STEP UP REVOLUTION
In Step Up Revolution we see Sean, Emily, Eddie and their friends bring their loud. They are characters with ambitions and goals who are willing to put in the work to know they have done their best. At the forefront of their lives is their passion for performance through music and dance. A YouTube competition has seen them form The Mob to create a series of flash routines that they hope will get them the hits to win. When their neighbourhood is threatened by Emily's father's development plans The Mob step up the purpose of their flash mobs and, as much as they are about entertainment, they become an avenue for the dance crew to protest against their neighbourhood being changed.
So, what can loud mean and what is your special kind of loud? Use research, your knowledge of yourself and creativity to develop a mindstorm of loud. Once you have collected and developed your ideas use them to create a 'My Loud' concept poster.
TRIPLE J'S HOTTEST 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 countdown has been about the blocks for a long time, the first countdown taking place in 1993. In recent years it has been at the centre of a storm of debate taking place in Australia. The Triple J Hottest 100 countdown traditionally took place on the 26th of January each year. This has become highly controversial as awareness and acknowledgement of Indigenous history in Australia grows. 2018 is the first year the countdown did not play on January 26th.
The 26th of January has been popularly celebrated as the Australia Day public holiday in all states and territories in Australia since 1994. Its establishment as a day for celebratory holidays goes back much further than that, to 1818 when NSW Governor Lachlan Macquarie gave all government employees a holiday to mark the 30th anniversary of the arrival of Captain Phillip Arthur and the First Fleet in 1788. They 'celebrated the day with a 30-gun salute and a ball.'
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In 1938, on the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet arriving, the activist and hero William Cooper declared January 26 was a 'Day of Mourning'. For Aboriginal people the 26th of January is a 'Day of Mourning', 'Survival Day', 'Invasion Day' and 'Aboriginal Sovereignty Day'. In the broader Australian community this historical perspective is usurping the history of colonialist discovery, righting it to be known as a time of invasion and stealing that reverberates right up to the moment in which you are reading right now.
Triple J took an online survey in 2017 asking listeners whether they agreed with the countdown being held on 26th January. 60% of respondents voted for shifting the countdown. The survey took place following AB Original releasing their song 'January 26' which featured in the 2016 countdown. This Hottest 100 song and the album it is from, Reclaim Australia, are powerful examples of protest art that have and are influencing change. Music and songs are powerful, acting to inform our understanding of life and the world we live in.
How has the power of music influenced you? After considering the 'January 26' example select five songs that have been meaningful to you and share what it is about them that inspire you.



