Swing

Swing music developed in the 1930's in America. It was a distinctive form of music. It's rhythm was provided by brass and woodwind instruments trumpet, trombone, saxophones and clarinets. The drums were the anchor for the rest of the instruments. The name swing was derived for the feel the music gave. a slow pulse to the music. The swing band usually featured a singer who would basically give his or her version of the music. The music and tempo would usually be set by the singer. One of the most prominent bands of the swing era was Benny Goodman. The band was very popular between 1935-1946 and had reached its peak in the 1940's. During WWII the swing band began to decline in popularity. Many of the musicians were now overseas fighting in the war. So it was very difficult to put together a "big band". Swing saw a comeback in the 1950's and 60's with singers such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Nat king Cole. Swing at one time blended with other genres to create new sub-genres. Country music artist such as Jimmy Rogers mix the elements of swing with blues to create western swing. In the late 1970's and 80's swing music was preformed at supper clubs it was a more sophisticated performance with more urban style. The fans were dressed to the hilt and in trendier fashions it was a place to dance to a live band. The Cotton Club in Harlem was one of the most popular places to hear and dance to swing music. It was a whites only club but it was the place where many black musicians got their start it operated during the prohibition era. Musicians such as Call Calloway and Duke Ellington played there. Singers such as Billy Holiday and Lena Horn were featured singers. It was the IN place for celebrities to meet and enjoy the music. Today, there is an orchestra known as the Bean town swing orchestra that is bringing back swing music. They preform the oldies as well as original music. they want to bring the music back, for future generations to enjoy. The band preforms concerts because they want to entertain and educate people with the history of the most sophisticated form of American music ever. 

Calypso

Calypso music originated in Trinidad in the 17th century. It came from people who came from Africa and used by them to relive their traditions. The carnival was brought to Trinidad by the French. The music genre grew. Calypso derived from the word "Kaiso" used to describe songs. There are some arguments as to the real roots of Calypso. A historian asserted that Calypso music resulted from the music of the medieval troubadours. The people of Trinidad argue that the birth date of Calypso was in Trinidad in the 1950's. Lord Kitchener was known as the "grand master" of Calypso. The music was developed for slaves to communicate and protest against the class system. It has become a source of history and tradition in their society. It helps them to reflect on their past
and celebrate their cultural richness. The music has both cultural and social significance. Carnival takes place prior to lent every year and is one of the most elaborate celebration In the Caribbean. The festivities are bright in color and the costumes are very intricate and extraordinary this is when Calypso music fills the air. The residents are of many different races but all manage to unite during the carnival season. Calypso became worldwide when Harry Belafonte recorded "Banana boat song". It was also influenced by Jazz and the musicians improvised the words to adapt to the music. The rhythm of the music indicated what words were used. The tempo of the music is indicative to the mood of the singer it changes with the singers need for personal reflection and offering. Because of the reverence the people of Trinidad put on this music it is sure to survive. With the tradition of the Carnival the music genre has a strong hold in music history. The music will live on through the generations and will continue to reflect the many cultures of Trinidad. It will continue to spread as the people immigrate to other countries. Toronto has become a worldwide celebration of Calypso through the grand celebration of carnival. I personally think that Calypso music is quite amazing to listen to, The compositions that these artists come up with are great and I could listen to them all day. I wish Calypso music was more popular in Canada because it is thruly an amzing genre.

Country

Country music is believed to have originated in the Southern state: Atlanta and Georgia in the early 1900. It seems to have begun with folk. western music combination. It is a sub genre of gospel but with a country flair. It became very popular in the 1990's. The early country music was found mostly with the mountain music especially the Appalachian mountains. The musical instruments are mostly fiddles and many homemade instruments. The rural areas found the music mostly in the churches. Some of the well known singers of today had their beginnings in their local churches  The movies produced the singing cowboys. The songs consisted of their daily adventures on the western frontier. Some songs lasted the test of time. The music produced many family groups. The Carter family was country's first famous vocal group. In later years there was the Oak Ridge Boys. The Statler Brothers and the Judds. Nashville turned out to be the heart of country music and turned country music into a multimillion dollar industry. It brought the music to a larger audience. The grand old opry became the center for established as well as new musicians. Many artists owe their success to Nashville. The term Rockabilly was born to country music in the 1950's. This is when Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash introduced their songs which to this day are still very popular althou
gh many of the music went  back to their musical roots. I personally don't listen to country music a lot. But, I do respect how they came to be and I see how many people could enjoy the emotion that they put into all of their songs. Every artist has stories to tell, and I find that Country music stars have some of the best stories. whether they are sad, happy or just genuinely real. It's a great genre.

Gospel

Gospel music is a combination of Jazz music and church music. It is performed for many different occasions such as ceremonial reasons, religious reasons or purely just for entertainment purposes. Gospel music can be traced back to the 17th century with it's roots in the black culture. The churches used clapping to accompany many of the sacred songs. The singing was done acappella. Most people couldn't read so they used repetition words as music. The first published Gospel song appeared in 1874 which enabled publishing houses to develop. When radio first appeared in the 1920's the music became more popular. After World War II this genre was more prominent in concert halls and auditoriums. There are a few sub genres of gospel music such as: Bluegrass and Celtic. Bluegrass music grew from the music of the mountain people. The people of the Appalachian mountains used this as their main form of entertainment. They used fiddles and banjos as their musical instruments. The Celtic subgenre has all of the essential parts of gospel but has it's roots in the Irish culture and has more of a religious conation. I really enjoy listening to Gospel music, it's always very energetic and full of peace and love. People who play still play Gospel music in church are mostly the African American churches. Their sermons are usually a lot more energetic than that of the Caucasian churches. Now a days people can read, but they still use the repetition which enables much easier following when it comes to the hymns. I like the way Gospel sounds, especially the Celtic sub genre. They're voices are gorgeous and I love the music that accompanies it. Every church has a different interpretation of the Gospel genre, they all sing the same hymns but with different styles to accompany it. 

Folk music

There are two types of folk music. One is usually very old and no one seems to know the composer. It belongs to people or culture of the ordinary people. It is usually songs and music that people have sung and played for many years, some of them can be derived from nursery rhymes, One learned as a child. The other type is made to sound like the old folk music but is usually written by modern day artists. They keep the same music and feel that

the old folk music does but they change it up to fit our modern society. I personally don't listen to folk music on a daily basis but, I've heard that it was a very popular genre back in the day. Folk music can be heard in a lot of different cultures, it has been around for many decades and will remain for many more. I do really love the fact that it's in many cultures, because with that we can all relate to each other through the same music genre, it's nice to know that we can all reunite through the amazing music and lyrics. American folk music can't be traced to any specific time frame. Some music is traditional rather than a form of entertainment. The music tells stories of families throughout the generations. Some stories are historic others are made up. It includes the community of the working class, including the hardship and struggles of the people. It seems as if no matter the exact origin of that specific folk music it still manages to tell amazing stories about many different families and everything that they've been through. I find that amazing! I love the fact that we can all connect through one form of music, It's so cool to know that our ancestors have been listening to the same music as us for many years! To conclude, I believe that folk music is very influential to our society due to the fact that we can all stay connected with this one huge genre of music.
  

Jazz

The jazz genre is a super influential to our society. Jazz was a big thing back in the day. And was mostly brought to attention from the African American community. The smooth beat and the soothing sounds from jazz is honestly what draws me to this style. I love jazz, I always have. I don't always listen to jazz mostly because if I did I would fall asleep thanks to the soothing music but I'd honestly recommend jazz for a relaxing night at home. Jazz music is very influential on my opinion of fashion of the olden days.. When I think of jazz I imagine people sharp dressed and wearing suit carrying a saxophone and jamming out, it's a typically cool style. I honestly love Jazz it's a very calming yet it still manages to attract your attention as you listen. It's typically brass instruments that are used in jazz to create that said sound. for example saxophones, trombones, trumpets and many more. Jazz is one of my favourite genres because of its soothing sounds, the intense emotions emitting from its sound and the many cultures it has influenced by just genuinely being awesome. I'd honestly recommend listening to Jazz.

Rock

The rock genre has been around since the dawn of Elvis, the original king of rock and its stuck around ever since! A lot of people believe that rock has affected our society in negative ways which I understand, but people always seem to forget about the great ways rock has influence our society. Rock has influenced our society in the way of fashion. I personally love the rock style it portrays the whole "I'm a rebel and I've got an attitude" which I can personally relate to. Rock is composed of many sub genres including: Alternative, grunge, heavy metal.. And so many more. The genre has influenced the creation of over 50 sub genres. With all of these genres comes plenty of bands. which , creates more opportunity for people to express their true talent. Here are a few of my personal favorite bands: The pretty reckless, Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch. The Pretty Reckless is composed of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) Ben Phillips (lead guitar and backing vocals) Mark Damon (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drums) they're one of my favorite bands because of the content they put out. The raw emotion in Taylor's voice is so apparent and raspy, she's seriously one of my favorite people to listen to. Avenged Sevenfold is another band I'm in love with. It's composed of M. Shadows (Matt sanders) who has lead vocals. Zacky vengeance (lead guitar) Synyster Gates (lead guitarist) Johnny Christ (bass) and Arin lljay (drums) I also love them because of the lead singers voice. Matt has a very deep raspy voice which I'm personally in love with. Finally, Five Finger Death punch which is composed of Ivan Moody (lead vocalist) Zoltan Bathory (lead guitarist) Darrell Roberts (guitarist) Jeremy Spencer (drummer). I love this band mostly because of  the music they produce. The intense lyrics that match the loud emotional music perfectly.  I'm obsessed with this genre mostly because of how intensely emotional it can be. It's left a big impact on our society and I hope it lives on forever. 

Pop

The pop genre is very popular as of lately. It has had a major influential impact on the world today. Pop music has come into full swing and its here to stay according to several different radio stations. Pop music always seems to have a catchy beat with either happy, sad, loving or dramatic lyrics which tend to shift our moods completely. Pop music is mostly used in movies whilst the scene is happy and upbeat, it sets the mood for that specific scene and it has a huge impact on the reactions of many viewers. Pop music has also had a great impact on the fashion not so much of today but more so towards the 1980's. If you look back at Madonna for example they had the big hair with the bright clothes which definitely captured our attention.  There are many bands involved in the pop music industry for example: maroon 5, Ed Sheeran, Ellie goulding.. And many more. Pop music is definitely a genre that won't be forgotten considering how many tv shows and movies that they've been featured on. Tv shows that have featured pop music are as following: the vampire diaries, pretty little liars, gossip girl and many others. Pop music has varied over theyears,sure most people think of modern artists when they think of pop but in reality pop truly got famous because of the Michael Jackson era and so many other talented artists who always seemed to stay in the spotlight even if it wasn't always a positive message that they were portraying in their songs. In conclusion, the pop genre has highly influenced our life by  changing the mood in many tv shows and movies, it has also influenced our lives by changing fashion possibly for the worst, creating a whole new era in the end and finally the pop genre truly influenced the way we feel.. When I personally listen to pop music I feel happy and giddy as if I just got the best news of my life. Pop music is an honestly great genre and I recommend everybody to listen to it if you haven't already. 

disclaimer: All bands and artists mentioned have been found on wikipedia.

Classical

Classical music has had a major impact on pop culture: in movies, tv shows, modern music and fashion.Classical music has been a big part of movies and tv shows for many generations. This music sets the mood for some documentaries and movies including: war movies, kid's movies, romantic movies and sad movies. The music adds mystery, anticipation and drama to that specific scene.Classical music represents a more sophisticated for of dress, because of the more dignified music played by the classical orchestras. The need for formal wear has always been among the performers and their audience. For the women formal dresses and dress shoes were the big must have and for the men it was a fancy tuxedo and dress shoes.
most of the classical music is a repetition of generations. People are more aware of Bach, Beethoven and William Tell Overture than classical music of today. it is almost unheard of in today's world of original classical music being written and brought to major audiences. I'm sure there are some but unfortunately they are not produced or published to today's society. It's too bad that such an amazing and influential genre has to rely on music of the past when there has to be talented musicians who are left on the side lines because there doesn't seem to be a need for their work. Hopefully they won't ever have to wait to long and give up on their dreams.
Classical music is a soothing sometimes dramatic genre enjoyed by many.
Classical music has influenced today's music in the case of the musical structure, artists of today still use the same variation of the classical structure to write songs of many different genres. If there was no classical music people nowadays wouldn't actually know anything about music, and modern music wouldn't be produced.That's honestly amazing, modern music is pretty much 30% of my life. Every musical instrument used today has derived from an older classical instrument from either: strings, woodwinds,brass instruments and percussion instruments, Each of these instruments are used at specific times to emphasize the mood.

Disclaimer: All bands and artists mentioned have been found on Wikipedia. 

Grunge

The grunge genre was a very popular music style in the early 1990's which was enjoyed by many. This genre started in Seattle Washington (wikipedia) which quickly went worldwide. Grunge not only influenced music but also fashion. The fashion of that time era consisted of greasy, messy hair, dark tattered clothing. The overall grungy look. People went for the "whatever..I don't care" angsty style which I personally find looks really cool if it's done properly. Grunge music consisted of up and coming artists attempting to make a name for themselves with loud sometimes meaningless music, talent wasn't always a priority. I feel as if they we're trying to convey that as long as you have spirit and you're proud of what you're doing talent isn't always necessary. That's a pretty cool message honestly. The main instruments  used in grunge were , guitars (mainly electric) and drums, which projected the raw dirty sound of the bands, The raw dirty sound is really what attracted me to the grunge genre I love when you can feel the emotions coming from the artists through not only their lyrics but their music. Here are a few of the highly known grunge bands: Alice in Chains, Bush, Nirvana, Pearl jam, Soundgarden and many more. Alice in Chains started off as a heavy metal band but transitioned into grunge once it became popular. I heard of this band thanks to my parents. I grew up listening to mostly rock music and all of it's sub-genres. I love this band and i'd recommend listening to them . Bush, was another example of a smart band who decided to transition into grunge. Nirvana,  became popular due to their unusual style, they weren't only grunge and they mixed multiples styles in one, thus appealing to many fans. they also became mainstream due to Kurt Cobain's angsty lyrics, people could relate to him very well, they felt like outsiders as well. I've listened to Nirvana the most out of any of these bands, I personally love them mostly because of the way Kurt Cobain's voice sounded. He always sounded like he was pained in some way, all of his emotions are represented in his lyrics. Pearl jam, also transitioned into grunge music but they refused to sell out, they were quite a big part of the grunge era but they didn't succumb to the norms of the music industry, they remained truthful and are still going to this day. That's honestly an amazing concept to me. Most bands end up letting the fame get to their heads and are quick to sell out but they stuck together through thick and thin.  Soundgarden, were always a part of the grunge genre, they were one of the original popular grunge bands of the era. Grunge is still very influential on the music of today because people still relate to the message of this music. Defending their principals and standing up to society being a good example. They were not afraid of going against the norm, So, in my opinion even though grunge music isn't mainstream anymore it has left some of it's influence on today's music, fashion and many aspiring artists. It's overall a great genre. 

http://rock.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/Most-Influential-Seattle-Bands.htm

Disclaimer: All bands and artists mentioned were found on wikipedia

Most information on bands such as SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM, BUSH, ALICE AND CHAINS AND NIRVANA were found on wikipedia. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_grunge_bands