Watch:

Hi Everyone, and welcome to MUS 115, The History of Rock Music! My name is James Morton, and I have been teaching this course for 30 years! In fact, I created this class for Grossmont College. I always tell my class that this is the greatest class they will ever take. Kind of a joke, but that's the feedback I get at the end of every semester. In this course we will learn what were the forces, social and musical, that came together in the early '50s, what was the world like before rock and roll, and how that music evolved over the decades.

We will learn that rock and roll was the blending of 3 very different styles of music: rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. Watch this short clip of Elvis Presley describing the music he listened to as a young boy. He mentions all three styles. It's like he is the embodiment of that definition:

ELVIS INTERVIEW (WATCH)

Here is another clip of drummer Levon Helm, describing his take on how rock and roll got started:

LEVON HELM - THE LAST WALTZ (WATCH)

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

This course will present an overview of rock and rock-related music styles from the early 1950s up to the present. Coverage will also include the interplay of social and cultural trends with the innovations and achievements of individual artists, the ongoing influence of technology on music, the cross-fertilization of black and white popular music styles, and recurring cycles of rebellion against and assimilation by the popular music industry. In addition, basic musical concepts such as pitch, rhythm, and form will be introduced and applied to the music under consideration.

CONTACT INFORMATION

You can contact me by email:

james.morton@gcccd.edu

or by contacting me through Canvas.

This class even has its own Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/historyofrockmusicmus115/

GRADING:

There are 3 tests (including the final) and 2 assignments. All are averaged out (in different percentages) for the final grade. The 2 assignments are explained in an assignment soon.

Our final is WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1. The music journal (explained later) is also due that day.

Now, hit the 'Assignments" link to the left, and go to

WORKSHEET 1A"