My first quarter topic will be on 80’s and 90’s rock music. Since a young age, music has been a huge part of my life. People have been able to create bonds and connections through different genres of music for centuries. One of the best parts of music is that it lives forever and will continue to have meaning decades later. Music isn’t just for one specific group of people or one generation. It is meant to touch the lives of anyone who can find meaning in it which I find so important. Throughout my life I have been exposed to many different types of music, whether it be from family members, friends, or just my own discoveries. I began exploring music from the Eighties and Nineties when I was around fourteen and it opened my mind to so much. In those decades there were so many new beginnings and people had a new sense of empowerment. Music was becoming more than fame and glamour. It was becoming an outlet for people who felt discontent with the way things were socially, politically, and personally. I am looking forward to reading about artists in the Eighties and Nineties, and the journeys they went through to transform not only the music world, but the culture that derived from it.
Essential Questions
-What motivates people to create music?
-In what ways does the area in which a band comes from affect their music or image?
-Does music shape culture or does culture shape music?
-How does politics affect music?
-In what ways did music from Eighties and Nineties challenge the social norms of that time?
Book List
-Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad
-Controversies of the Music Industry by Richard D. Barnet & Larry L. Burriss
-Parents Aren’t Supposed To Understand by David P. Bianco
-American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Bush
-Dance of Days - Two Decades Of Punk In The Nation’s Capital by Mark Anderson & Mark Jenkins
-The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Neil Strauss
Reading Calendar
9/15 - pg.135 (Start Our Band Could Be Your Life)
9/22 - pg.230
9/29 - pg.290
10/6 - pg. 420
10/13 - pg.501 (Finish Our Band Could Be Your Life)
10/20 - pg.90 (Start Controversies of the Music Industry)
10/27 - pg.180
10/3 - pg.270 (Finish Controversies of the Music Industry)
Great introductory paragraph! I can't wait to read your blog and learn about these bands as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this topic and the books sound great!! So when ever you talk about music, everyone wants to share their favorites, and I am no different. As a child in the 70s and a teenager in the eighties certain songs, not even favorites, bring me back immediately to a specific moment in time. "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson brings me back to a specific moment with an ex-boyfriend, and The Eagles and John Denver always remind me of cleaning our house every Saturday morning as a child. "There's No Gettin' Over Me" by Ronnie Milsap brings me right back to my first job, early in the morning, that song blaring while I counted money for the restaurant and the guys prepped food for the day.Music really is the sound track of our lives.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Your background is perfect for this topic!
ReplyDeleteAmamnda, A cool final project would be to interview people about what a specific/favorite/memorable 80s/90s song means to them. An emotional look at music.
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