Exploring the Roots and Influences of Rock Music

David Kaminski
lynndave@rcn.com
Georgetown Middle High School

TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:

Internet

Level:

High School

Class:

General Music

Equipment:

Computer lab with Internet access

Duration:

80 Minutes

Prior Knowledge and Skills:

Students will already have an awareness of the variety of music called popular music in America from 1840-1950.

NAfME standard of 1994 Addressed:

NAfME standard of 1994: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
NAfME standard of 1994: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture

NAfME 2014: Connections

Materials:

computer, printer, internet access, notebook
The website: http://www.history-of-rock.com/additonal_pages.htm#Roots

Objectives:

Students will gain a preliminary understanding of how music they did not choose to listen to or did not know about actually contributed to the development of music they already enjoy.

Procedures:

Students will go to the web site: http://www.history-of-rock.com/additonal_pages.htm#Roots
Students will then choose one of links under the headings roots and influences. Students will retrieve information about a musical style which lead to the development of rock n roll, artists in that style, and any socio-economic/historical factors that link the style to rocks formation.
Each student will do a short presentation paraphrasing the content of their research area.
Teacher led discussion among students would link the various topics to rock music.

Evaluation:

Class discussion, brief visual review of students accumulated materials, additional worksheets on term definitions

Follow Up:

Encourage students to look for recordings and MP-3 files of some of the old blues, jump-swing, country, et cetera artists. Additionally, immediately subsequent lectures will include listening examples of artists the students discovered in their research.