1. List the Academy Award-nominated films (Best Picture) of the past ten years.
1. For each film, list the composer who wrote the music for that film.
2. Make a list of the Academy Award-nominated composers (Best Music, Original Score) of the past ten years.
3. Compare the list of composers on the first list with the composers on the second list.
1. How many composers are on both lists?
2. How many composers were nominated and won?
3. How many of the winning composers were Americans?

1. Trace the development of the one of the following modern synthesizers from its origins to the present day.

Korg

Kurzweil

ARP

Ensoniq

2. Listen to one piece of electronic music by either Steve Reich or Terry Riley.
1. How does the composer use synthesizers and computers to create his music?
2. Does he use acoustic sounds along with electronic sounds?
3. Name other composers who use computers or synthesizers to write their music.

Much of the rock and roll of the past forty-five years had its origins in the blues of the early twentieth century.

1. How has the music of Robert Johnson (1911-1938) influenced the music of Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones or the Red Hot Chili Peppers?
2. Research the following early blues artists and trace their music to the popular rock stars of the last part of the twentieth century.

1. Blind Lemon Jefferson
2. Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter
3. Big Bill Broonzy
4. Muddy Waters
5. "Big Boy" Arthur Crudup

You may find helpful information at these Web sites:

http://coversproject.com/artist/leadbelly

http://www.coversproject.com/artist/arthur "big boy" crudup

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, some musicians combined classical music and rock and roll to create classical rock. Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer formed a group called Emerson, Lake and Palmer" In 1971 they released a version of Modeste Musorgsky's composition Pictures at an Exhibition.

1. List other classical composers and the titles of their music that Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed.

We have also been offered a series of music albums entitled Hooked on … Among the albums are Hooked on Bach, Hooked on Classics, and several others.

In 1968 a recording was released of J. S. Bach's music performed on synthesizers. The album was called Switched-on Bach.

2. Find more classical rock. Search for music by Mozart, Beethoven, other composers that has been presented in a new, rock version.