I Hear America Singing: An Introduction to Popular Music

This book introduces the history and influence of American music within the broader context of American culture. The central focus is to forge connections between the world of contemporary pop music (with which most students are intensely involved) and the historical roots of this music (which most know very little about). A framework is provided for exposing the links in a chain of influence that encompasses the entire scope of our nation's musical heritage—from traditional folk ballads and blues, to contemporary rock and rap.

• Relates the development of each genre to its historical period—Places individual performers and styles within a larger social and artistic context.

  • Offers instructors an opportunity to raise issues of race and culture, and to explore the impact of economics, technology and the media. Provides students with a larger perspective on American cultural history, and reveals the many dynamic connections of that history to contemporary popular music. Ex.___

• Accessible and engaging writing style—Presents a balanced, accurate, and comprehensive presentation of American popular music within a highly readable narrative style.

  • Draws students into the story of America's popular music and keeps their interest in the subject. Ex.___

• Numerous excerpts from literary works—Includes excerpts from the works of various writers who have used music as a subject in their essays, novels, and poems, including Ralph Ellison, Michael Herr, Jack Kerouac, Sterling Brown, and David Wohjan.

  • Shows students the tremendous influence popular music has had on American culture, in particular music's powerful impact on literature. Ex.___

• Sidebars—Consist of excerpts from primary sources, extended captions, charts, song lyrics, definitions and capsule biographies, devoted to various other musical styles that have had a significant influence on rock and jazz.

  • Allows the text to be read in a number of alternate ways depending on the level of ability and motivation of each student, and to convey important information without disrupting the students' attention to the main story of the chapter. Ex.___

• Questions/Projects—Includes an extensive series of activities, research topics and creative projects.

  • Encourages an active learning experience for students. Ex.___

• A comprehensive bibliography and discography.

  • Aids individual inquiry by students. Ex.___

• A directory of mail order and online music sources.

  • Provides students with easy access to additional resources. Ex.___

• Numerous graphics—Represents each musical style and historical era explored in the text with approximately 150 evocative images. Includes numerous photographs (archival and contemporary), and other graphic material including album covers, posters, sheet music illustrations, broadside ballads, advertisements, and movie stills.

  • Provides students with visuals helping them to understand and remember material discussed in each chapter. Ex.___

• Musical analysis and song lyrics—Analyzes essential song forms, including the folk ballad, blues, and “32-bar popular song”, and provides representative examples from the works of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and George and Ira Gershwin.

  • Students see basic analysis of major works. Ex.___

• Technology and media component—Includes a discussion of the recording industry and the role of radio, television and MTV.

  • Provides instructors with material on media and technology in the texts so they don't have to assign additional teaching material. Ex.___

• An extensive section on rap and hip-hop culture—Unique to this text.

  • Students see the most up-to-date styles within the context of American popular music history. Ex.___

David Kastin has over twenty-five years experience as an educator and curriculum specialist. He has used his academic background in American studies and journalism to create innovative programs for institutions such as The American Museum of the Moving Image, New York Newsday, and The American Social History Project. He also has written on music and the media for the Village Voice, Downbeat, and other publications. He currently is teaching an interdisciplinary course in American literature and popular music at Stuyvesant High School in New York City.