners, its popularity marks the start of “modern” jazz.

1940s


1940s

Cotton Club star 1930s Duke Ellington and His Orchestra’s 1932 hit “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” ushers in the era of “big-band swing.” The Cotton Club, the Savoy Ballroom, and the Apollo Theatre become epicenters within New York, nurturing bandleaders Chick Webb and Cab Calloway, as well as singers Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Then it’s your turn to find out about a music epicenter near you.

Will takes Sa5m to New York City and shows her just what a center of music activity, or epicenter, it is. This activity explores what makes a music epicenter over time by looking at New York City.


1900s

Music publishers introduce their songs in the city’s popular variety-show theaters. These theaters pop up around midtown Manhattan’s brightly lit “Great White Way”— Broadway. When a song hits there, it goes on the road, where the growing theater circuit can quickly make it a hit throughout the country.

1900s

With hundreds of thousands of Americans in search of music to play on their new, massproduced pianos, the hustle and bustle of New York City has a new, booming business— “Tin Pan Alley.” Published music = songs for sale.

1890s

Friends and fellow musicians cruise around town in BANDSLAM.

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Music Epicenters/NEW YORK CITY

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1960s

Meanwhile, the revival of folk music takes full flight in Greenwich Village. Artists such as Joan Baez release music on independent labels like Vanguard and Elektra. Recording for Columbia, early Village star Bob Dylan switches to electric music in 1965, marking the maturity of “rock & roll” into simply “rock.” The city’s studios and clubs also see jazz stretching in new directions.

1960s New York continues to be a trendsetter in the fast-paced 1960s. Inside the music publishing offices of Times Square’s Brill Building, young songwriting teams like Gerry Goffin and Carole King bring a new perspective to urban pop.


1970s

Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) and Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) explore New York City in BANDSLAM.

Finally, from the tough streets of the Bronx, innercity kids with little access to any of the above are busy creating their own sound, style, and culture known as hip-hop. Starting in the 1970s, the term was historically used to describe unique American urban culture that expressed itself in four elements, MCing or rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. Beginning in the late 1990s, rap increasingly came to dominate mainstream pop music. Since then, the term hiphop has been used more generally to describe rap music

Sharply contrasting with punk is disco. The best symbol for disco was Midtown’s glitzy Studio 54 and 1977’s Brooklyn-set film Saturday Night Fever, which lights a national “disco fever.” In the meantime, ballrooms across town are packed with dancers moving to a different sound. Built upon the base of Cuban sound, this emerging style—named “salsa” by Fania Records, home to the music’s biggest stars—is an exciting blend of pan-Latin sounds with pan-Latin appeal.

The gritty streets of 1970s New York give birth to many new sounds, eventually including punk, disco, salsa, and hip-hop. Pioneered by the Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls, punk centers largely around the seedy Lower East Side club, CBGB. The acts—including the Ramones, Patti Smith Group, among many others—are musically very diverse, and their rebelliousness spreads quickly.

1970s

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1980s


1990s

As the 1980s arrive, rap is spreading 1980s nationwide. Over the course of the decade the music changes quickly and dramatically, and in only a few years the style’s earliest stars—among them Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow—are already being called “old school.” The turning point comes around 1984, when full length debuts from L.L. Cool J and Run-D.M.C., both released by new imprint Def Jam recordings, feature sparse, drum-machine driven beats and a swaggery style. The music and stance is in sharp contrast to the party-time vibe of early rap and marks a new direction for the music.

Music Epicenters/NEW YORK CITY (cont’d)

activity

YOUR TURN!

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2000s

Courtesy of The GRAMMY Museum.

New York City is growing a new generation of young bands that are busy reclaiming New York’s place as an epicenter of new and popular music. The most successful offering modern and individual twists, whether its the Strokes’ retuned references to 1970s New York, Interpol’s allusions to 1980s England, or LCD Soundsystem’s rocking incorporation of classic house and techno styles.

2000s

With a thriving West Coast rap scene, 1990s New York may be losing its hold on rap but that doesn’t mean it’s “down for the count.” On the contrary, some of the city’s most significant rap figures ever come from this era, including The Notorious B.I.G., and the Wu-Tang Clan. The home of Def Jam records also sees a new label: Bad Boy Records. Established in 1993 by Sean “Puffy” Combs, it quickly leaps to the top of the charts with releases by B.I.G., Craig Mack, and Faith Evans, among many others. It lives on as one of the 1990s most important recording labels.

Sa5m and Will find CBGB, the birthplace of Punk, in BANDSLAM.

Research a music epicenter near you or of interest to you. The Activity Sheet on the next page will help you get started.

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Other Music Epicenters

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NAME DATE

Use this outline as you do your music epicenter research. Work on your own, with a partner, or in a group. Present your results to your classmates.

Research a music epicenter near you or of interest to you 1. What music form(s) is/are your favorite(s)? 2. Where did it/they get its/their start? 3.. Choose a music epicenter to explore across a period of time: (Examples: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas, Chicago)

4. During what time period did this area or city begin to become a music epicenter? Why? For what form(s) of music?

5. Who were some key musicians and/or groups that emerged from this music epicenter? What brought them? What made them stay? How did they interact with one another?

6. What are some important pieces of music or recordings that came out of this music epicenter? (Can you find samples of this music online?)

TALK ABOUT 7. What’s the most interesting thing you learned about your music epicenter? IT!

8. What’s the most surprising thing you learned about your music epicenter and/or its music?

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Spotlight on the 1970s

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NAME DATE

Be an informed music critic --like Will. Listen to three songs from the “Spotlight on the 1970s” era:

Be a Music Critic Like Will 1. Describe, then compare and contrast the instruments and vocals in all three songs.

• Punk - “I Wanna be Sedated” (19 78) by The Ramones • Disco - “Stayin’ Alive” (1977) by the Bee Ge es • Hip-hop - “It’s Like That” (1984) by

Describe:

Compare:

Contrast:

2. Describe, then compare and contrast the songs’ lyrics, topics, and moods. Describe:

Compare:

Contrast:

3. Which of the three songs is your favorite? Why?

(a better representation may be Chic “Go od Times” which had profound influence and was sampled by many other songs following it)

Run-DMC

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Culture SHOCK, 1950s–2000 Throughout history, music has been a powerful force of cultural change. Read about the intersection of American music and culture at large over the past half century.

RACIAL CROS SOVER

Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) and Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka) discuss music and their lives in BANDSLAM.

1950s

Segregation in the 1950s kept blacks and whites in separate neighborhoods and schools. But the music on the radio allowed them to freely enjoy each other’s music. By the mid-1950s, record-store owners in the South noticed that increasing numbers of white teens were buying R&B records by black performers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Soon white performers like Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, and others were releasing top songs on country & western, rhythm & blues, and pop charts, all at the same time. Racial prejudice didn’t disappear, but for most listeners, rock & roll helped them to cross cultural lines rather than obey them.

CULTURE

CLIPS:

With brightly-colored outfits and a passion for music, Elvis Presley became a symbol of 1950’s cool. Large numbers of teenagers took advantage of America’s wealth in the 1950s and put off adult goals. They focused instead on cars, dating—and rock & roll. Adults often saw rock & roll as a bad influence on their children. In 1955, a Special Congressional Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency even held hearings on teen movies like The Wild One and Blackboard Jungle.

CULTURE

CLIPS:

• Little Richard, “Tutti Frutti” • Elvis Presley, “Don’t Be Cruel” • Everly Brothers, “Bye, Bye Love”

ROCK & ROLL ART

CULTURE

CLIPS:

• Bob Dylan, “Visions of Johanna” • The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” • Beach Boys, “God Only Knows”


• Bill Haley, “Rock Around the Clock” • Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent” • Chuck Berry, “School Days”

1960s

In the 1950s, television comedian Steve Allen poked fun at the lyrics of rock-‘n-roll, thinking it just a silly fad. However, in the 1960s, rock moved from a popular entertainment to a strong force in the culture. Bob Dylan first startled listeners with song lyrics filled with narration and images from the Bible. After they left touring behind, the Beatles began experimenting in the recording studio. They produced breathtaking sounds and multi-part songs. After 1966, a number of artists created music that got listeners talking about what they were hearing.

Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) performs with the band “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” in BANDSLAM.

N TEEN REBELLIO

P A G N O I T A R E N E G

For a while in the early 1960s, Bob Dylan was considered the spokesperson of the 1960’s generation. And though he wasn’t comfortable with the role, he was still part of a growing movement of young people that spoke for freedom from the values of the older “establishment.” Rock music, identified with spirit and rebellion, was central to this youth movement.

CULTURE

CLIPS:

• Bob Dylan, “Times They are A-Changin” • The Who, “My Generation” • Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth”


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Culture SHOCK, 1950s–2000 (cont’d) 1970s ROCK CORPORATE

REBELLIOUS R OOTS

Charlotte performs one of her original songs in BANDSLAM.

Often times seen as a rowdy and offensive form of music, the destructive behavior of punk was meant to send a message. In the 1970s, rock had become the main money-maker for most major labels, and the biggest bands, from the Eagles to Led Zeppelin, enjoyed huge touring budgets and a lavish lifestyle. Punk rockers rejected that excess as a sign of just how rotten they thought modern society was.

At the center of the punk revolution was a rejection of slick, manufactured pop. The punkers’ idea was that anyone could do it. Punkers’ inability to play was an inspiration to kids everywhere to reject fancy guitar solos for audio chaos and fancy studio production for the crazy echo of the garage. The rock of the Ramones and other punk bands returned rock it to its basic, wild roots.

CULTURE • The Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop”

CLIPS:

• The Adverts, “One Chord Wonders” • Dead Boys, “Sonic Reducer”

CULTURE

CLIPS:

• Joe Walsh, “Life’s Been Good” • The Brains, “Money Changes Everything”

The band “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” contemplates their future in BANDSLAM.

RAP GOES NA TIONAL

1980s

Early rap appeared mostly on local labels like New York’s Enjoy and Sugar Hill Records. However, after the Sugar Hill Gang hit it big with 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight” and MC Kurtis Blow became the first rap act signed with major label, Mercury Records, in 1980, the music began to attract more mainstream national attention. By the mid-1980s, Run-DMC, SaltN-Pepa, L.L. Cool J, and the Beastie Boys hit the top ten, changing the sound and stories in modern popular music and opening the door, at the end of the decade, for West Coast rappers like N.W.A. to take over the charts.

CULTURE • L. L. Cool J, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”

CLIPS:

• Beastie Boys, “Fight for Your Right (To Party)” • Kurtis Blow, “The Breaks”

BONUS! NAME THAT TUNE!

OD BOYZ IN THE HO

In the late 1980s, Eazy-E’s label, Ruthless Records, was releasing songs depicting gang violence, drugs, and police brutality. While this “gangsta” rap would quickly make a hero out of the outlaw figure for many white suburban kids, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Too Short, and others, spoke from experience. Unlike later gangsta rappers, they rejected the materialism of urban white people in the 1980s and demanded respect and recognition. Their songs served as a warning to America about the poverty and crime of South Central L.A. almost five years before those neighborhoods exploded in riots of 1992. • N.W.A., “Boyz ‘n’ the Hood”

CULTURE • Ice-T, “Colors”

CLIPS:

• Too Short, “City of Dope”

In BANDSLAM, the first time Will hears the band he will soon work with, they play the song, “I Want You to Want Me.” Who first performed this song? Who wrote the song’s lyrics?



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Culture SHOCK, 1950s–20O0 (cont’d) 1990s GRU NERATION X GE

NGE

Grunge grew out of Seattle’s underground music scene in the late 1980s, especially with bands like the Melvins and Screaming Trees. Their music was like heavy metal and punk music. But it was Nirvana who most influenced the sound of popular music in the 1990s. Seemingly out of nowhere, Nirvana’s Nevermind helped to knock Michael Jackson out of the number one album spot in 1992 and bring in a new style called “grunge.”

CULTURE

CLIPS:

• Melvins, “Revulsion/We Reach” • Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” • Screaming Trees, “Troubled Times”

2000s

After the success of Nirvana’s 1991 album, Nevermind, its lead singer Kurt Cobain became the spokesperson for a new “lost” generation that was accused of being uninterested in seeking fame and money. Many argued that the label “Generation X” was negative, but in books, movies, and popular music, the name stuck. There was a new generation of young people interested in a break with the cheerful outlook CULTURE • Pearl Jam, “Black” • Nirvana, “All Apologies” of the 1980s. • Beck, “Loser”

CLIPS:

Brass players rehearse for the Bandslam competition in BANDSLAM.

HIP-HOP, NEW POP The year 2003 marked an historic moment for black artists: in October, every one of the top ten songs in the country was by a black performer. While hip-hop had sold well through the 1990s, it topped “urban” charts not pop charts. Billboard created a narrower “Pop 100” chart in 2005 to give rock and country acts a chance, but it was no use. In that year, 50 Cent was the first artist since the Beatles to have the top four songs on the Hot 100 chart. Hip-hop had become a pop force.

CULTURE • 5o Cent, “In Da Club”

CLIPS:

• Beyonce, “Crazy In Love” • Ludacris, “ Number One Spot” Bug (Charlie Saxton), Omar (Tim Jo), Sa5m, Charlotte, and Basher Martin (Ryan Donowho) go for a ride and blast some tunes in BANDSLAM.



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NAME

Culture Shock, 1950s-2000

DATE

Armed with information from your Culture Shock resource pages, write a short essay for each of these questions.

1. What was the message punk rockers were trying to send to corporate rock? Why?

2. Describe “grunge” music. Where did it start out? During what era? What did it try and express?

3. Why do you think it is important that in October 2003 every one of the top ten songs in the country was by a black performer?

4. Why has rock music been thought to encourage rebellion in young people?

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Culture Shock, Continued

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NAME DATE

5. How did rock & roll help people “cross cultural lines?” What does “obeying cultural lines” mean?

6. Why were “respect and recognition” important to gangsta rappers of the 1980s?

7. What do you think this sentence means: “The right song at the right time can set you in the right direction.”

TALK ABOUT IT!

In the 1950s some adults believed that rock & roll caused teenagers to commit crimes and become “juvenile delinquents.” What made them think that?

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Revolutions of RECORDED SOUND Will’s world changes when his band’s performance at BANDSLAM is recorded and then uploaded to the internet for all the world to hear. In an age of digital downloads and personalized playlists, it’s easy to take for granted the impact of sound recording on our world. Learn about how whirling cylinders and spinning hard discs —revolutions of recorded sound—make entirely new sounds possible, and alter how and where we hear them.

Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka) plays guitar and sings in BANDSLAM.

The acoustic recording era began when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. He and other “talking machine” pioneers first sold their machines to businesses. They hoped that businesses would use them as dictation devices and telephone answering machines. By the 1890s, however, a surprising new market emerged—the general public. People in amusement parlors paid to hear their favorite songs, comedians, and performances. As companies popped up by the dozens to meet the new demand, the modern business of recorded sound was born.

HOW IT WORKS

I. ACOUSTIC RECORDING: 1877-1925 In acoustic recording, sound waves are captured by a recording horn. At the end of this horn a thin diaphragm is attached to a needle and moves with the sound. The moving needle scratches a path directly into a rotating cylinder or disc. Everything is recorded at once, and too much volume can ruin a recording. Acoustic recording wasn’t perfect. It meant that some sounds were recorded more easily than others. Brass was more audible than strings, for example, and small groups of musicians were easier to record than large groups. Early recording cylinders and discs could only store a few minutes of sound, so longer pieces of music needed to be broken down into separate recordings. The recording disc was invented in 1888, but its sound wasn’t any better than the sound recorded on a cylinder. But discs could be made more cheaply, quickly, and accurately than cylinders. They were also much easier to store. This made them easier for people to use. By the 1910s, discs replaced cylinders as the way ordinary people listened to sound.

The electro-mechanical recording era began with the introduction of the Western Electric recording system. It was patented by the Bell Telephone Company. This system greatly improved the quality of sound recording. It made use of many new technologies such as microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers for electric playback. Electrical recording and playback captured and produced a greater range of sound with less distortion than before. By using many microphones at once, sound engineers could blend or “mix” sounds as they were recorded.

HOW IT WORKS

II. ELECTRO-MECHANICAL RECORDING: 1925-1950s In electro-mechanical recording, a microphone changes sound waves to an electric signal. This new signal, called an “analog,” behaves like the original waves but can now be processed using amplifiers, equalizers, and other electric filters. These filters improve the quality and strength of the analog signal. The result drives a needle that cuts the final recording into a disc. Electro-mechanical recording made it possible to record an increased range of quiet and loud sounds. This resulted in the “crooner,” an entirely new type of singer who used a microphone to sing sweetly and softly. It also allowed sounds to be recorded more accurately and more often. This helped spread the music and performance styles of jazz, country, and blues nationwide. Recordings in the acoustic and electro-mechanical recording eras were all cut directly to a cylinder or disc. This original recording was known as the “master.” Early recording engineers tried to make their “masters” sound as close as possible to the live performances they recorded. log on to www .walden. com for additional activities & information


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Revolutions of RECORDED SOUND (cont’d) Magnetic recording was first demonstrated in 1898. However, it was too noisy until improved by German scientists during World War II. This German technology was captured by American soldiers and brought home after the War. Their discoveries inspired several U.S. companies to develop magnetic recording systems of their own.

HOW IT WORKS

III. III. THE THE MAGNETIC MAGNETIC RECORDING RECORDING ERA: ERA: 1948-present 1948-present In magnetic recording, a microphone changes sound waves to an electric signal. This signal is then processed and sent to a recording medium—most often, a recording tape through a magnetic device called a “head.” As the signal going through the head changes, it charges the tape, leaving an analog record of the original sound wave. Magnetic recording completely changed the recording studio. Tape was easier to use and edit than discs. Tape also offered longer recording times. Now, artists didn’t have to record everything perfectly the first time. Tape also made it possible to record tracks one at a time and blend them together later. This process is called “multi-track recording.” Reel-to-reel tape continues to be used in magnetic recording studios, but most people found it difficult to handle. This changed once it was put inside cartridges and cassettes. “Tapes” were easy to use, portable, and could even be used to make custom recordings. People also began to make recordings of songs or records and pass them along to friends.

YOUR TURN: FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION 1

In what ways would your life be different if it were not possible to record sound?

2

What do you think it meant for music, once musicians could do a recording over and over again, or until they “got it right”?

3

Look into the lives of Thomas Edison, Chichester A. Bell, and Emile Berliner. Why were they so interested in recording sound?

4

“Revolutions” in recorded sound have made it easier for people to obtain recordings of their favorite music. It has also made it easier for people to copy the work of musicians and performers. Do you think the interests of artists and their fans are balanced?

5

Why is it important to understand how the ear works in order to understand how sound is recorded?


In digital recording, a microphone changes sound waves to an electric signal. A computer then takes samples of this signal at a set rate and turns the sampled information into a number format. This process is called “digitizing.” These numbers are then recorded in a magnetic (tape or hard disc) or optical storage medium. Digital recording makes record production easier because it makes tasks such as playback, editing, and signal processing simpler.

TALK ABOUT IT! “These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country.... We will not have a vocal chord left. The vocal chord will be eliminated by a process of evolution, as was the tail of man when he came from the ape.” -Bandleader John Philip Sousa

What do you think made Sousa make this prediction? register at www .walden. com /bandslam to win a $250 gift card for your classroom.

Courtesty of The GRAMMY Museum.

Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) reads and learns about music in BANDSLAM.

Digital recording began in the 1970s. It was not widespread until the 1980s. Since then it has replaced taping as the studio standard. This is in part due to decreasing equipment costs and increased computer power. Digital recording has put the tools of studio production into the hands of more artists than ever before.

HOW IT WORKS

IV. THE DIGITAL RECORDING ERA: 1972-present

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REVOLUTIONS OF RECORDED SOUND

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CULTURE SHOCK, 1950s-2000

ACTIVITY

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 1: Reading for Perspective; Standard 2: Reading for Understanding; Standard 6: Applying Knowledge; Standard 9: Multicultural Understanding SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture; Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments; Standard 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture


Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka) and Karen Burton (Lisa Kudrow) cheer on the band “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” at BANDSLAM.

register at


The crowd goes crazy for the bands competing in BANDSLAM. to win a $250 gift card for your classroom.

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 1: Reading for Perspective; Standard 2: Reading for Understanding; Standard 6: Applying Knowledge SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture; Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 8: Science, Technology, and Society MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 8: Understanding Relationships Between Music, the Other Arts, and Disciplines Outside the Arts 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture SCIENCE: NSES Science and Technology Standards: Abilities of Technological Design; Understandings About Science and Technology

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 2: Reading for Understanding; Standard 3: Evaluation Strategies; Standard 6: Applying Knowledge; Standard 8: Developing Research Skills; Standard 9: Multicultural Understanding SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture; Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 2: Reading for Understanding; Standard 3: Evaluation Strategies; Standard 9: Multicultural Understanding SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture; Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 6: Listening to, Analyzing, and Describing Music; Standard 7: Evaluating Music Performances; Standard 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture.

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SPOTLIGHT ON THE 1970s/BE A MUSIC CRITIC LIKE WILL

ACTIVITY

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 3: Evaluation Strategies; Standard 9: Multicultural Understanding SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture; Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments; Standard 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 7: Evaluating Music and Music Performances

CONTENT STANDARDS FOR ACTIVITIES

ENGLISh/LANGuAGE ArTS: NCTE/IRA Standard 1: Reading for Perspective; Standard 2: Reading for Understanding; Standard 9: Multicultural Understanding SOCIAL STuDIES: NCSS Standard 1: Culture MuSIC: MENC Music Standard 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture.

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MUSIC EPICENTERS/ NEW YORK

ACTIVITY

UNDERSTANDING MUSIC FORMS

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IT STARTS WITH A SONG

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NATIONAL