Music Revolutions

Teacher(s): Nikolaj Sahlstrøm

Lessons: 2/week

Few products of human creativity are as popular as music. It lifts us up and lets us forget our daily struggles. But moreover, few products of human creativity have the potential and capacity to influence or even revolutionize human behaviour the way music does.

In this Folk High School Music Revolutions Class we will investigate the history of the music revolutions of the 20th and 21st century – from 1920’s jazz to rhythm & blues, rock’n’roll, folk, protest songs, disco, reggae, psychedelic rock, punk, grunge, hip hop, and electronic dance music – and attempt to understand how they have influenced our societies. We will analyse the music itself, the lyrics, music videos, the attitudes, values and ideologies of the artists and their followers, and the societal context that surrounded these music revolutions.

In this Folk High School Class we alternate between lectures, listening sessions, documentary movie clips, group discussions, and student presentations.