From old school rap to soft jazz, rock and roll to classical, and country to EDM, music defines people. Different genres of music promote different thoughts, feelings, and actions in life.  So how has music changed the world in the past 60 years?

It’s no question that the overall message of music has changed. It’s obvious that the star song writers such as John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Bob Marley and rappers such as M.O.P., Notorious B.I.G., and Big L are sending different messages through there music.

Where John Lennon and the Beatles are a major image of peace, the same cannot be said for other artists. As music genres back in the day seemed to portray ideas of spreading peace and loving each other, some music today has to do with murder, gangs, and selling drugs.

How does this change in message make people react differently? From 1960 to 2012, crime in the United States increased by 7,000,000 overall crimes. This may not be a direct correlation to the music, but it may be a reason. Luke Himm, a WHB junior whose favorite music genre is rap, describes the change of music as “super rad,” and he does not believe that the message of music has changed much since the ‘60s.

Junior Liam O’Brien disagrees. He believes that “music used to be about peace and love but now it’s not.” He added, “It’s still good music though.”

Looking back at the great concerts of the ‘60s and ‘70s, such as Woodstock, it’s apparent that the music festival lifestyle is coming back with EDM, or electric dance music.  As junior Carly Rubin said, “EDM music is definitely less violent then rap and other types of music.”

Although great musicians from the ‘60s and musicians from today may have had completely different messages, it is obvious that they adapted for the times. As the world changes, music changes with it.