Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces Distance Learning Programming for 2007-2008
Dear On the Road supporters,
The Education Department of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is proud to announce the 2007-2008 classes in our award winning distance learning program, On the Road. On the Road uses videoconferencing technology to offer a unique educational experience to students in grades 4-12. The classes are developed and conducted by the Education Department staff and include exclusive interview clips with key figures in the history of popular music, behind-the-scenes commentary with Museum curators, audio and video clips of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and more. The demand for this program continues to grow, so be sure to reserve your spot today!
WEBSITE: Please visit our website at www.rockhall.com/distancelearning. From the website you can view the course descriptions, link to national and state standards, view testimonials and awards, and even book a program. A .PDF of the On the Road brochure can be downloaded from our website at <
http://www.rockhall.com/downloads/on-the-road-brochure.pdf>.
SCHEDULING: Classes can be booked by going directly to our online registration site at
http://www.rockhall.com/distancelearning/book-program/. In regards to scheduling, we make every attempt to accommodate the needs of our participants. We can connect via IP, ISDN, or ATM. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame prefers to connect point-to-point, but now also offers multipoint connectivity.
COSTS: Each class costs $100.00 and includes:
- Online access to pre- and post- connection packets with lesson outlines, supporting materials, and classroom activities.
- A pre connection test call. - An hour-long interactive videoconferencing class.
Multipoint connections will be charged $100.00 per site connecting in the conference
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact John Goehrke, Education Coordinator, at (216) 515-1202 or jgoehrke@rockhall.org.
2007-2008 ON THE ROAD PROGRAMMING:
K-12 Interdisciplinary Programming:
Ball of Confusion: Rock Music and Social Change in the 60s and 70s Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 The history of rock and roll overlaps with some of the most turbulent times in U.S. history. In the 1960s and 1970s in particular, American society faced challenges stemming from the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Women’s Liberation movement. During this time many people felt that the world was a “Ball of Confusion,” as described in lyrics of the popular Temptations’ song. This class features songs from the 1960s and 1970s and helps students identify ways that popular musicians have used messages of revolution, protest, and empowerment to question society and effect change. Supplemental media includes recordings and videos of Hall of Fame Inductees.
Hip-Hop Technology: From Turntables to Computers Suggested Grade Level: 4-12 Have you ever wondered how hip-hop producers develop their big beats? Have you ever wanted to know about the way music digital samplers or synthesizers are used in a song? This class shows students how music technology is an important part of hip-hop music and culture. It includes a live demonstration in which students help to create a new musical composition using the latest computer music software. Students also relate the musical techniques innovated in hip-hop production to larger social issues. Don’t miss this chance to learn about the creation of hip-hop music and culture and gain insight into the world of music technology and production.
Rock and Roll Reactions: Records, Radio and the Birth of Teenage Culture in 1950s America Suggested Grade Level: 4-12 In the mid-1950s the rise of rock and roll prompted a range of reactions in American society. Teenagers fell in love with the music, listening to it on transistor radios and buying it in record stores. Among their parents, however, many believed that this music was simply noise that had a negative influence on impressionable teens. No matter your position, it soon became clear that rock and roll was here to stay, bringing with it important changes. In this class students will study the shifts that took place in this remarkable era as they watch and listen to vintage performances by Hall of Fame Inductees such as Big Joe Turner, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Ambassador to the Orchestra: The Arranger in Rock and Roll Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 It often seems that the worlds of popular music and classical music are miles apart, drawing on different histories, different musical practices, and different instrumentation. But the classical orchestra has played an important part in rock and roll culture. Classically trained musicians such as Arif Mardin, George Martin, Van Dyke Parks, and Willie Mitchell became some of the most successful producers and arrangers in popular music, helping to bring the sounds of the orchestra into rock and roll. In this class, students will listen to and examine the music of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, and U2, as well as viewing exclusive interview clips with arrangers. The class concludes with an activity in which students help to arrange a piece of music using computer music software, after which they get to hear the results of their work.
Inductee Spotlight: Frank Zappa Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 Frank Zappa was one of rock and roll’s sharpest musical minds and an astute social critic. He bridged musical styles - rock, jazz, classical, and avant-garde - with masterful ease. This class examines his music by focusing on the moments when these various musical styles merged, sometimes comfortably, sometimes with contention. Students will explore Zappa’s music to see how he was able to bring his musical ideas into everything from rock and roll to full orchestral scores. We will listen to examples from his rock music (Freak Out!), symphonic pieces (Orchestral Favorites), digitized extravaganzas for the Synclavier keyboard (Francesco Zappa), and satirical musicals (Joe’s Garage). Special interviews with members of the Cleveland based group Red: An Orchestra help students to understand Zappa’s connections to the Western Classical tradition and composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse.
Special Note: Ambassador to the Orchestra and Inductee Spotlight: Frank Zappa can be taken as a two-class unit. This allows your students to explore the connections between the world of popular music and the orchestra in even more depth.
Great Moments in Rock and Roll: Popular Music Through the Decades Suggested Grade Level: 4-12 Take a journey through the second half of the twentieth century by exploring some of the great moments in rock and roll history. Learn how Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees have used music to bring about important changes in the world around them. Students will actively participate in discussions about shifting cultural values, conceptions of equality, and political activism. The class is focused on key historical moments such as: Elvis Presley’s early national television appearances in 1956, the 1963 March on Washington, the 1969 Woodstock music and arts festival, the Ramones concert in London on July 4, 1976, the birth of MTV in 1981, and the fusion of rock and hip-hop in the 1986 video for “Walk This Way.”
Professional Development: NEW On the Road: Opening ActFor teachers and administrators (Cost: Free)This free thirty-minute session provides an overview of On the Road programming. Participants will discover how class content supports related educational standards while experiencing interactive videoconferencing first hand. The program concludes with information on how to book a program and an opportunity to ask questions. Scheduling for this program is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and availability may vary.
NEW On the Road: Backstage PassFor teachers and administrators (Cost: $100.00)In response to requests from educators around the country, this hour-long professional development session shows teachers how to integrate popular music into classrooms across the disciplines while meeting educational standards. As participants explore the music and lives of selected Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, they learn activities that help students appropriately explore the sounds, messages, and social impacts of rock and roll. Each session concludes with an open discussion period.
New Programming Coming in 2008… Ball of Confusion II: the 80s and 90s (January 2008) Planet Rock: A Global Perspective of Pop Music (March 2008) Inductee Spotlight: The Doors (May 2008) NOTE: If you are interested in participating in a FREE pilot program for any of the above programs, please let us know! Spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please feel free to share this announcement with your colleagues. Rock on!
John Goehrke Education Coordinator Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum One Key Plaza Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: 216-515-1202 Fax: 216-515-1931 jgoehrke@rockhall.org
Rock & Roll: (noun) African American slang dating back to the early 20th Century. In the early 1950s, the term came to be used to describe a new form of music, steeped in the blues, rhythm & blues, country and gospel. Today, it refers to a wide variety of popular music -- frequently music with an edge and attitude, music with a good beat and -- often -- loud guitars.
