Intro to the history of Rock and Roll

Make a list of your all time favorite songs and who sings them.

1) In groups, discuss and answer the following: What are some common themes/subjects of these songs? (What are they about?)

2) Groups share your list and answers. Choose one person to be the sharer.

3) Whole class answer the following:

            a) Lets list these songs in groups by subject or theme. What are the most popular themes?

            b) Does music have a special ability to express feelings that other types of art do not? Examples: paintings/drawings, movies, etc.

            c) What other types of feelings about relationships can be expressed through songs?

What will we study in this class:

The Blues

Bessie Smith

  

Charlie Patton

Muddy Waters and the Invention of the Electric Guitar

Bo Diddley

Johnny Cash

Elvis

Sister Rosetta Thorpe

Ray Charles

Led Ze

Beatles

5) As a class, watch the video of the Doo Wop group the Flamingos singing the song “Would I Be Crying” (1956), and discuss:   

●     Whose point of view is expressed in this song?

●     Whom is being addressed? How do you know?

●     What kind of message or story does the song have?

●     What do you imagine has happened to the singer and the person he is singing to?

6) Discuss the musical qualities of the song. What does the music sound like?      

●     Is the music happy or sad? What makes it sound that way?

●     What instruments are used in the background?

●     How do the performers present the song? Do they act out the lyrics in any way?

7) Play the video of Dion DiMucci (a singer-songwriter and leader of the Doo Wop group Dion     and the Belmonts), “Music as a Way Out,” starting at 1:34.  Ask:     

●     What does Dion say about emotional songs like the Flamingos’ “Would I Be Crying”? What is his “secret”?

●     Why might it be easier to sing rather than speak about emotions like love or heartbreak?