In the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, the character, Mr. Holland, was a high school music teacher. He was starting to teach a music program that was in lack of a better word a "disaster." One of the problems he faced in the movie was students had no interest in the history of music. When he said the word Beethoven or Bach the students immediately lost interest in the subject. Catching an idea on how to get the students excited he began to play a rock n' roll tune on the piano. The kids sat up really quick, all broke smiles, and opened their minds. They soon found out that what they were listening was not an original composition of a rock band, but an arrangement of a piece that was written centuries ago. This was only a movie. However this situation will arise throughout your teaching career at one point or another, and we must face it and use our knowledge to teach the students. For the most part, the only type of music that our students will know before taking a music class is new age music. Some may have never heard an orchestra or be able to name you an orchestral work. New age music should be included in every classroom as a basis of teaching music.

Becoming heavily popular in the 1950's the Rock N' Roll era has flourished in numbers. As this form of music came into the spotlight, many parents and educators looked down upon it as an inappropriate "thing." They never accepted it as music; it was always called "Rock N' Roll." As in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus adults did not want that kind of music to be taught to the kids, however it was a straight shot into the minds of the children that we are teaching, opening a door for us to insert knowledge. Many Rock groups use two to three guitars, a bass player, and a drummer. Some of the most famous groups are The Beatles, Elvis, The beach boys, Guns n' Roses, Kiss, and now we have bands like Sugar Ray. The newest style of rock is called Ska, this new style has a twist. It includes some brass instruments like a trombone and sometimes up to two trumpets. One of the most famous groups of our day right now is the group No Doubt. Students know this form of music the best and it includes many sub categories. We will find in schools that many students want to learn how to play guitar rather then traditional instruments like the violin, clarinet, or trumpet. Why? Guitars are what the students have grown up seeing, and hearing. They want to mimic what they see on TV, or hear on the radio.

Healy, Mark (2000) Classic Rock's 21st-Century Guru. Rolling Stone, Issue 843, p 37

To many musicians including myself it is hard to understand rap as being a type of music. However it is one of the most basic forms of music. A rap is nothing more than a recitative, speaking set to musical pitches, a hybrid form of speech and singing. Rhythm is the foundation of rap, giving it support and structure. Lowell Mason suggests "students should be made to feel rhythm through body movement." When watching

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Approximate Word count = 1215
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)