Jonathan Hamilton

Jonathan Hamilton Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 17 September 2012 People Make Music, Music Shapes People. Introduction/Overview Broadly the topic that is of interest to me is music, music as an art, music as a skill, and music as it has continued to shape human beings, our nations, our cultures, and who we are from life and through death. With this in mind I will be focusing my topic on a comparison between the effect of the rock n roll era of music on society from the 1950s onward and the effect that EDM (Electronic Dance Music) is having on our generation today. Rock n roll was a type of music that became popular in the late 1940s to the early 1950s and introduced great impact on the generation of its time, more specifically the teenagers that experienced its rise. According to a journal on media culture by Leo DAnjou, post World War 2 Americas prosperity contained what was a new social category of youth that was able to explore their emotions and delve into expression like no other teenagers had been before. With changes in the popular music stream came rhythm and blues typical of African American music that captured this generation with its highly expressive and somewhat controversial lyrics. I wish to explore the back and forth between the artists of this era and the wide audiences that quickly spanned across the USA, and to see how the music effected the people, how the people effected the music and the scene surrounding it, and how society was changed by the rock n roll revolution. The rock n roll era was highlighted by the opposing views surrounding its

Jonathan Hamilton

popularity; some (mostly the parents of rock n roll crazed teens) would think, the new music appeared to be an expression of hostile, rebellious youth, (Belz, 1969: 44) however, many saw racial harmony, healthy expression of emotion, and a revolution driven by the passion of the music and the dancing. Despite these views, what was the outcome of this era? And how is it evident in the generation it was most prevalent in? On the other end of the comparison I wish to create is EDM, this form of music is relatively new but has had its grounding in the 1960s in Jamaica, when artists started to overlay multiple songs, usually instrumentals of existing songs, on reel-to-reel tape players. From there, between places in the US like Detroit and Chicago where DJs began using turntables and mixers to mix two tracks together and produce new beats while doing it, the Netherlands where early forms of EDM called Gabba and Hardcore where being produced and even in London, England where Drum n Bass and Jungle were born, EDM was around but stayed very underground and did not reach the main stream of music until the 21st century. Although as of recent years, EDM has been one of the biggest types of music listened to in Europe, mainly characterized by the Trance genre, America has only seen a rise in the EDM scene within the last few years. EDM is a very broad category for music and is used by artists like Madonna, however in this research project I am referring to EDM as the rock n roll of this generation, the huge concerts, the crazed youth craving to dance, the idols, and of course the controversy that surrounds the morality of the scene like that of the rock n roll revolution. I want to see if my generation is mimicking the rock n roll generation, with the only difference being that they craved doing the twist and going to an Elvis concert and we feel the need to rave at big EDM concerts with light shows and effects. Why was rock n roll so celebrated and uplifted? What was its effect on society? Is EDM the same as rock n roll was and

Jonathan Hamilton

will it have as big an impact on society? The idea of this project will be to research the effect the music, the rebellion, and all other factors involved in these two eras has had and will have and on who they will have it. I have, so far, done all my research on the internet with the exception of a wall street journal article and a piece in a catholic journal on the effects of music in therapy and childhood that originally sparked my interest in the effects of music. I also spoke to friends and my parents about my ideas and considered their input. I intend to do much more in-depth research and use the school library as a source. I am afraid, however, that the EDM portion of my project may not have enough information, and I hope I can carry on with what I can find.

Initial Inquiry Question What is the effect of the rock n roll era on society today? How did the music in the roc n roll era effect the way of thinking in the generation it mostly impacted? How similar is the rock n roll era to the EDM revolution taking place today? How does the generations praise of rock n roll compare to the generations lifting up of EDM today? What qualities does the music of the rock n roll era share with that of todays EDM scene to create such immense followings? How is society affected by a mass following of a musical scene? I want to know the musics effect on mob and individual mentality. Is the music the sole cause of arousal in major fads like rock n roll and EDM? Is it the generations combined praise of the music?

My Interest In This Topic

Jonathan Hamilton

My interest in this topic lies mainly in my burning passion for music, its power, and its specific effects on the brain of the individual and the behavior of the masses. I have close attachment to rock n roll as I always have dreamed of being a teen involved in the jukebox gatherings and doing the twist to Chuck Berry (A very significant rock n roll artist in the 1950s). Since my early teen years I have been involved in a growing scene of EDM, my brother being a DJ and my social life being a dance through the different platforms EDM creates for enjoyment. Watching EDM grow so rapidly in the USA, the trend setting foreground for culture and the home of rock n roll even including the British Invasion, has fascinated me and as I involve myself in this scene and see its benefactors find such passion and its audiences seek such release, I wish to understand how the impacts are made and if these impacts have specific trends. I know the less academic, social aspects surrounding the fads of rock n roll and EDM and wish to understand the more academic aspects. I want to find the effects of the music and trends of these fads on the masses and individuals of their days in an in-depth setting.

Next Steps I will be using the Internet, to find useful resources consisting of psychological research and sociologic analysis. I hope to find significant academic and social journals that specify in music and musical effects, I will also use current resources like The Rolling Stone magazine for information on the scenes and eras. I intend to use the libraries resources when I find out how through class and hope that there is sustainable research on the EDM scene, it being so current and unpredictable. I will be conducting social research at a company called Sugar Society that is

Jonathan Hamilton

involved in the event and talent organization in Charlotte and North Carolina through connections that I have in the scene. I realize that the rock n roll section of my research will be more historic information and less flexible like that of the EDM scene, and therefore will be conducting thorough inquiry into how I can bridge the gap in my comparison.