Week 7: "History of Music paper"

For my History of music paper I began by writing about Christina Aguilera. I really liked her music and thought she had a diverse sense of genres that stretched through history. It wasn’t until after I began writing that I realized the paper was more about the changes in genres she made, than of any type of history. So then I decided to write about Kelly Clarkson and the influence American Idol had on her career. I also changed that plan when I realized it too had faults in it. After speaking to Chris about it I decided that my main focus should be on “American Idol” and how over the years it has gained fame.

 I was very interested in how it influenced many other shows just like it. After careful thought I realized that the reason it has so much fame is because of how the contest works and the way they appeal to their audience. They allow contestants to audition live and many tell the story about their past. Viewers get to connect to the contestants even before the competition begins. Through the research I did I discovered that at one point voting was restricted to phones only and because the viewers complained that it made it difficult for families to participate, the network expanded it to the internet. Now audiences are able to vote online, which allows for easier access. Audience members can go to a public library in vote. I grew up watching the first couple of seasons of “American Idol” and it still continues to go strong.