1960s:

- The main genres of this era were pop and rock, which slowly evolved over the 1960s. Music
increasingly reflected Australia culturally and geographically, it mirrored and discussed our
social interactions and was used by the indigenous as a means of expressing themselves.
Composers explored music genres from neighbouring countries and found a way to link it to
that of European music. 1960s music was mostly about romance and love, it was the time of
the British Invasion, where many bands from the UK were made world famous, some of
which still are today. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are two in particular. Most songs
were composed using only instruments and voices, it was only towards the late 1960s where
electronic music and synthesisers became popular. Music started out quite simple with a
fairly straight forward beat and almost always discussed themes of love, rivalry and any
issues society was faced with during that era. It was used mostly as a form of expression.
1970s:
- The 70s was the high point for Disco and Funk Music and the transitioning years between
the late 1960s and early 1970s is often referred to as the Flower Power era (most songs in
this era discussed freedom and equality, personal views and opinions). With composers
exploring new genres and instruments, they found synthesisers and electronic instruments
to be a lot more practical. Although real instruments were still used in music through the
1970s, composers found it easier to replace some of them with electronic sound effects.
Voices were also altered with the use of harmonisers. This created a whole new genre of
music and soon after became a trend which is still followed by some composers today. This
development also shows the technological advances which occurred over the decade, and
how technology was becoming more prevalent in society.
1980s:
- The 1980s was and still is known for its Pop, dance and RnB/Hip-Hop music. This was an era
of music which used a wide range of instruments, from basic ones to decks and synthesisers.
Techno music started getting popular around this time and was played quite a lot in clubs.
People found music in this time great to dance to and it encouraged many of them to, go out
and have fun. The main reasons for music composition in this era was to give people music
they will enjoy listening to and have fun dancing to. African Americans became increasingly
popular during this time through their composition of rap, RnB and Hip Hop music, in some
songs, they even sang or rapped about issues their society and race faced as this was a way
they could express themselves and entertain others at the same time.
1990s:
- The 90s will always be remembered for its teen pop, dance pop and rap music. By this
decade, composers had explored most instruments and genres from around the world and
were able to incorporate a bit of everything into their music. Most songs spoke about youth,
having fun and living life, while some rap songs took a more depressing approach and
discussed real life youth and adult issues. Both genres were able to resonate with relative
crowds, particularly youth, as majority of these songs reflected their mentality.