In the 1950s, there was no such thing as “teenagers,” as we think of them now.. There were either adults or kids. Around 6th-8th grade, kids dropped out of school to go help in the factories and work on farms. After World War II, people started to be able to afford more, so kids can get an education higher than the 6th grade. As teenagerhood became a life stage, different types of music started to become popular.

In the 1950s-1960s, three top singers were Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley sang rock, country, and gospel, Ray Charles sang soul music, and Aretha Franklin sang soul and gospel. Many people were influenced by them.

One type of music that became more popular was country music. Country music started in the early twentieth century. Modern-day Country music started in the years after World War II. Some of the early rock and roll musicians, like Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, began their career as country performers.
Music genres continue to be added as popular music expands. Hip hop is a type of music that started in the 1970s. It began in Jamaican-American, African-American, and Latino-American urban areas in some of the larger cities of the United States. One of its strengths was that it allowed young, creative Black and Latino youth to create art that reflected the reality of their lives, of the neighborhoods around them, and of the wider social circumstances in which they found themselves.
As time went on music started to develop and become way more popular. Music started to become a part of everybody’s everyday lives. Today we hear a lot more rap, hip hop, and country come on the radio rather than jazz and soul music.
According to the official Billboard charts, the top songs in 2020 currently are “Blinding Lights” by Weekend, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I, “Roses” by Saint Jhn, and “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa.
A survey was given to Cape Central students about their musical preferences. The students liked the artists Lil Peep and NBA Youngboy. Ninety-two percent out of 200 students who took this survey said they liked listening to music.

Listening to music can help us in many different ways. It can help in healing, in breaking down barriers and borders, and it can also educate. Listening to music can also help cleaning be more fun, help homework go by smoother, or just completely change our mood throughout the day. About 19.3% of the students liked listening to music while they did their homework. But about 11% of the students like to clean while playing music and about 29% of the students seem to listen to music all throughout the day.