Need Suggestions (Music)

[mwfanelli]

I teach physics and physical science including sections on sound and music. I use pictures of Britney Spears for noise and Springsteen for music. Unfortunately, the vast majority of young whippersnappers in my classes have no clue who Springsteen is. I decided its time to make that particular PowerPoint more current. Problem is, I have no clue who to substitute. Right, substitute for Da Boss... Grumble, grumble...

So, while this geezer waits in the corner whining about the younger generation, denigrating that darn hippity-hoppity music, and look through my Lawrence Welk collectables, can someone please give me an up-to-date reference for a musician that the 19-23 years-old crowd would recognize without a history book?

Thanks!

[poker]

Christina Aguilera is the talented version of Britney Spears. Although Christina Aguilera may look like noise (sometimes) she truly can sing. Kelly Clarkson is more conservative than the two and is truly talented.

Hope this helps.

[mtbbrian]

Me First, And The Gimme-Gimmes, Alkaline Trio, Fallout Boy..
Just some suggestions..
Good luck!
Brian

[mwfanelli]

Me First, And The Gimme-Gimmes, Alkaline Trio, Fallout Boy..
Just some suggestions..
Good luck!
Brian

Wow. I have absolutely no idea if the names you gave me are real or just jokes! At least I've heard of Christina Aguilera but that in itself may mean that she's too old for this crowd. Getting old really, really stinks. I advise against it.

Thanks y'all.

[big baldo]

Neil Diamond!! That is all they need to know!!

[mtbbrian]

Wow. I have absolutely no idea if the names you gave me are real or just jokes! At least I've heard of Christina Aguilera but that in itself may mean that she's too old for this crowd. Getting old really, really stinks. I advise against it.

Thanks y'all.

They are real bands Mike, you could also look for "My Chemical Romance, "Red Jumpsuit Apparatus ", "Breaking Benjamin", "The Killers", "Yellowcard"...
Good Luck!
Age is only a number!
:thumbsup:
Brian

[walterick]

Coldplay is a band that most people would recognize and would acknowledge as artists - whether they cared for their music or not.

Other than that, there was a crop of "early twenties male singer-songwriters" that flew into town a few years ago, names like John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, James Blunt, Jason Mraz. For the most part, they were all pretty tame, acousticy, sensitive teary-eyed players but they were all talented and the girls seemed to like them

[walterick]

Ah, and I just remembered who it was that I thought everyone would acknowledge as "talented." Alicia Keys is an extremely soulfull and talented young lady who, care for her music or not, always demands respect as an artist.

[mwfanelli]

OK. I'm going to find some photos of all the singers, people, groups, whatever that y'all have recommended and slap them on a few test PowerPoints. The photo that is recognized by most kids... uh... students is the one I'll use.

Now, let's see, a photo of the band Puppy Poopers is located where?

[mjs1973]

Johnny Cash!!! It doesn't matter how old they are, they will all know The Man in Black!!! Not sure who you could use for noise...

[mwfanelli]

Johnny Cash!!! It doesn't matter how old they are, they will all know The Man in Black!!! Not sure who you could use for noise...

You might be very surprised what these kids know and don't know. But then, my parents were baffled too when I was young.

For noise, I use an image of Brittany Spears with a fingernails-scratching-blackboard audio track that they recognize immediately.

[another view]

Christina Aguilera is the talented version of Britney Spears

Sounds like "urban yodeling" to me...

Of course she doesn't sing for guys like me. I feel pretty out of touch but that's nothing new. I like what I like...

Let's see, can I contribute anything? Well... Johnny Cash is an interesting idea. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that a lot of kids know about him - especially because of the movie. I'll admit that I didn't know much about him until I saw the movie and got more interested. Stupid thought - is Green Day too past their prime to be cool? I've seen the word "punk" mentioned describing them but I don't really think that applies...

Yikes I sound old!

[mtbbrian]

Sounds like "urban yodeling" to me...

LOL!!!!!!!!!
Good one Steve!
Brian

[Skyman]

what exactly is it you are trying to get across, are you after an image that the students recognize or one that they recognize that reprisents a particular style or genre of music? also the age demographic and region are going to have an impact on who they recognize. I would be going for someone who whilst maybe a little older is still recording and producing work. One technique I use to find out what interests students is to look at their folders and see who they have plastered on there at the moment. I would be going with U2, the chilli peppers or madonna. as these artists / groups have stood the test of time yet there recent work still appealls to younger audiences.

[Tel]

Yea um... I'm 14, I'd like to say I'm all up in the music scene, but I'm not. Too much crap in it.(IE: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights, etc). Seriously, There not Talented, There Songwriting sucks, and they all just sing about how there depressed and hate there lives. Atleast Cash actually knew how to write lyrics. Not To mention he actually had a good voice.

[mwfanelli]

what exactly is it you are trying to get across, are you after an image that the students recognize or one that they recognize that reprisents a particular style or genre of music? also the age demographic and region are going to have an impact on who they recognize. I would be going for someone who whilst maybe a little older is still recording and producing work. One technique I use to find out what interests students is to look at their folders and see who they have plastered on there at the moment. I would be going with U2, the chilli peppers or madonna. as these artists / groups have stood the test of time yet there recent work still appealls to younger audiences.

Nothing so elaborate. I talk about the difference between noise and music, even and odd harmonics, etc. My PowerPoints have lots of images I use Springsteen on the page that introduces sound as music. My students keep asking "whos that?" and have only a vague inkling of his music. My students deserve something they can relate to regardless of how I feel. Having a picture they recognize helps focus attention.

[Tel]

Please, If you want someone good, don't use any popular bands. The only TALENTED Popular band I can think of is Avenged Sevenfold. Other than that, Muse, Modest Mouse, Incubus, Audioslave or Chevelle.

[another view]

Please, If you want someone good, don't use any popular bands.

This is a good point. I'm not going to say (or agree with) the idea that all popular bands aren't good, but picking one won't impress everybody - especially with current big names. Some will love them, some will hate them and maybe that will have an affect on how they interpret what you're trying to teach them. Just a thought...

Audioslave is a very good band - very talented individually and they sound great together.

[Skyman]

I loved that class when I did it at uni! I suggest going with something that reprisents purity of sound then. I am thinking of Katie Noonan from George, her music probably hasn't filtered through to the states yet, but she is an operatically trained singer / pianist / guitarist who's band blurs the line between pop rock and art. A friend once described them as "What happens when musicians pick up guitars" oh and she sort of has the "fat lady" look in a groovy contemporary way.

[livin4lax09]

Yea um... I'm 14, I'd like to say I'm all up in the music scene, but I'm not. Too much crap in it.(IE: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights, etc). Seriously, There not Talented, There Songwriting sucks, and they all just sing about how there depressed and hate there lives. Atleast Cash actually knew how to write lyrics. Not To mention he actually had a good voice.

yeah, I agree with this statement. A lot of the mentioned bands sound too much like everything out there nowadays, and that's what mainstream will get you...

going down my playlist, some of the more talented bands in my opinion...

Abandoned Pools, Anberlin, Aqualung, Barenaked Ladies, Blue October, Dave Matthews Band, Five for Fighting, The Format, Fort Minor, The Fratellis, Goo Goo Dolls, Guster, Howie Day, The Hush Sound, Jack Johnson, Jay-Z, Jimmy Eat World, Keane, The Killers, Matt Pond PA, Muse, Nada Surf, R.E.M., The Receiving End of Sirens, Rock Kills Kid, The Smashing Pumpkins, Snow Patrol, Switchfoot, Third Eye Blind, Tonic, The Verve Pipe, The White Stripes, and Wyclef Jean.

but if you want a good example, you'll have to use someone at least semi popular. DMB, Goo Goo, Guster, Howie Day, Jimmy Eat World, R.E.M, Snow Patrol, and Switchfoot are probably some of your best bets from my music.

I also agree with previous statements that U2, Coldplay, and RHCP would work. Though I don't necessarily like a lot of their music, people know it and will relate to it. all of Coldplays songs sound the same to me. 80s U2 was good, and the RHCP I just haven't listening to enough of.

[livin4lax09]

Please, If you want someone good, don't use any popular bands. The only TALENTED Popular band I can think of is Avenged Sevenfold. Other than that, Muse, Modest Mouse, Incubus, Audioslave or Chevelle.

I'm really surprised at how many people have heard of Muse, and how diverse of an audience listens to them. Good stuff though.

[Tel]

Yeah, surprisingly I know a lot of computer geeks (like me) that listen to them.

But yeah, thanks for backin me up, Brent.

Dont use popular music!

[walterick]

I think the whole point of Michael's use of popular artists as examples of "noise and music" was to throw a little tongue-in-cheek into the presentation. I'm sure he gets a laugh everytime he shows a picture of Britney Spears with the word "Noise" under her. I think the point of putting an unpopular band up under "Music" would defeat the purpose of connecting the concepts of "noise" and "music" to the lives of the students who are sitting there. I would pick a moderately popular band for the slide, but one with artistic integrity. It's no secret that popular bands get hated because they are popular, or that fans jump ship the second a band gets played on the radio. Music is a beautiful thing, I say love it all ;)

[mtbbrian]

Audioslave is a very good band - very talented individually and they sound great together.

Audioslave is no longer together....
They split up recently.
Brian

[walterick]

Good now Rage and Soundgarden can do reunion tours ;)