Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Distance Learning - Schedule & Class Descriptions

On the Road

2008-2009 schedule and class descriptions

Cost: $100.00 per class
Each class includes:

Schedule:
Classes are available on demand.

Class Descriptions:
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, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, and Metallica, 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. 
Suggested pairing – Inductee Spotlight: Frank Zappa

Ball of Confusion: Rock Music and Social Change in the 1960s and 1970s
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 artists including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson Airplane, 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.
Suggested pairing – Ball of Confusion II:  Rock Music and Social Change in the 1980s and Beyond

Ball of Confusion II:  Rock Music and Social Change in the 1980s and Beyond
Suggested Grade Level:  7-12
The history of rock and roll reflects diverse American experiences, protesting political problems and encouraging new visions for progress in our nation and around the world.  This class studies social change in the United States in the 1980s and beyond, building upon the legacy of the 1960s counterculture, as exemplified in the 1986 song “Ball of Confusion” performed by Love and Rockets, a remake of a 1970 hit by the Temptations.  Songs and music videos by artists such as Sting, USA for Africa, Arrested Development, and Black Eyed Peas will allow students to explore how musicians have questioned society and effected change with rock, pop, rap, and reggae music.  Discussion topics, including the Cold War, fighting famine in Eastern African, and facing rising homelessness, allow students to understand how complicated problems often impact society. 
Suggested pairing – Ball of Confusion:  Rock Music and Social Change in the 1960s and 1970s

Great Moments in Rock and Roll: Popular Music Through Decades
Suggested Grade Level:  2-6 / 7-12
Take a journey through the second half of the twentieth century by exploring some of the great moments in rock and roll history.  Students will actively participate in discussions about shifting cultural values, conceptions of equality, and political activism.  Students in grades 2-6 will enjoy historical moments such as Elvis Presley’s first national television appearance in 1956, the Beatles first American performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and the birth of MTV in 1981.  Students in grades 7-12 enjoy Jimi Hendrix at the 1969 Woodstock music and arts festival, the Ramones concert in London on July 4, 1976, and the fusion of rock and hip-hop in the 1986 video “Walk This Way.” This class is offered in English or Spanish.

Grandes momentos en rock:  Música popular a través de las décadas
En este curso, viajamos por la segunda mitad del siglo veinte, explorando grandes momentos en la historia de rock y roll.  Alumnos participarán en conversaciones sobre cambios en valores culturales, ideas de igualdad, y activismo político.  Estudiantes en primaria estudiarán momentos históricos como Elvis Presley en vivo en 1956, el primer concierto de los Beatles en el programa de Ed Sullivan en 1964, y los orígenes de MTV en 1981.  Alumnos en secundaria verán Jimi Hendrix tocando en vivo en Woodstock, el festival de música y arte de 1969, el concierto de los Ramones en Londres el 4 de julio, 1976, y la fusión de rock y hip-hop en el video de 1986 llamado “Walk This Way.” Se ofrece este curso en inglés o castellano.

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 hear how he was able to translate 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.
Suggested pairing – Ambassador to the Orchestra: The Arranger in Rock and Roll

Hip-Hop Technology: From Turntables to Computers
Suggested Grade Level:  4-12
Since its inception in the early 1970s, hip-hop culture has become one of the most important forms of expression for young people on the planet.  This class allows students to experience the ways that technology is incorporated into hip-hop music and culture.  Students will explore the early innovations of hip-hop deejays and the development of classic turntable techniques like “playing the break,” as heard in “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang.  The class includes a live demonstration in which students help to create a new musical composition using the latest computer music software.  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.

Planet Rock: Global Pop and Cultural Exchange
Suggested Grade Level:  7-12
Rock and Roll began in the United States as a complex mix of different cultures and traditions with roots from Africa and Western Europe.  In this class, students will explore the multicultural roots of rock and roll and learn how it has moved around the world.  From America to India to South Africa and back again, popular music changes at each stop along the way.  Students will use critical thinking and listening skills to identify ways artists blend local music with outside influences, crossing cultural and political barriers.  Students will also examine musical and political interconnections through videos and listening examples from artists around the globe, including Ritchie Valens, Ravi Shankar, Paul Simon and Miriam Makeba. 

Rock and Roll Reactions: Records, Radio and the Birth of Teenage Culture in 1950s America
In the mid-1950s the rise of rock and roll prompted a range of reactions in American society.  Teenagers fell in love with this new sound, listening to it on transistor radios and buying it in record stores.  Many parents believed that this music was simply noise that had a negative influence on impressionable teens.  No matter your position, it became clear that rock and roll was here to stay, bringing with it important changes.  Young white and black audiences started to mix as they sought out the latest rock and roll bands, while teenagers often rejected the values associated with their parents’ generation.  In this class students will study the changes that took place in this remarkable era as they watch and listen to vintage performances by Hall of Fame Inductees such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Little Richard.

On the Road


Lloyd Price Singles (On The Specialty Label)

"Forgive Me Clawdy," "Baby Please Come Home," "Rock 'n' Roll Dance"

Photo by Design Photography
Collection of Lloyd Price