Music of the

Movement pg.8

The Music of Movies pg.14

Music Through the Ages

pg.16

Stopping the Blues

pg.22

Letter From The Editor

Hello, My name is Olivia Cox and I am the Chief Editor of Allegro. When we started this project we did not realize how much work it would be. Writing, designing, editing, and taking pictures for a magazine is very difficult, but despite the struggles we finished the magazine and learned a lot in the process. We chose to create a magazine about music because music plays a large role in all of our lives. It keeps us fit in marching band, relieves us of the stress of LASA, entertains us in our free time, and is the reason that we all met and became friends in band many years ago. We cherish music and hope this magazine will honor music and all those who love it. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it!

Letter From the Editor 1

Photo by Michael W

allace

Photo by Michael W

allace

Photo by Chiara Torrini

Dillon Liu is currently a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and enjoys many activities such as listening to music and surfing. In his lifetime Liu has experienced many struggles and has turned to music to help him cope. His intense love for music has inspired him to write a powerful piece about the extraordinary abilities of music. Liu’s favorite animal is a songbird and his role model is Brian Mayer. “I just love Mr. Mayor!” exclaimed Lui. “His superb ability to create music inspires me everyday.” Dillon plans to continue listening to music everyday.

Meet The Olivia Cox, loves playing flute in the LBJ band, studying history, and practicing the ancient art of Kung Fu. Her favorite animal is a koala and her favorite color is light blue. When asked about her role model Cox quickly replied, “Obviously Brian Mayor. He’s the best!” Not only does Cox love learning about history but she also loves learning about music. Determined to combine the two subjects, Cox wrote and intriguing and beautiful piece that is featured in this magazine. Cox plans to continue studying history at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy.

Olivia Cox

Dillon Liu

2 Meet the Team

Photo by Michael W

allacePhoto by M

ichael Wallace

A freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Joshua Kreth loves watching movies and playing ultimate frisbee. His favorite movies are Labyrinth, Legally Blonde, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and White Chicks. His favorite color is blue, like a Blu-Ray Disney movie and his favorite animal is a shark, like the shark from Jaws. His role model is Brian Mayer. “He’s has such a positive effect on my life.” says Kreth. “I love him so much.” Kreth plans to continue satisfying his hunger for movies far into the future.

Michael Wallace loves playing water polo and the French horn in the LBJ marching band. As an avid band student, he practices his horn everyday and lives for the excitement of band competitions. Michael’s favorite color is gold, like a french horn, and his role model is Brian Mayer. “Mr. Mayer is like a father to me,” says Wallace. “He’s the light of my life and I couldn’t live without him.” Michael looks forward to three more amazing years of marching at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy.

Joshua Kreth

Michael Wallace

Meet the Team 3

Photo by Michael W

allacePhoto by O

livia Cox

Team

Table of

BEST SONGS OF THE 50s and 60s

10By: Olivia Cox

What are the top sell-ing singles of all time?

16TOP 10 MOVIE SOUND TRACKSBy: Joshua KrethWhat are the best soundtracks?

WHAT SHOULD I

PLAY?

22By: Michael

WallaceWhat

instrument suits you?

28WHAT MUSIC DO I LIKE?By: Dillon LiuCan we guess what type of music you like?

4 Table of Contents

MUSIC OF THE MOVEMENT

6By: Olivia CoxHow did music influence the Civil Rights Movement?

12THE MUSIC OF MOVIES

By: Joshua Kreth What does music add to

movies?

MUSIC THROUGH THE AGES

18By: Michael WallaceFind out how music has changed throughout the years.

24STOPPING THE

BLUESBy: Dillon Liu

How does music affect the lives of

people?

Contents

Table of Contents 5

6 Music of the Movement

of the

By Olivia Cox

The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s helped shape America. Find out how music influenced the movement and changed the

course of history.

MovementMusic

were marching was a way to keep their minds on the prize.” Singing also helped them to stay calm in violent, stressful situations. For the protesters, marching was no easy feat. There was a constant stream of obscenities coming from the onlookers and people were often shot and beaten. Despite all of this, the marchers refrained from fighting back.

says Tapscott. “To march peacefully in a group of people, and know that there are people who wanted to kill you, and know that there were people out there, standing on the sidewalks who physically wanted to do you harm. You had to be, even if you were afraid, and I guarantee you,

Music of the Movement 7

The blistering sun blazed in the afternoon sky as the protesters assembled. Hand in

hand, they began to march. As they approached the bridge, they started to sing and the air was filled with their rich melody. Onlookers stood on the curb waiting. As the marchers approached, the onlookers began to hurl insults, slurs and even stones at them, but the marchers pressed on. They knew that as long as they sang, they would be alright. The songs gave them strength and unified them in ways that nothing else could. When they sang, they felt connected. It’s said that music has the power to unite people. This was very clear for the protesters in the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s. Music played an enormous role by bringing people together

and conveying the message of the movement for everyone to hear. With the help of songs like “We Shall Overcome”, “Walking up the King’s Highway” and “Change Gonna Come”, the protesters fought segregation and improved their lives. One of the most effective methods of protesting was marching. “The protesters, and even if they marched in small groups, they’d sing,” says Yvonne Tapscott, a teacher at Brentwood Elementary school. “A lot of times it was a barrier from the racial slurs, or from the people who were lined up on the sides of the streets waiting for the marchers to come by that would hurl insults, rocks, whatever at them. The song was to keep them steadfast and keep them in a mode of consciousness of why they were marching, and what the purpose of the march was. So singing while they

I cannot think of a person who would not be afraid.” Despite their fear, the marchers pressed on. Lots of people turned to religion to help them stay strong. Religion played an enormous role in the African American communities and this greatly influenced the music that was used for the protests. Many aspects of the church music were incorporated into the songs to make them more accessible to the community. “The songs had this natural progression between the church music and religious music, to protest, freedom songs and other sorts of popular music that were used,” says Charles Carson, a musicologist professor at the Butler School of Music. “Music was one of the things that was used for early protests, especially because

it used basic elements like chord progression and the amen chorus.” This helped the movement because almost everyone in the community was familiar with these songs from church, so it was very easy for them to adopt these songs for the movement. A very famous example of a church song turned into a protest song is “We Shall Overcome”. “It was based on a gospel song that was well known in church,” says Carson. “They sort of took their hook from that song, and built a new song around it, and the people already had a familiarity with the idea of the song, so they just blended and marketed it a certain way.” “We Shall Overcome” was named the anthem for the movement and was very influential. It embodied the main message of the movement and was very inspiring and uplifting. “That song was very,

Mahaila Jackson was a Soul singer in the movement. Her powerful Gospel songs inspired protesters across America.

Guitars were essential elements of many songs. They bring a calming acoustic feeling to a song.

Saxophones are very common in jazz music. They can bring a sad feeling to the song or they can be upbeat and loud.

Marching was a very effective way of protesting and as the protesters marched, they sang. The songs helped to keep their spirits up.

“You had to be in a mindset of realized joy and hopefulness to march, and to march when you knew that you could possibly not make

it home that night,”

very important,” says Carson. “It’s a very simple, memorable melody so people could sing along, and the act of singing itself, brought them together. It’s also the nature of the melody. It’s not too difficult to sing and easy to remember so it functioned very well as an intercom.” “We Shall Overcome played an enormous role in the movement and the protesters lives. “It’s a song with universal appeal,” says Corey Snyder, an English and “Music and the Revolution” teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy.

While the music was influential, it is important to remember the people behind the music. The artists of the Civil Rights Movement helped shape the world with their music. One of these artists was James Brown. His music is “not too preachy or didactic,” says Snyder. “It’s funky, it’s danceable, and it’s hard-hitting and it’s great. Also, it’s such a positive message. It’s James Brown saying “I’m black

and I’m proud”. It’s a slogan over and over and over again. It’s infectious, and powerful, and I mean, there’s no more powerful force in modern music than James Brown.” James Brown was a huge supporter of the movement and participated in many marches as well as making music.

Soul and Gospel music were also very influential to the movement. Many of these songs came out of the church, so they were very popular with the protesters. “Gospel music has been huge, but looking at people like Mahalia Jackson, I mean, she’s my favorite, but it’s not just what she sings, it’s how she sings it,” says Snyder. “They call it Soul for a reason. You can hear, not just in the song, but in her voice and the power that she has. You can’t fake Soul. You either got it or you don’t, and you know she means it, and that’s inspiring to me, and it was inspiring to the movement.” Although the majority of African American artists supported the movement, there were some that did not. “Some black performers did not get on board,” says Snyder. “They decided that their job was not to be social movers, and that their job was to be entertainers and artists.” Many African American musicians

were criticized for not supporting the movement, especially the ones who had access to white audiences. “If you were a public figure who was black, you had to lay it down for what side you were on and that’s kind of a scary thing,” says Snyder. “You’re either talking about the Civil Rights Movement and fighting for it, or you are not, and that’s a tough choice. I’m glad I didn’t have to face it.” The fifties and sixties were an amazing time for music. Although most of the artists from that period are gone, their music is still alive today providing guidance and strength for modern problems. “I feel those songs now, when I see in social media, a policeman killed an unarmed black man, I think about “We Shall Overcome”,” says Tapscott. “It hurts to the pit of my stomach. It brings back that sadness and it makes me think about the songs that my ancestors, my family, and my relatives before me sang.

Those songs that they sang are very relevant today and I feel that.” People across America still sing these songs

8 Music of the Movement

James Brown was an icon for the movement and his upbeat music helped inspire and uplift people everywhere.

Martin Luther King Jr. played a major role in the movement with his influential speeches. They inspired people to keep on fighting.

Mahaila Jackson giving a speech.

“It’s a song that can fit a lot of situations, that has been taken up by a lot of people, so it’s specific enough to mean something, but open enough to apply to many different people, regardless of race or

culture.”

To me, “We Shall Overcome” is a song that we can sing today, and I sing it because I know that we still have a lot of things to overcome. Those songs are not gone and buried. I go back to

them a lot.”

Pete Seeger had many popular songs such as “We Shall Overcome”. These songs inspired many people and helped the movement.

Music of the Movement 9

A group of protesters marching and singing alongside leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

in church and in many other places as well. For the African American community, the freedom songs evoke pride.

They represent the struggle and all that was accomplished during the movement. says Tapscott. “I feel that those songs were sung for my livelihood. Those songs were sung to keep me alive.”

The songs also make the music community proud. They are works of art that have had an enormous impact on America and have made a place in history. “As a musician, I think music’s important,” says Carson. “I love music, it’s a

Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which stated that no one was to be discriminated against based on the color of their skin.

major part of my life and the fact that music was so central to this important time in American, even world history if you think about it, that makes me proud that music did something important.” The freedom songs of the fifties and sixties changed lives and helped make the world a better place. “When I sing those songs it makes something inside of me know that we sang for a purpose,” says Tapscott. “They were to help me push on. To uplift me. To make me feel that no matter what, I could go on a little further.” These songs will continue to unite and give people strength far into the future.

“Every time I hear “We Shall Overcome” I feel on my heart a sense of

pride,”

Soon after the invention of the record in the 1950s, came the single. A single is a song that is sold separately from the album, because it is expected to be more popular. Throughout the 20th century there have been multiple hit singles that have shot to the top of the charts and sold millions of copies. Among these singles are many genres including rock, folk, and surprisingly, Christmas carols. Here are the ten best selling singles of all time.

By: Olivia Cox

Top Selling Singles of All Time

“In the Summertime”, by Mungo Jerry is a mix of jazz, folk, and blues music that celebrates the carefree

nature of summer.

These two songs by Elton John were released in 1997 in honor of Princess Diana after her untimely death on

August 31, 1997.

“Rock Around the Clock”, recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets was an early rock and roll song released

in 1954.

“We Are the World” was a project by many popular artists of the 80s who called themselves USA for Africa. This project raised awareness of poverty in Africa.

“I Will Always Love You”, was recorded by Whitney Houston and released in 1992. This powerful song shot to the top

of the charts.

#2

#4

#7 #8

“White Christmas”

“Candle in the Wind1997”/ “Something About the Way

You Look Tonight”

“In the Summertime” “Rock Around the Clock”

“I Will Always Love You”

“We Are the World”

33 million copies

30 million copies 25 million copies

20 million copies 20 million copies

10 Top Selling Singles of All Time

“It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley was released in 1960 and was Elvis’ best selling song. It sold 22 million copies and is still played

today.

“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby sold more singles than any other song in history. It was released in 1942, and is still played every Christmas to this

day.

“Silent Night” is yet another Christmas song by Bing Crosby. This song was released in 1935 and sold 30

million copies.

From the popular movie Grease, “You’re the one that I want” sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John was released in 1978 and was

very successful.

This version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry sold 18 million copies and is a

Christmas classic.

#1

#3

#5 #6

#9 #10

“White Christmas”

“Silent Night”

“Rock Around the Clock” “It’s Now or Never”

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

“You’re the One that I want”

50 million copies

30 million copies

22 million copies

18 million copies 15 million copies

Top Selling Singles of All Time 11

The Musicof Movies

By Josh Kreth

Get ready, the movie’s about to start!

14 The Music of Movies

You enter the theater, popcorn in one hand, soda in the other. As you take your seat, the lights dim, and the opening credits begin to roll. A triumphant melody fills the theater, and you stir with excitement, waiting for the film to start. Music has an innate ability to manipulate emotions in a way visuals and dialogue cannot. It terrifies you such as in the case of screeching violins indicating someone is about to die. Or it can make you sad with a slow, dark melody indicating a sorrowful event is taking place.

Movies today are filled to the brim with music, and each kind of music serves a different purpose. There are many genres of film, including horror, action and romance, and every genre has a music style to match. Each of these styles affects viewers in a different, unique manner. Music allows the audience to understand relations between the characters and forms emotional connections between the viewers and the characters. But music plays a larger role than just toying with your emotions. Music also makes viewers aware of different aspects of the plot. A good example of this is when Darth Vader’s theme music informs viewers of his arrival in Star Wars by George Lucas. Music serves as a tool to foreshadow future events, establish a context or setting for the film, and inform the audience of the truth when a character may be lying. “The very choice of putting music to a scene is because you’re trying to amplify something specifically,”

stand out above all the rest. It highlights the actions of a character to make the audience aware of strange or unusual behaviors. It brings in a strong emotional aspect in the characters and gives something the audience can relate and connect with. “You can make music really drive a scene emotionally

with the characters,” says Nathan Felix, a composer and musician. A change in character and behavior likely occurs because of an emotionally traumatic or upsetting event. The music conveys the results of this event, the change in the character, to the audience. “You want to underscore that it’s not about the other characters,” says da Silva. “It’s about that reaction.” The music expresses this theme of character reactions, and explains to the audience how a character feels and why they feel this way. Music possesses an ability to

says Tiago da Silva, a sound mixer and composer. “And it’s usually an emotional thing.” Movies first started being produced in the late 1870s, but until the mid 1920s, they were almost exclusively silent films. They lacked all forms of sounds and music, which gave the directors little emotional control over their audiences. Actors often exaggerated actions and facial expressions to try to compensate for the lack of sound, but it still lacked the emotional power music has today. The addition of music to films drastically affected the film industry. Music has a very strong emotional impact on the audience. It causes intense emotions, such as fear, joy, and excitement.

“It brings emotional tension,” says Tim Griggs, a composer, musician, and sound designer. “You accentuate emotional changes in the characters. You accentuate tension.” Music helps the audience notice and understand shifts in the thoughts and actions of characters. It underlines the physical and emotional strain characters are facing.

In movies, conflicts often occur between characters or even within a character himself, and the music is a good way to determine which side is currently winning. The more distinguished music often reveals the winning side and leaves a greater impact on the viewer. Eerie music often depicts darker thoughts or emotions that are transpiring, and lighter and faster music represents the opposite. “[The music] might be being representative of someone’s state of mind that’s on-screen,” da Silva says. The music conveys the emotional state of an individual character. Whether that character is “good”or “evil,” the music still shows indecisiveness. For example, in Star Wars when Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader on Endor to convince him to come back to the light side, Vader struggles with the decision, and the musical score playing throughout the scene highlights this indecisiveness.

Music doesn’t only give insight into a character’s inner thoughts and feelings. It also furthers the viewer’s understanding of both a scene and a character at the same time. “You’re not only accentuating a moment,” says Griggs. “You’re accentuating a character in particular.” Music has an immense power to make a character

“The very choice of putting music to a scene is because you’re trying to amplify something specifically, and it’s usually an emotional

thing.”- Tiago da Silva, a sound mixer and

composer.

The cover of the movie Jaws portrays a shark approaching a young woman in the water. The

music accentuates the fear of the upcoming attack.

“You’re not only accentuating a moment. You’re accentuating a

character in particular.”-Griggs

The Music of Movies 13

do things nothing else in the film may be able to do. It sets the tone for the movie.

“I really do think that the most critical use of music is underscoring the subtleties of what’s going on because whatever you’re seeing on screen isn’t sufficient enough

to convey whatever that mood is,” says da Silva. Sometimes the dialogue and the visual behaviors of the actors performing on the set is not engaging or powerful enough to entrance the audience and keep them captivated throughout the production. In these cases, the music steps up and fills in the gaps in the plot to explain what is currently

of something happening in the future. Tiago da Silva believes music sometimes conveys these events that will happen later on, rather than what is currently happening in the present. “It wasn’t about that moment,” says da Silva. “It was about the moment coming up.” For example, if there is a scene in which all the people are outside celebrating a birthday, and all of a sudden the musical score sounds

going on in the story line. Some composers, such as Tim Griggs, remain very adamant about the idea that the music helps the storytelling process. “I’m really really big on understanding the storytelling process,” says Griggs. “Everyone that does music for films has to understand it just as well as a writer.” The s t o r y t e l l i n g process is all about the way narratives flow, and how the story is told from beginning to end, usually revolving around a conflict between one or more characters, and the way these characters solve this problem.

The music can also foreshadow an event or an upcoming struggle may occur later on in the movie. Foreshadowing warns or indicates

“Prominent themes help the viewer relate

to the character. It definitely makes it more impactful.”

-Griggs

The movie The Matrix features thrilling action music that keeps viewers hooked and engaged. This music is essential to the suspense of the film.

14 The Music of Movies

them to connect them with what the characters are going through.

M u s i c a l themes also play an important role in the character-a u d i e n c e relationship. In music, a theme is a repeated melody or tune that is recognizable to the audience. These themes are very important for the emotional aspect of the movie. “ P r o m i n e n t themes help the viewer relate to the character,” says Griggs. “It definitely makes it more

impactful.” A great example is in the movie Jaws by Steven Spielberg. The first scene with the shark stands out to viewers because of its very dramatic music, which makes the audience feel as if they’re really in the movie, living the whole thing. “It’s about really driving it home and amplifying the intensity of those moments,” says da Silva.

Different types of music are used for different movies and produce different results. Romances tend to play softer music that creates a much lighter, happier tone. But the loud or sinister music of horror movies terrifies viewers and keeps them on the edge of their seat. These terrifying sounds have a deep emotional effect on the viewer, and scientists have discovered the psychological reasons why. The harsh, discordant music used in horror movies actually imitates the screams of frightened animals. This subconscious connection strikes fear into the heart of the viewer, and leaves an impact throughout the movie. “A lot of horrors like Psycho [by Alfred Hitchcock] are really memorable because they’re really prominent,” says Griggs. “It’s not just the scene that’s scaring you, it’s the music that’s startling you as well, because it’s loud and it surprises you.” Often times, more prominent music has

ominous and full of tension, this seems out of context in this current situation. But then the next scene cuts to a burglar breaking into the house, and the music begins to fit in with the action.

Music also forms bonds between the audience and the characters, and even helps them connect to the music itself. “If you have a scene that doesn’t have a lot of narrative action going on, the music can be that place where the audience can connect with the music,” says Felix. In scenes that may be slow and seemingly uneventful, the music can help the audience really understand what the characters are experiencing. It allows

“It’s not just the scene that’s scaring you, it’s the music that’s

startling you as well, because it’s loud and it

surprises you.”-Griggs

a greater emotional impact on the audience than slower, quieter music. However, not all powerful scenes are jam-packed with deafening music. A soft, romantic scene or a scene with drama can be just as powerful. “It’s really easy to move people with drama,” says da Silva.

Sometimes music simply fills the void on screen as background music. “My style is mainly in the background, but I try to create textures, or even my own world of ambient sound, and basically filling the atmosphere of what you see on-screen,” says Felix. This music is less important in conveying elements of plot, and it is more of a way to fill an absence in a certain scene. Other times, the score is crucial to the action on the screen, and is very important in conveying thoughts and feelings of characters or what is occurring in the story.

Music comes in many different shapes and forms, and music in movies is no exception. The different forms of music correspond to the different genres of movies, and each one has a great emotional effect on the audience that can single-handedly cause the success or failure of a film. Music has an immense impact on movies and has changed the film industry forever.

Darth Vader from the movie Star Wars has very prominent music. His music is essential to clue in viewers of his internal and external struggles

and to foreshadow his actions.

The movie Les Miserables features very dramatic music to appeal to the emotions of viewers. This

music allows for the viewers to empathize with the characters’ emotions

The Music of Movies 15

Top Ten Musical Scores in Films

Star Wars: The music of Star Wars was composed by John Williams and is

regarded by many as the best music composed for film. Star Wars, released in 1977, is an epic space opera that follows

the adventures of many characters “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” and

their quest to defeat The Dark Side.

Jaws: Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film based on Peter Benchley’s original novel. Composed of music also by John Williams, Jaws tells the story of a giant,

man-eating shark that terrorizes a beach, forcing the police chief to hunt it down.

Inception: The music of Inception was composed by Hans Zimmer, who many

believe to be one of the greatest film composers of all time. Inception, released

in 2010, is a science fiction thriller revolving around a thief who has been given an impossible task: implanting another

person’s idea into a target’s subconscious.

Psycho: Psycho is a psychological horror film released in 1960 based on the book

by Robert Bloch, featuring a musical score by Bernard Herrmann. Psycho

centers around the encounter between a secretary staying at a questionable motel,

and the motel’s creepy owner, and the events that follow this encounter.

Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rings was released in 1978 and features music by Leonard Rosenman. The film follows the story of the original book by J. R. R.

Tolkien in which a fellowship of medieval creatures embarks on a quest to destroy the One Ring and ensure the destruction

of the Dark Lord who created it.

1

3

4

5

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Throughout history, movies have featured many extraordinary musical scores, but some of them just seem to stand out above the rest. Here are the top ten best musical scores seen in movies throughout time.

By Josh Kreth

16 Top Ten Musical Scores in Films

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Top Ten Musical Scores in Films Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park, released in 1993, is an adventure science fiction film based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

Featuring music by John Williams, Jurassic park is set on a fictional island near Costa Rica where a billionaire and his team of scientists have genetically

created a wilderness of cloned dinosaurs.

Back to the Future: Back to the Future is a 1985 science fiction film, featuring a musical score

composed by Alan Silvestri. Back to the Future tells the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who travels back in time to 1955 and accidentally

becomes his mother’s high school crush. Marty must repair the damage done to the timeline

and somehow find a way back to 1985.

Rocky: Rocky is an American sports drama film released in 1976, featuring the music of Bill Conti. The film tells the American dream

story of an uneducated, Italian-American boxer, Rocky, working for a loan shark in the slums of Philadelphia. Rocky, starting

out as a small-time fighter, finally gets a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

Superman: Superman is a 1978 superhero film based on the famous character from

the DC Comics. The film features music by John Williams and depicts the backstory of

Superman on his home planet and in his childhood, as well as his evolution into the famous superhero, and the battles he has

against the villainous Lex Luthor.

The Lion King: The Lion King is an animated, musical film released in 1994 also featuring music by Hans Zimmer. The film follows the story of a

young lion, Simba, who is set to succeed his father as king. After Simba’s uncle, Scar, murders Simba’s father, Simba is manipulated into believing it is his fault and flees the kingdom in shame and despair,

leaving the kingdom to the tyranny of Scar.

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18 Music through the ages

The AgesBy Michael Wallace

Music Through

Music through the ages 19

A famous Kurt Weill piece played by many high school band students

has now turned out to be jazz and pop music. The first half of the song being a jazzy swing and then ending with the great St. Louis Blues. Students all across america have been confused by this and are demanding their classical concert band music back.

During the last 50 or so years, pop and jazz music have been on the move. Rhythms from both jazz and pop music have been slowly making their way into concert band music. The invasion has been slow and steady. While this has been good in some cases, like when people join a band to be able to play their favorite song, It has also made concert band music and classical music lose the thing that makes it different.

Caroline Beatty, the Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Texas State University, says that “sounds originally associated with both jazz and pop music have certainly made their way into some of the repertoire that concert bands play.” As Patrick Creel a private horn instructor and a piano accompanist says “I would say in general, concert band music has changed with is metric writing to emulate certain beats that some pop music has.” All of these beats have all gone to further improve or deteriorate the concert band music. When jazz first came to America, it was so much more different than anything that we had ever seen. “The thing that made jazz unique when it came to America,” says David Ponder East, an assistant band director and jazz musician for the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), “Was that it was a combination of African rhythms and melodies with European songs and song form.” This new form of music (jazz) was immediately at the top of the music charts until the 1950s. “Well I think it’s fair to say that the 1950’s jazz started to fall out of the #1 spot in america’s radio polls and radio sales as rock and roll took over” says Mr. East. Then, as jazz started to fall out of favor it reached out and left it’s mark.

Caroline Beatty, the Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Texas State University says, “Some of the music of composers Leonard Bernstein, Darius Milhaud,

Kurt Weill, Dmitri Shostakovich are merely a few examples of that time that used jazz idioms in some of their music.” These composers are/were people who recognised good rhythms and incorporated them into his/her works to create a better more rounded song.

These more rounded songs prove more and more difficult for students to play as Dr. Creel says “Music has gotten more complex, rhythmically and harmonically, composers these days are testing the limits far more of each instrument and that forces the younger players to be that much more proficient in their instrument.” As more and more music is made for both concert and marching bands jazz has found itself intermingled in many ways and forms.

“Beyond the straight up arrangements that marching and pep bands play, styles and sounds originally associated with both jazz and pop music have certainly made their way into some of the repertoire that concert bands play,” says Beatty, “And with the more songs the crowd chooses favorites and as time goes on the favorites have gone from jazz and rock to more pop songs.”

Then in the world of Marching band stand tunes jazz and pop reign supreme in riling up the crowd and making people have a good time. “[I] would say that it’s been a mix of just if their was a type of popular like ‘Hey Baby’, or any of the other more rock and roll type songs that weren’t hard rock I would say that those tended to be more popular but I would say as we got into the yearly two thousands that the rap and hip hop stuff got more popular and more of what the student

“Sounds originally associated with both jazz and pop music have certainly made their way in some of the repitoire that concert bands play.” -Caroline

Beatty

Mr. East, Assistant Band Director at LASA HS

Caroline Beatty Texas State Band Director

section got into.” says Mr. East. As pop music comes into popularity, it, like jazz, leaves it’s mark on concert band music. As pop music leaves its mark, it, like jazz, puts simple rhythms into concert band music. “Jazz and pop influenced concert band music sure but to say specifically when and where you would have to start back as far back as the 1920’s and the teens roughly a hundred years ago and start looking at syncopation.”, says Mr. East. While Dr. Creel says “jazz musicians have been forced to think completely “out of the box”.” The new rhythms put in concert band music have definitely also been challenging players to think outside the box as a

their favorite piece of music?

Mr. East says, “ My parents tell me that when I was a little kid when I couldn’t even walk that I would stand up in the crib and sing, I don’t remember any of that.” Even from such a young age, some people know that music is their calling, but not everyone is that way. Some people are drawn to band by family. “I knew I was going to be in band from a very early age. I have two older sisters, one who participated in band and one who was in choir. I was drawn to band early on and went to concerts as early as 2nd grade.” says Beatty. Some are driven by friends Dr. Creel says “all my friends were in band. At my school band began in 5th grade and in 7th you were part of the “high school” band

jazz musician would

As the generally preferred genre of music varied, the most popular music went all over the place, and Beatty says, “The music varied from ‘Top 40’ pop/rock of the time, to classical, bluegrass, etc.” But over time, not everything goes away, and jazz is no exception. “Music that has come back over the time well if it swings, has a good beat, and you can tape your foot to it that has never gone out of favor,” says Mr. East. Jazz which definitely can have a foot tapped to it will never go out of favor right? Then, in the 60’s and 70’s jazz disappeared. “[I] think what happened, is that

Pieces of Music like this one will often have mea-sures with rhythms from other songs.

American music changed so much throughout the 60’s and the 70’s, that by the time that we got through all the political stuff and through the 80’s that the music had been there the whole time and people hadn’t realized it.” says Mr. East. Though the teaching side of the songs haven’t changed even with parts of pop and jazz in them in fact Beatty says, “Teaching people how to conduct is [still] a lot about teaching them to get the music.” Teaching to conduct and play are very similar in that you have to be able to teach to play to be able to teach to conduct because of how conducting works and on the student end it is still the same things in fact Mr. East says “ I’ve played in a lot of different bands and the thing that I’ve learned is to be versatile, and the way to be versatile is to practice your music a lot and be able to in the spur of the moment be able to do what a director wants you to do.” Those things that you learn in teaching yourself music like what Mr. East does in his jazz band can be really useful when teaching in a concert band setting. “Then, in jazz band I try to teach the kids how to listen and figure out what is going on in the music, but in concert band there isn’t enough time” says Mr. East. Now as kids join band, are they joining because they want to learn the art of playing an instrument? Or do they just want to learn how to play

“I knew I was going to be in band from a very early age. I have two older sisters, one who participated in band and one who was in choir. I was drawn to band early on and went to concerts as early as 2nd grade.”

-Caroline Beatty

20 Music through the ages

A large concert orchestra playing their music.

“My parents tell me that when I was a little kid when I couldn’t even walk that I would stand up in the crib and sing, I don’t remember any of

that.”-David Ponder East

Music through the ages 21

A conductor directing a concert band.

and got to be in marching band.” Then, there is the last group of people who join a concert band to learn how to play an instrument so that they can play a pop song. Now is this a bad thing? After all it does get more people to join band but those people might not want to be there and ruin part of the band experience for others. Some people really want the great experience of band in a group setting, Dr. Creel says “I had been in private piano lessons but I wanted my musical experience to expand to a group setting.” Should these people have to deal with other members of the band who don’t want to be there?

“There was a wide variety of types of music played on the radio and via recordings in my house all the time, so music was always around.The stereo was always on all day unless the TV was on”. says Beatty.

Pop music hasn’t changed concert band music more than a few measures of a good beat, but pop music has drawn more people to band even if to just play one song. For the first group of people (the ones who want to learn to play an instrument) sometimes it is for a greater calling, like being a conductor. “I decided that I wanted to be a band director when I was either a freshman or sophomore in HS.” says Beatty, while some people know early on that they want to be a conductor. Some people don’t know what they want to do. Mr. East says “[I didn’t know I wanted jazz band] No no not the

“I had been in private piano lessons but I wanted to expand my musical expeirence to expand to a group

setting.”-Patrick Creel

A high school concert band performing on a “stage” for an audience.

youngest ages but I was always into music.” but he did end up later in life joining a jazz band and becoming a conductor and jazz musician. Music has shaped our society and inspired many musicians in the process. Those musicians have made lots of different types of music that have all affected each other in some way. Some types of music like jazz and pop leave rhythms in other types of music like concert band while others just leave impressions.

Some instruments that are commonly found in bands both concert and pop/jazz.

by Michael Wallace

Do youthe

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

Trombone

Percussion

Tuba

Bassoon

French Horn

Euphonium

Is it okay sometimes?

Preferably not

Do you like hitting things?

Not all the time

Do you have long arms?

Do you like a challenge?

Not particularly

How offten?

Less

More

WhichInstrument Is right for

Me?

22 What instrument is for me?

enjoyspotlight?

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

Oboe

Flute

Do you enjoy competition?

Is louder Better?

Perfectionist?

TrumpetSaxophone

Clarinet

How Loud do you really like it?

Softish

Pretty Loud

The guide to what instrument fits your

personality.

What instrument is for me? 23

Stopping the Blues

24 Stopping the Blues

By: Dillon Liu

Photo

Courtesy o

f Pixa

bay.

How does interacting with music daily affect people?

Photo taken by Olivia Cox

to hype people up for a workout.

Sherri Hollister is a professional music

therapist who helps troubled people

with music. “Music therapy is used

in hospitals to increase healing and

discharge people earlier, and music

therapy is also used in nursing homes

for stroke patients, who can sing, but

can’t normally talk, and finally music

improves the memory of people with

dementia.” says

Sherri.

Brian Cox, a filmmaker, had played

his instruments as a daily routine in

the last 30 years of his 41 year-old

life. “I started [playing instruments] at

Stopping the Blues 25

Music is known to help middle aged people and older people stimulate their brain, and stop their neural sensors from decaying.

10, and now I’m 41,” says Brian Cox,

“and I’ve been playing ever since.” He

currently is in 3 different bands, and

considers music as his lifelong hobby.

Harold Orozco is a piano teacher in

Austin, and he loves passing on his

musical experience to young students.

“[Music] just takes me away from all the things that have happened today.” -Cox

Many people love to listen to

music, while they are driving their

car to work, when they’re relaxing,

and when they’re working. But music

doesn’t only help people pass the

time. Music therapists, music teachers,

band members, lifelong musicians and

neurologists proved listening to music

can improve people’s overall physical

and mental health.

Music neurologists have

recently proved listening to music

does more than make car rides less

boring: Music can be used as medicine

to help people relieve stress, prevent

Alzheimer’s disease, and can be used

Photo from pd4pic

“I just don’t feel I would rather be doing any other job.” says

Harold Orozco.

Brian claims that music is the place that he goes to when he’s

swamped with work and emotions. “The reason why I have

been playing music for such a long time and now playing

in bands again, is because there are so many distractions

in the world, and so many things to worry about in one’s

daily lives, and when I play music, I can only focus on the

music. It’s like meditation or running [for other people].

When I play music, it just takes me away from all the things

that have happened today.” Brian Cox wasn’t wrong about

music being similar to meditation. Harold believes that

music indeed relaxing to listen to and to play, but he also

said something similar to Brian. “Teaching an instrument

seriously is a very complex and demanding overtaking.

There is a vast source of challenges and problem solving

and it keeps both the instructor and student looking for

ways to solve these challenges.” says Harold. There just

isn’t time to focus on anything else, if you’re too busy

trying to memorize your favorite music piece or break into

a new song.

Music can also be used to establish and strengthen

relationships and connections between strangers and

friends. How often do you willingly shove yourself into

thousands of strangers? Only in music concerts for artists

who the thousands of strangers love, just like you. Some

people even say that spending time playing music with the

same people over and over again can make it feel like they

have another family. “Being in a band is like being in an

extended family where you have to make compromises.

You also share these experiences, like being scared before

a show, or a large audience, or sharing good performances

afterwards. I play in three different sized bands. No matter

how big a band is, a musician like me has to listen to closely

to their bandmates play together. Eventually, you’ll find

yourself naturally paying more attention to your bandmates,

because you guys are used to doing that in practice. The

way a family works, is very similar to how a band works. It’s

the result of a group effort, so then you feel the bond of

comradery with the people that you composed and played

music with. This leads you to feel strongly about those

people, to feel like you’re in a family with them, almost.”

In the cases like Brian Cox, it’s obvious that music does

more for some people than just making time pass on car

rides. Music therapists also agree. “Playing music with other

people as a symphony is the ultimate musical interaction.”

26 Stopping the Blues

Brian Cox loves to spend his free time playing music with his bands.

Harold Orozco is an Austin piano private lesson teacher and can not imagine that he can enjoy any other job.

Photo

take

n by

Rad

io N

ew Z

ealand

often, and not really know why. I have

a natural rhythm to my day, in terms

of eating, sleeping, brushing my teeth.

All these daily things would just fall

out of line without music.” says Brian

Cox. “I would become a dancer,” says

Sherri. “Dancing is another form of art,

so if I couldn’t have music in my life,

dancing is what I would turn to.”

Although Brian’s claim is a little bit

more extreme than most people would

ever experience, credible therapy

websites like PsychCentral have

recommended to listen to music when

you’re feeling stressed out because it

distracts the human mind from other

things, which relieves stress.

Neurologists have definitely confirmed

the therapeutic effect and the

meditative effect music has on people.

But, if music can be therapeutic, maybe

after some researching, neurologists

might find out what music can be used

to do other things in the future.

says Sherri Hollister. Harold states that

this is one of his favorite parts of being

a piano teacher. He loves watching his

students’ skill and dexterity improve

over time. “As a teacher, one works

with people who are very motivated and

people who are not, and people with of

all different levels of talent and natural

abilities. Being able to share one’s

passion and help others come closer to

enjoy their learning experience is very

fulfilling.” says Harold.

What would happen to someone if

music wasn’t a big part of their life?

Brian wouldn’t stand it, if that happened

to him. “When other people say that

they don’t like or really listen to music,

I don’t understand what that is like.

I would be stressed out all the time,

and not even realize why.” says Brian.

Why would Brian like music so much?

“I think the reason why people like

music so much, is because all people

have a natural rhythm. The rhythm of

walking , the rhythm of a heartbeat,

breathing. There is a subconscious

feeling in humans to rhythm, and

most people don’t even realize they

have it. If I didn’t have music in my

life, my whole body would be out of

Stopping the Blues 27

wack. I would be physically unhealthy.

I wouldn’t know when I would want to

sleep, when I would want to eat. Those

types of rhythms, I have realized when

to sleep and eat, after having so much

experience to music rhythms. I think

without music, I would be angrier more

The Iowa State University forms the shape of the United States in a football half-time show.

“The reason why people like music so much is because men have a natural rhythm. The rhythm of walking, the rhythm of a hearbeat, breathing.” -Cox

Photo from W

ikipedia

START

0-10

11-25

How old are you?

26+Do you like

sleeping?

Of Course Not!

Yes

Lullabies

Do you follow Katy

Perry?

Do you have

Instagram?

Of course not. I’m too young.

SingAlongsYes

Yes

Nope

What type of person are

you at school?

What Music Genre Do You Like?

28 What Music Genre Do You Like?

By: Dillon Liu

Do you have kids or grandkids?

NoMusic >

crying kids. Any genre of music.

Pop MusicI’m your “average Joe”

I’m friends with everyone. Jazz Music

I love animals and riding horses.

Country Music

I put all my effort into my academics.

I do.What type of person is

your kid(s) at school?

Classical Music

Answer the questions on the flowchart to

find out what genre of music you like.

What Music Genre Do You Like? 29