Rockin’ the Schools - Class Descriptions and Materials
Rockin’ the Schools 2008-2009 Class Descriptions
Core Programs: Offered Tuesday - Friday at 10:00 am and 11:30 am
“Shake, Rattle and Roll:” The Building Blocks of Music
Suggested Grade Level: K-4
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
This class is designed to teach elementary school students about the four basic elements of music - rhythm, pitch, volume, and color - in order to learn how musicians have used these elements to create some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever. Students participate by singing, clapping, dancing, rocking and rolling along with recordings of upbeat and fun songs such as Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” and the Isley Brothers’ “Shout” - while they learn! Video performances of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are used to teach students about the history of rock and roll music and help them apply analytical skills as they watch and listen.
Related Standards: Fine Arts-Music, Science, English-Language Arts
Rock and Roll Band! Meet the Instruments
Suggested Grade Level: K-4
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
In this exciting, interactive class, elementary school students examine the instrumentation of a rock band, discovering the low notes of the bass guitar, the pounding rhythms of the drums and percussion, the melodies and harmonies of guitars, keyboards, and more. Students have fun learning about the characteristics of the instruments and their sounds - and even perform along with the band! By investigating how musicians arrange the various instruments of a band, students discover how the different parts of classic rock and roll songs are created. This class includes historic video performances by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, as well as live performances and demonstrations by the Rock Hall education ensemble. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum kids really do get a chance to ROCK!
Related Standards: English-Language Arts, Science, Fine Arts-Music, Technology
The Roots of Rock and Roll: An American Journey
Suggested Grade Level: K-4 / 5-8
Download for K-4 (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
Download for 5-8 (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
In the 1950s a new and electrifying musical style called rock and roll swept the airwaves and grabbed the hearts of teenagers across the United States. This revolutionary music actually grew from strong roots in older styles such as blues, gospel, country, and rhythm and blues. Students examine classic video performances and recordings to see how musicians brought these earlier musical styles together, and in the process, connected diverse aspects of American culture. Students explore the various geographical regions of the United States, focusing on several key cities where the roots of rock and roll flourished. The Roots of Rock and Roll is offered at two different grades levels. K-4 students will enjoy singing along with the Rock Hall education ensemble and using U.S. maps. Students in grades 5-8 will dig deeper into the cultural meanings behind this music and analyze musical characteristics of each style.
Related Standards: Social Studies, Fine Arts-Music
“Tell Me Something Good:” Music and the Language Arts
Suggested Grade Level: 1-4
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
Many songs tell stories, describing characters and their adventures in particular places at particular times. This class looks at some of the great stories of rock and roll and examines how lyrics establish a setting, develop a plot, and are reinforced by the musical aspects of the song. Through exciting recorded performances by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, students learn how narrative is developed in popular song. They act out the adventures of deep sea diving with the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine;” they retell the story of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” by drawing the song’s sequence of events; and they dance along with the characters of Sam Cooke’s “Everybody Loves to Cha-Cha-Cha.”
Related Standards: English-Language Arts, Fine Arts-Music
Rock and Roll and the Science of Sound
Suggested Grade Level: 5-8
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
We typically think of music as an art form, but every note we hear can be understood in relation to the laws of science. This class examines the basic acoustic principles in the sounds of rock and roll by investigating how all sounds are created by vibrations, how sound travels to our ears through moving air molecules, and how sounds can be represented in a graph by using an oscilloscope or a computer. Students will learn how the musical notes of instruments are determined by frequency and amplitude and how the shape of a waveform determines an instrument’s timbre. Musical examples showcase Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees and illustrate how instruments from electric guitars to synthesizers actually work. The class concludes with a live demonstration of digital audio software in which audience volunteers get to record and manipulate their own voices.
Related Standards: Science, Fine Arts-Music, Mathematics, Technology
“The Message:” Hip-Hop Culture
Suggested Grade Level: 5-8 / 9-12
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
In the early 1970s the Bronx borough of New York City was home to the beginning of hip-hop culture. By the 1980s, rap recordings took the voices of inner-city life into the mainstream, spreading it around the United States. Since then, parts of hip-hop culture - including the MC, the DJ, the graffiti writer and the break dancer - have become some of the most important forms of expression for young people on the planet. In this class, students will learn about this history, along with the musical tracks and vocal raps of “old school” artists such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa, and Queen Latifah - musicians who sent a “message” to American audiences about what life was like in inner-city communities. Explore the history of the sound that changed American popular music forever.
Related Standards: English-Language Arts, Social Studies, Fine Arts-Music
From Four Tracks to Break Beats: Music and Technology
Suggested Grade Level: 5-8
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
Since the 1950s, rock and roll has been shaped by the craft and artistry of songwriters and performers who use innovative music technology to significantly impact the sound of music. In this class, we will see how Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees have used technology to record, manipulate and create the ever-changing sounds of popular music. Students take part in in-depth discussions of the earliest tape recorders used by Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Records and the break beat textures of Grandmaster Flash’s DJ scratching. This class includes several live demonstrations in which students analyze the impact of music technology on a given sound. Don’t miss this chance to gain insight into the world of music production in a variety of styles - from rock to hip-hop.
Related Standards: Science, Fine Arts-Music, Technology
“Fight the Power:” Music as a Social Force
Suggested Grade Level: 7-12
Download (PDF):
Pre-Visit Guide
Related Ohio Academic Standards
In the Museum Guide
In many times and places, people have used music as a powerful tool for social change. The story of rock and roll overlaps with some of the most turbulent times in U.S. history. In the 1960s alone, American society was being torn apart by debates over the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Women’s Liberation movement. Since that time and well into the present, musicians have entered such debates by spreading messages of revolution, protest, and empowerment through musical styles as diverse as folk, rock, and hip-hop. This class features songs from the 1960s to the present that have challenged audiences to consider the alternatives and make changes in our society. Students explore recordings and videos of legendary artists to examine expressions of social commentary contained in lyrics, performance styles, and historical images.
Related Standards: English-Language Arts, Social Studies, Fine Arts-Music
Specialty Programs: Offered during specified months only Tuesday - Friday at 10:00am and 11:30am
November and December
American Music Masters 2008: Les Paul
Suggested Grade Level (SGL): 5-8 / 9-12
Each year the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Music Masters series celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant influence on the birth and ongoing evolution of rock and roll. The artists selected as American Music Masters are icons in the history of rock and roll whose remarkable lives and artistry have influenced popular music in the United States and beyond. Join us for a class that honors the 2008 American Music Master, Les Paul, a name that will forever be connected to the electric guitar. As a player, inventor, and recording artist, Les Paul defined the look, the sound, and the recording technique that has become a staple among outstanding rock guitarists, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman and Slash.
Related Standards: Fine Arts-Music, Technology, Social Studies
January and February
Black History Month Program
Suggested Grade Level: 5-8 / 9-12
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates Black History Month with a special program honoring the contributions of African-Americans to music and society in the United States. The program illustrates the powerful impacts of African-American Inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, whose musical innovations and entrepreneurship forged new styles, instruments, messages, and more. Students enjoy examining landmark performances that speak across the generations in vintage video clips and classic recordings, while connecting ways that the Inductees’ lives and art portray important historical moments. The specific class topic will be announced on our website.
Related Standards: Fine Arts-Music, Social Studies
March and April
“It’s My Party:” Women and the Art of Songwriting
Suggested Grade Level: 5-8 / 9-12
Although the music industry has typically been male dominated, many women have become successful record label owners, songwriters, performers, and producers. In celebration of Women’s History Month, students will examine how women songwriters have shaped rock and roll history with their memorable lyrics, singable melodies and powerful arrangements. Learn about songs by award-winning songwriters such as Ellie Greenwich, Carole King, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, and Alicia Keys.
Related Standards: Fine Arts-Music, Language Arts, Social Studies
"The Byrds Are Coming" Poster
Photo by Design Photography
