The Heart Of Rock And Roll Is Still Beating

Put your glad rags on and join us at the Lawther Center on Madison Avenue for this fun, free course on the rock that won’t stop, co-sponsored by the Lakewood Public Library and the Division of Aging. Dr. Joel S. Keller originally designed this course for retirees at Baldwin-Wallace University and now he’s spinning it again for Lakewood. Every session will be offered as both an afternoon and an evening course and will be jam-packed with great music, pictures, videos and the warm glow of nostalgia. To register, please call the Lakewood Division of Aging Activities Office at (216) 529-5005.

These free sessions begin with 'A Journey in Sounds - 1949 to 1964.' It sets the stage with an overview of the historical and cultural issues facing teens in the late forties, then cuts loose with the blues, jump blues, rockabilly, doo wop, folk rock and the first rock-n-roll records ever made. Learn the stories of the musicians who made it big and the one-hit-wonders, too.

Follow up with the era that changed it all, 'The (First) British Invasion—1963 to 1967.' The Beatles changed everything, of course. But they didn’t come alone. Tune into the Ed Sullivan Show and relive the Mod era with Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Zombies and many more.

The series continues with 'An Introduction to Progressive Rock in the 1970’s.' In the seventies, rock went global as groups began to experiment freely with instrumentation, rhythm, melody and harmony. Lyrics reflected social themes with mythic tones and the concept album was king. This was a great era for album art and there will be plenty of examples.

It finishes up with 'Music in the Movies: From Bach to Rock.' Part four takes a different tack, following the ever-changing relationship between movies and music from the silent picture era to today’s blockbusters. Key scenes from favorite films will illustrate the overlapping roles of soundtrack and score.

These courses run Thursdays, September 18 through October 9. Afternoon classes take place at 1:00 p.m. and evening classes take place at 7:00 p.m. All courses take place at the Lawther Center at 16024 Madison Avenue.

To learn more visit www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org.

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Volume 10, Issue 17, Posted 8:13 AM, 08.21.2014