LBj library, June 12
The timing of this event was perfect. We had just wrapped up another school year at Eanes Elementary where one of our end of the year rituals is a school wide Talent Show. Something I noticed during this year's show was the fact that it included at least 4 acts which revolved around Beatles' music. I spent a lot of time afterwards trying to discern what it was about that music, that band that transcended generations. Shortly after that, a friend of mine, Casey Ryan, brought the LBJ event to my attention and ultimately to the answer to my question.
The hour was led by Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY Museum, curator of the exhibit, and also a former teacher. Here are some of the highlights of his 45 minute presentation. According to Santelli, America's greatest treasure is our musical tradition which is why we should incorporate this aspect of our culture into our curriculum. These traditions include Ragtime, Gospel, Blues, Big Band, Country, R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop. We created music forms at the rate of one every 10 years a fact which sets us apart from other countries. The touring exhibit began in February 2014 in New Your City where Beatlemania exploded. "Ladies and Gentlemen...the Beatles!" is the title of the exhibit and it is the phrase used by Ed Sullivan to introduce the Beatles on their first US television appearance. The exhibit covers the period from February 1964 to late August 1966 which was the time of their last concert in San Francisco. Other musicians have had the same effect as the Beatles (i.e. Frank Sinatra and Elvis), but the Beatles' impact was the most intense. Beatlemania started before February 1964 in England, but it hit here in full force at that time and lasted for 2 years. Though the concerts were short, they were a frustrating experience for both the musicians and the screaming girls in the audience. In the early days, the sound systems were so ancient that even if the girls in the audience were absolutely quiet you couldn't have heard the music due to the poor quality of the sound system. They stopped touring after that time period and become creative forces in the studio. They become individuals rather than a band. What did the media like about the Beatles? It was their hair, their intelligence, their sense of humor and their willingness to joke and goof around with the media. Why are we still listening to the music ? Some people say we embraced them because we had nothing here. That is indeed not true. We had Motown, Bob Dylan, and the Beach Boys to name a few. What set the Beatles apart was that unlike the Beach Boys, they were a self contained band. During this time period, they wrote and played all of their own music. While Brian Wilson wrote the Beach Boys' music they had session musicians play the music for them. Once the Beatles matured as song writers and wrote their own songs, they were powerful. The Beatles and Bob Dylan had the ability to reinvent themselves in terms of their appearance and their philosophy and this fact ensured their longevity. They used the recording studio itself as an instrument. Dylan was a Woody Guthrie impersonator in the beginning. He was highly influential on the Beatles and he is responsible for them moving from music like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to classics like "Eleanor Rigby". The Beatles, in part, influenced Dylan to go electric, a fact that led to the end of the influence of folk music on rock and roll. Between 1964 -1970 the Beatles did monumental things. The songs written by Lennon and McCartney rank them as some of the top song writing duos in history. Concerts changed dramatically after the Beatles appeared. They became a huge, money making industry. So, how do we teach our students about the impact of the Beatles? Here are some pointers form Mr. Santelli. 1. Make note of the fact that the Beatles impacted and changed the way we wore our hair, the clothing that we wore and the vocabulary that we used. 2. You can speak to them of their impact on the media. 3. You can talk about pop culture. 4. Share with them the fact that the Beatles were instrumental in politicizing music. 5. For those of us in Texas, study the amazing music that was generated in our state. 6. HIs final words of advice had to do with the educator's attitude about their students' music. He warned us not to come across as arrogant about what we experienced in our lifetime of music experiences. Verbalize and respect the music of your students. |
Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY Museum
Mr. Santelli points out John Lennon's guitar which will only be in the exhibit for the next two weeks and then in LA at the Grammy Museum for another two weeks and then it will be sold at auction.
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