Exploring 1990s Music

I would like a lesson plan to help support learnings based on an 8 minute view called Time Travellers. This is the script of the video - SCRIPT: [OPENING - Upbeat, energetic music. ANNA and TOMMY enter with enthusiasm] [ANNA] I need to call on the mystical powers of our time machine once more! [TOMMY] Let's do this! [GRAPHICS: Time machine animation with swirling effects] [SFX: Time travel whooshing sound] [TRANSITION: Scene transition to 1990s themed set] [1990s SET] [Anna and Tommy appear in 1990s setting] [ANNA] Well, here we are in what looks like the nineteen nineties. Thirty years ago now. [TOMMY] Still cannot believe that! [ANNA] Now the nineteen nineties were an extremely eclectic decade for modern music. [TEACHING SEGMENT - MUSIC EVOLUTION] [TOMMY] Now as instruments and technology progressed during the twentieth century, music changed a lot too. And instead of there being one primary style of music for a time period, like there was for hundreds and hundreds of years in a classical or a baroque era, more and more genres of music emerged. [ANNA] So let's think about some of the music that we've learned about in this century. So we visited the jazz era in the nineteen twenties and thirties. [TOMMY] We looked at classical music from the seventeen hundreds, the big band swing era of the forties, the seventies where disco music ruled the dance floor, and now we're here in the nineteen nineties! [ANNA] Now thinking about all those different styles of music that evolved over time, you can understand why the nineteen nineties was such an eclectic era. [TOMMY] So we're going to focus on just a few of the most iconic sounds and styles of music that evolved through the nineties. [ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC] [ANNA] Now, the early nineties was filled to the brim with electronic dance anthems. [TOMMY] So where the eighties had seen the rise of the synthesizer - which is basically like a keyboard that can make any sound that you want - the nineteen nineties started with big anthems dominating the charts. [GRAPHICS: Display synthesizer images] [ANNA] Now music had become a way for people to forget about their worries and dance the night away to dance songs with their strong beats and a catchy hook. So this was the perfect fit! [HIP HOP AND GRUNGE] [TOMMY] The nineties also saw the rise of popular hip hop with artists like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice making hip hop a little bit more radio friendly. [GRAPHICS: Display hip hop era imagery] [ANNA] And in contrast to the dance sound, the early nineties also saw a brand new style of rock music start to emerge from the USA, often referred to as grunge or alternative rock. [TOMMY] Bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana started to make their way onto the airwaves around the world, appealing mainly to the teenage generation who wanted something a little bit different. [GRAPHICS: Display grunge band imagery] [BRITPOP] [ANNA] Now on the other side of the world, back here in sunny old England, a new musical revolution was being born - Britpop! [TOMMY] Now Britpop was a reaction to the dark and alternative grunge rock coming out of the States, bringing back brighter, catchier rock music that drew heavily on influences like the Beatles and the sound of the sixties. [GRAPHICS: Display Britpop imagery] [ANNA] Oasis, a band from Manchester in England, were one of the most influential bands of that movement. [TOMMY] And the song that we're about to hear became a defining song of the decade, and it is still being sung around the world today - "Wonderwall." [AUDIO: Play excerpt from "Wonderwall" by Oasis] [DIRECTION: Anna and Tommy listen appreciatively] [BJÖRK] [ANNA] Now, we speak about the nineties being eclectic, but you cannot get more eclectic than an artist called Björk! [GRAPHICS: Display Björk photograph] [TOMMY] Now Björk is an Icelandic musician who topped the charts around the world with her unique alternative pop music. [ANNA] And her music was not about singing beautifully, but more about making a statement and telling a story. [TOMMY] Now here's a short clip of one of her hits, "It's Oh So Quiet." A great example of her unique sound and a great example of those dynamics that we've been learning all about! [AUDIO: Play excerpt from "It's Oh So Quiet" by Björk] [DIRECTION: Anna and Tommy react to the dynamic changes] [GIRL POWER] [ANNA] Now we're nearly finished with our snapshot tour of the nineteen nineties, but it would not be complete without mentioning a bit of girl power! [TOMMY] Now by the mid-nineties, alongside the likes of Oasis and Britpop, there was another style of pop often referred to as bubblegum pop. [ANNA] This genre was full of boy groups like Take That, Boyzone, until the Spice Girls entered! [GRAPHICS: Display Spice Girls imagery] [TOMMY] Now, the Spice Girls came onto the music scene with a bang in 1996, and their debut single "Wannabe" went straight to number one in 31 countries around the world. [ANNA] Something that had never been achieved by an all-female group. Hence the phrase girl power! [TOMMY] Now their style of music was described as fizzy pop. Like taking a fizzy drink and shaking it up. That's how much energy they brought to their music! [AUDIO: Brief excerpt from "Wannabe" by Spice Girls] [DESTINY'S CHILD] [ANNA] Now the Spice Girls opened the door for girl groups all around the world. [TOMMY] In the late nineties, another huge girl group took the stage. Who's heard of Beyoncé? [DIRECTION: Both raise hands] [ANNA] Yeah. Couple of people? Okay! [TOMMY] Beyoncé started off her career in a group called Destiny's Child. [GRAPHICS: Display Destiny's Child photograph] [ANNA] And they were an R&B group drawing on soul, Motown, and pop influences. And their vocals were on a slightly different level to the Spice Girls, and they specialized in powerful three-part harmonies. [CLOSING - Anna and Tommy back in main studio area] [TOMMY] I could stay here in the nineties, to tell the truth, and talk about all the different genres of music that were around. [ANNA] But the main thing to remember is just how eclectic and varied this decade was in terms of music. [TOMMY] Now technology had changed the way that we listened to and made music, but it also sped up the trend cycles and opened up a world of variety that we still enjoy today. [ANNA] So whether you prefer grunge rock, the dance sound, the fizzy pop of groups like the Spice Girls, the best thing about modern music is that there is just so much variety and choice. You can like whatever you want to like! [TOMMY] So there we go. The nineteen nineties! [ANNA] I'm really starting to miss 2025 now. Let's head back to the present. Here we go one last time! [GRAPHICS: Time machine animation] [TOMMY] Thanks for joining us on Time Traveller! That's the end of our journey through time! [BOTH] Bye, everyone! [MUSIC: Upbeat 90s-influenced outro music] [GRAPHICS: End credits] [CAMERA: Pull back to wide shot, fade to black] [End of Episode 5