Pop Music History

Summary

In this lesson, students will grasp the variety of pop music and its definitions. They will discover the history of pop music through some of its most iconic songs and explore the number one songs of different times and compare them to modern pop music.

⏰ Time: 50 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will be able to...

• Understand that pop music comprises different musical styles;
• Describe the characteristics of pop music;
• Compare pop songs of different times.

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

• Musical styles.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to Wi-Fi

Song suggestions:

Inspiration

🕐 10 min - Defining pop music

• Ask students what their favorite pop musicians are.
• Students have a very important task today - they will have a go at creating the definition of pop music. Explain to them that even musicologists and music historians are struggling with defining what pop music is.
• Pop music is not a separate genre but a collection of the most popular and commercial music.
• Different genres and styles merge in pop music.
• Pop music is often defined in negative terms - it is what's left when all the other music forms are stripped away. For example, it's distinguished from classical or art music and from folk music.
• Find out students' opinions:
• In your opinion, what is pop?
• In your opinion, what isn't pop?
• Do you like pop music? Why/why not?
• Divide students in groups and invite each group to pick 2 Definition Cards that, in their opinion, characterize pop music. Attention: there are some words that are not usually tied to pop music! They don't exclusively define pop music either.
• Is the meaning of all the words clear? If not, answer students' questions or ask them to do research.
• Invite each group to shortly present the characteristics they have chosen.
• How is the word characteristic of pop music?
• Can you give any examples from popular songs?

Warm-Up

🕐 20 min - History of pop music

• Show students the slide with historical pop songs.
• Do you know any of the songs and/or musicians?
• Can you guess which one of these songs is the oldest?
• Can you put the songs in chronological order without looking up their release dates?
• 'Can't Help Falling In Love' by Elvis Presley (1961)
• 'Let It Be' by The Beatles (1968)
• 'With Or Without You' by U2 (1987)
• 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' by Elton John (1994) (from the movie 'The Lion King')
• The introduction of vinyl singles, called '45' or '7-inch' (played at the speed of 45 revolutions per minute, diameter of 7 inches), by Sony in 1949 is sometimes mentioned as the beginning of modern pop music.
• Vinyl replaced shellac and made records lighter, more durable, cheaper, more accessible to teenagers.
• The sound was clearer and louder too - recordings were of higher fidelity.
• Three or four minute playing time was suitable for pop songs.
• Play Intro and Verse 1 from 'Can't Help Falling In Love' by Elvis Presley. It was recorded in 1961.
• Tell a bit more about Elvis, for example:
• He is often called the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll' - a music genre that emerged in the 1950s in the United States, influenced by blues, rhythm and blues, country and other musical styles.
• He was not only a singer and guitar player but also an actor.
• Also known for his provocative dancing style.
• He is the best-selling solo music artist of all time, and has the most gold and platinum albums.
• Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, later moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He lived in his mansion Graceland until his death at the age of 42. It is now turned into a museum.
• He won three Grammy awards.
• Discuss shortly with the class:
• What are the lyrics about in this song?
• What instruments are played in this song?
• How would you describe the mood of this song?
• How would you describe the song structure (written above the vocal line). Is it simple or complex?
• In the 1960s:
• The portable radio was introduced.
• The first outdoor music festivals took place. Some of the most important ones: Monterey International Pop Festival (1962) and The Woodstock Festival (1969) which attracted around 400,000 music fans.
• Play Verse 1 and Chorus 1 from 'Let It Be' by The Beatles. It was recorded in 1968.
• Tell a bit about The Beatles, for example:
• The band formed in Liverpool, UK in 1960 and broke up in 1970.
• The band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
• The first band to play in a stadium: Shea stadium in New York in 1965.
• Considered the best-selling band of all time.
• They became very popular, their fan frenzy is called Beatlemania.
• Their musical style embraced the 1950s rock 'n' roll and was influenced even by folk music, Indian classical music, psychedelia and hard rock.
• Discuss shortly with the class:
• What are the lyrics about in this song?
• What instruments are played in this song?
• How would you describe the mood of this song?
• How would you describe the song structure (written above the vocal line). Is it simple or complex?
• In the 1970s, pop music was influenced mainly by rock and disco.
• The 1980s was an important decade for pop music.
• MTV was launched and spread globally, so it became trendy to use video as promotion.
• First CDs went on sale and later outsold vinyl records.
• The possibilities of digital recording allowed pop music to grow even more.
• Synthesizers and other electronic instruments were prominent in pop songs.
• Such iconic pop musicians as Michael Jackson (also called the King of Pop), Prince and Madonna (also called the Queen of Pop) became popular.
• Play Verse 1 and Chorus 1 from 'With Or Without You' by U2, a breakout hit from the 1980s. It was recorded in 1987.
• Tell a bit about U2, for example:
• U2 is an Irish band, formed in 1976.
• The band consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion).
• U2 set a new standard for the concert format in stadiums and arenas, incorporating visualizations.
• They released 14 studio albums, one of them is even called 'Pop' (1997).
• Discuss shortly with the class:
• What are the lyrics about in this song?
• What instruments are played in this song?
• How would you describe the mood of this song?
• How would you describe the song structure (written above the vocal line). Is it simple or complex?
• In the 1990s:
• CDs outsold cassettes.
• MP3 was introduced: it allowed music to be transmitted over the Internet.
• Girl bands and boy bands became increasingly popular, such as Spice Girls, Take That and Backstreet Boys.
• Play Verse 1 and Chorus 1 from 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' by Elton John, the anthem of love, recorded in 1994. It was featured in the film 'The Lion King'.
• Tell a bit about Elton John, for example:
• Sir Elton John is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer.
• One of the best-selling music artists of all time.
• His best-selling single 'Candle in the Wind' was dedicated to Princess Diana.
• Have a short discussion with the class:
• What are the lyrics about in this song?
• What instruments are played in this song?
• How would you describe the mood of this song?
• How would you describe the song structure (written above the vocal line). Is it simple or complex?

Practice

🕐 5 min - Exercise 1 - After 2000s

• Explore the category After 2000's in the song library. Ask the class:
• Which song (-s) would you choose as characteristic of the decades after 2000? Why?
• Are these songs different from the historical pop songs you heard earlier? How?

🕐 10 min - Exercise 2 - Pop music family tree

• Invite students to explore the charts and find which song was the number one the year and the date they were born.
• You can use such websites as:
• https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100
• https://top40weekly.com
• https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/
• Which songs were popular on the birthdays of their parents, grandparents and siblings?
• Students can draw a pop music family tree where these songs are mentioned.
• Find the songs online and listen to some excerpts.
• Do you like the song?
• Is it different from modern pop music? What are the differences?
• Students could finish this exercise after the lesson and present their 'pop tree' in the next lesson.

Reflection

🕐 5 min - Discussion

• What have you learned in the lesson?
• Regarding pop music, which period of time is your favorite?

Beyond the Lesson

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...

• Exploring the category 'Pop' in the sound library;
• Learning to sing a song of choice and/or play parts of its instrumental accompaniment;
• Finishing the 'pop music family tree'.

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