Van Zandt’s Rock n Roll in School
January 1st, 2008 by vincebates
I read some old news (50 days ago) in USA today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-11-van-zandt_N.htm) about Steven van Zandt’s rock curriculum that he is promoting (in partnership with MENC) for schools. Here’s a blog link to his description of the curriculum: http://blog.thehill.com/2007/11/14/bringing-rock-n-roll-to-the-classroom/
I have to admit that I have mixed feelings. I like the idea of children exploring their cultural roots which, of course, includes rock and many other musics beyond the traditional focus on elite European traditions. Should we focus on rock? I also wonder whether this (with its focus on ready-made lessons plans) will foster ‘learning about’ rather than learning in and through music. How much singing and playing is involved? Finally, I wonder why this is attached to MENC’s “save the music” agenda. Does rock need to be saved?
At any rate, I’m curious, and I’ll include some notes here in the future as I explore it further.
Hello Vince,
Thanks so much for this blog, and your views on music education. I couldn’t agree with you more on the topic of children exploring their cultural roots through music. It’s one of the reasons our site has sections dedicated to kids.
Thanks again,
Jason - X8Drums.com