American Pop Music from Billy Holiday to Billie Eilish

American Pop Music from Billy Holiday to Billie Eilish is a new elective available to all students for both CP and Honors credit. 

In this class, students will analyze multiple eras of music from the beginnings of jazz to modern music. They will mainly focus on historical context to gain a deeper understanding of what makes up American music.

“The past year, 2020, and even the beginning of 2021, it’s very obvious that there needs to be a study of our history of what it means to be American and our art form,” Fine and Performing Arts teacher Olivia Goliger said. “I think it’s important for us to take a critical look at what’s going on and express issues, social justice issues or identity expression through music.”

In this class, students will learn through discussions and interactive activities. There will also be many opportunities to simply sit and listen to various forms of American music.

“If you’re curious about it, you should just take it,” Goliger said. “It’s open for everybody. You don’t need to know anything about music [and] history doesn’t have to be your best subject; anybody can gain an understanding of themselves and humanity through this class.”