Final Project

1. Listen to other songs written during the early 1960s that featured Latin-American musical influences. Using independent research, write a one-page history of a song of your choice from the list below. Which Latin American rhythms, percussion, or other sounds does this song incorporate? What team of songwriters wrote the song, and what were some of their other compositions? How successful was the recording in terms of its chart position, award nominations, or covers by other artists?

·         The Diamonds - “Little Darlin” (1957)

·         Ben E. King - “Spanish Harlem” (1960)

·         The Drifters - “Sweets for My Sweet” (1961)

·         The Drifters - “Up on the Roof” (1962)

·         The Drifters - “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1962)

·         The Drifters - “Under The Boardwalk” (1964)

·         The Isley Brothers - “Twist & Shout” (1962)

·         The Crystals - “Uptown” (1962)

·         Jay and the Americans - “Come A Bit Little Closer” (1964)

·         The Crystals - “Then He Kissed Me” (1965)

2. Design a poster board to display a Latin-American dance style, such as the Mambo, the Rumba, the Cha Cha, or the Conga. Choosing one dance, independently research the physical dance steps and the musical accompaniment. Gathering primary sources, poster boards should include album covers, movie posters or still shots, advertisements, or any other sources that point to the popularity of their chosen dance style during the 1950s. Questions to consider include:

·         Which musicians were known to play this style of music?

·         What famous performers were associated with this style of dance?

·         Did the dance appear in any major film or television productions? Consider shows like I Love Lucy and West Side Story.

3. Assign students to read Handout 4: Review of a Machito Concert, as reviewed by music journalist Jerry Wexler. Explain that Wexler later became an esteemed music producer who helped guide the careers of such artists as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and the Drifters. Also in the audience at the Palladium the night of Wexler’s review was trumpeter and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie, who became a major proponent of Afro-Cuban style Jazz in the 1940s and 50s.

Conduct independent research into the careers of Wexler and Gillespie. What evidence can you find that indicates these two individuals were influenced by Latin American music? How might they have been inspired by artists such as Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez? What work did they produce that reflected this inspiration? Write a one-page response, citing examples from the lesson and from independent research.

Research Cyril Davies, Alexis Korner, or Long John Baldry, focusing on what these musicians did to inspire groups associated with the British Invasion like the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Yardbirds.

Ask students to create a timeline of key events in Liverpool during and immediately after World War II, as well as in the early lives of the Beatles, using pictures to illustrate key events.

Closure: S. present group projects to class.

The Who: My Generation

Warm Up:
Show two versions of the Who performing “My Generation”: first, a live perfomance from 1965, and second, the final moments of their 1967 Monterey Pop Festival appearance.

List five words that come to mind as you watch the second video.


Guided Practice:
1) Compare the performances and discuss how the Monterey Pop example adds power to the song because the Who reinforce the song's message with a particular performance style. Touch on the following questions in your groups:

1. In the Monterey Pop Festival performance, what happens at the end of the song? What do the performers do?
2. Why do you think the performers are doing this? Are they making some kind of statement? If so, what is it?
3. How old do the performers appear to be? Does their age have anything to do with the way they are acting? (Note: Members of the Who were between the ages of 20 and 23 during this performance.)
4. How does the audience seem to react? How do you imagine parents of people in the audience would have reacted?
5. Do the performers' actions remind you of any other performers you have seen? (Note: Different from the Beatles, the Who based their band identity not just on songs and recordings; they wanted their live act to be something entirely new. In effect, to fully understand the band you had to understand what they did in performance.) 

Divide students into pairs. Distribute Handout 1: The Who, “My Generation.” Inform students that they will work together to analyze “My Generation,” the song the Who performs in these videos, and one of the songs most closely associated with the band.

Have students work together to complete the activities on the handout, as described below. If they have access to their own computers, they will view the biography of the Who from this site and view the interview clip with Pete Townsend, the writer of "My Generation."

Students will complete Part 1 of the handout, which asks them to define basic terms used in the lesson and discuss the following questions:

1. What is a “generation”?
2. Do you think of yourself as a member of a particular generation? If so, what title would you give that generation and how would you define it? If not, why do you think being part of a generation is not important to you?
3. Who do you consider to be in your generation? Who is not in your generation? How do you feel about people who are not part of your generation?

Students will read this site's biography of the Who and discuss the following questions:

http://teachrock.org/resources/people/who/

1. When and where were the Who formed?
2. What type of music was the band best known for?
3. According to the biography, was what you just saw in the video typical for the Who?

View the short clip of “My Generation” drawn from a 1965 U.S. television appearance.

http://teachrock.org/resources/video/embed/the-who-my-generation-1965/

Follow along with the lyrics, underlining key words and phrases and taking additional notes as you listen. Discuss the following questions in groups:

1. Whom is the singer speaking to? (Who is “you”?) What is his message to them?
2. Who is the singer speaking for? (Who is “we”?) What is his message on their behalf?
3. When the singer says, “I hope I die before I get old,” what do you think he means?
4. Do you think he means this literally? Or might there be a figurative meaning?
5. Does “old” represent a physical age, a state of mind, or perhaps something else?
6. Why do you think this particular lyric has become widely known?
7. Do you think it was in any way irresponsible of the Who to sing this song to young people?
8. How does the music reflect the lyrics? What instruments do you hear?
9. What is the overall mood and tone of the music?
10. How does the band use music to emphasize the message of the lyrics?
11. Why do you think the singer stutters on certain words? What message might he be trying to convey?
12. Who do you think was the intended audience for this song?
13. Remember that the video you saw at the beginning of the lesson came at the end of a performance of this song.
14. Do the actions in the video reflect the message of the song? If so, in what way?
15. Based on what you know about what was happening in the mid- to late-1960s, why do you think this song resonated with so many young people?
16. Read the background information on the song on Part IV of the handout and discuss the following in groups:
17. According to Townsend, did “old” mean physical age?
18. According to these interviews, was the song from his perspective about age or about acceptance?

Watch the interview clip with Townsend, considering what he says about young people, fashion, and teenagers "all becoming one."

http://teachrock.org/resources/video/embed/pete-townshend-post-war-england/

1. Does Townsend’s explanation of the song change your understanding of it? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think the concept of youth is so important to him?
3. How might one’s feelings about the song change as one gets older?
4. Can the song still have meaning for those who are not teenagers or in their early 20s?

Working in pairs, compose new, updated lyrics for “My Generation,” reflecting your views about your generation in today’s America.

Each pair will present its lyrics to the class, and discuss the following:

1. In what ways do your lyrics focus on key events, ideas, complaints, or concerns related to your generation? Be specific, and quote your work.
2. What is the intended audience for your version of the song?
3. What message are you sending to those audiences? Again, be specific and quote your work.

Assessment:

Write a short paragraph summarizing how the Who’s “My Generation” give voice to the attitudes and concerns of young people in the mid-1960s?



Closure: Share paragraphs from above.

Beatlemania

In 1964, the Beatles achieved an unprecedented level of success both in their home country of Britain and in the United States.  They amassed crowds of adoring fans that followed them wherever they went, a phenomenon often referred to as “Beatlemania.”

 By April 4, 1964, the group held the first five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 list of popular songs, with "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me" crowding the top of the charts.  No other act in history has achieved such a feat.   

Watch this trailer for A Hard Day's Night.  This comedy film depicts a fictionalized day in the life of the Beatles.  Although the film was released in 1964, you will be watching the trailer from the 2000 re-release.  Discuss as a class:

• How do crowds and audiences react to the Beatles?

• How are the adults depicted in the film?  Are they portrayed differently than the Beatles?

• In what ways do you think the Beatles portrayed an image that a younger generation could identify with?

 Examine this picture of  the Beatles circa 1961 and the Beatles in 1964.  These are also available in Handout 1: Images of The Beatles.  Explain that prior to the filming of A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles went through a long period of refining their image, working alongside their manager Brian Epstein to achieve their approachable aesthetic.  Students work in small groups to answer the following questions:

• How would you describe the clothes and mood in the first picture from 1961?

• How would you describe the clothes and mood in the second picture from 1964?

• What kind of image do you think the band is trying to present in each of the pictures?

• How does the photograph from 1964 portray a higher sense of friendliness?

Discuss answers.

Examine the image of the Daily Mirror - February 8, 1964.  The image is also available in Handout 1: Images of The Beatles.  Explain to the students that this is the cover story from the Daily Mirror, a British-based publication, the day after the Beatles’ arrival in America.  As a class, discuss the following:​

• What key information can you discern from the text and images in this source?

• Do you think the arrival of the Beatles in America was worthy of headline news? Why or why not?

• How might this type of media coverage help build a larger fan base for the Beatles?

3. Distribute Handout 2: Beatlemania Timeline.  Ask the students to complete an engaged reading of the timeline on their own.  They should underline any historical events that take place in America and they should place a star (*) next to any event that is related to the Beatles’ career. Walk around the room and check for understanding.  Ask the students as a class:

• Are there any events on the timeline that you recognize?  If so, what?

• The Beatles arrived in America in February 1964.  What was the most recent event that had transpired in the U.S.? 

• What do you think was the general feeling in America at the time when the Beatles arrived?

4. Play video of the Beatles performing “She Loves You” on February 11, 1964.  This is from the Beatles’ first U.S. concert at the Washington Coliseum.  Two days prior, they had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and 73 million people (or 45% of American households with televisions) tuned in to watch.  After viewing, discuss the following in groups:

• What do you notice about the Beatles' performance?  How do they interact with each other on stage?

• How does this live footage compare with the trailer for A Hard Day’s Night?

• Describe some of the reactions in the audience. 

Discuss.

5. Distribute Handout 3: Brian Epstein and the Beatles.  The students will watch a video interview conducted with Brian Epstein as Beatlemania reached its peak.  Explain to the students that a rising tide of youth culture and the obsession with the Beatles was not welcomed by all.  Students should indicate on their handouts the perspectives of both the interviewer and Epstein.  Discuss in your groups the following:       

• Is Beatlemania evidence of mass hysteria?  What does Brian Epstein think about the word “hysteria”?  What does the interviewer think?

• How does the interviewer see Epstein’s role as the band’s manager? To what does the interviewer attribute the band’s popularity?

• How would you define the “commercial machine”?

1. Pass out Handout 4: Four Corners of Beatlemania.

2. In their seats, have the students complete the handout.  They must choose one factor which they believe is the most important reason for the rise of Beatlemania in America.  While they are completing the handout, the teacher will label four corners of the classroom, or four areas, with the following words: Talent, Personality, Media Coverage, and Historical Context.

3. After they have completed the handout, ask the students to get up and move to their chosen corner of the room.  Have the students in their groups discuss their reasoning for their choice.  They must come up with one reason, as a group, to share with the class.

Lets read Handout 5: Building the Beatle Image, published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1964.  Discuss the following in small groups then as a class:

    1) What are the five elements Packard describes as necessary for creating Beatlemania?    2) What elements might you add to Packard’s list?  What elements do you disagree with, if any?

Individual writing assignment:

Write one-two paragraphs explaining the following:

Have you ever been “obsessed” with an artist, an athlete, or an actor?  Why do you think people create strong attachments to celebrities?