I saw him dancin’ there by the record machine/ I knew he must have been about seventeen/ The beat was goin’ strong, playin’ my favorite song/ And I could tell it wouldn’t be long/ till he was with me, yeah me singin’/ I love Rock n Roll, so put another dime in the in the juke box baby/ I love Rock n’ Roll so come on take your time and dance with me
– Joan Jett “I Love Rock n’ Roll” (1981)

Admit it, you all know the words. And when it comes on the radio, no matter what time of day you can’t help turning it up full blast and singing at the top of your lungs.
It affects you, and makes you feel nostalgic.  The reaction to the music and the experience we have when hearing it affects us powerfully.
Beginning next quarter, Dr. Ken Hoppmann will teach a new course on the Beatrice campus called The History of Rock Music.
“The beauty of rock music,” Hoppmann says, “is that there is something for everyone.”
The course will be taught as a five week course beginning on Wednesday, August 15, and meet Monday through Friday from 1 until 2:20 p.m. on the Beatrice campus.
This is the first time that this course will be offered, and another section is planned for the Lincoln campus for the fall quarter.
Hoppmann believes, “Music allows us to take a step back from our every experiences and affects each and every one of us on a deeply personal level.”
In addition to the personal aspects of music, rock music has an enormous impact on society and vice versa.  Songs like John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Green Day’s “American Idiot” reflect not only the musicians’ opinions of society but society’s reactions to large scale events, Hoppmann observed.
The context of rock music as a vehicle for social change has been around since the roots of rock music in the 1920s.
“There is a great deal of social significance that rock music provides a commentary on, and that will be one of the primary focal points of the course,” according to Hoppmann.
He said that the great thing about teaching a course on rock music is, “There is something for everyone.”
The course will begin by examining the “prehistory” of rock and roll in the 1920s and the explosion of rock music in the 1950s, due in large part to the popularity of Elvis Presley.
“Elvis Presley had a huge influence on the birth of rock and roll specifically when looking at how he was able to blur racial lines and make rock music accessible to everyone.”
“Socially, this was something that had never been done before,” Hoppmann said.  “Elvis was able to take something that had traditionally belonged to another race and adapt it to fit everyone.”
The reaction to what Elvis was doing was almost as important as what he was doing.
“What causes us to react to rock music the way that we do?” Hoppmann asks. “And how do others respond to it as well? Those are some of the key issues we will be looking at in this course.”
In addition to the social impact rock and roll had on culture, Hoppmann said that a portion of the course will be designated to looking at the science of music and the qualities of individual sound.
“Another focal point will be designed to look at the science of sound,” he said.  “What are the physical properties of music? How do the physical vibrations of the music we are hearing affect us?”
To enroll in The History of Rock Music, search under Music on WebAdvisor.