NATIONAL PARTNER: TEACH ROCK
“TeachRock.org is an open educational resource of hundreds of unit and lesson plans, Student Editions, and musician bios. TeachRock’s “Rock and Soul of America” high school history course is taught throughout California, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere.”
Teach Rock brings learning alive through music, providing educators, parents, and community organizations with hundreds of free unit and lesson plans ranging from Kindergarten through high school. Teach Rocks curriculum has been recognized by The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Education Week. Founder Stevie Van Zandt empowers educators to make real world connections between music, the classroom, and student experiences.
“More than 60,000 educators representing over 30,000 schools in all 50 U.S. states, England, Spain, Norway and elsewhere are registered with Teachrock.org.”
Within the last year, TeachRock has piloted their new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program, Harmony.
The Harmony Program leverages the universal appeal of popular music to deliver transformative Daily Harmony Lessons, focusing on five essential competencies: self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, and social awareness.
What makes TeachRock unique is its creation of a shared experience for all students in the school. Each day, the entire school community listens to the same music, engages in meaningful conversations, and participates in personal reflections within an arts-based learning environment.
TeachRock’s Daily Harmony Lessons promote essential skills while fostering a sense of community and shared accomplishment among students and staff. Learning with TeachRock becomes a point of pride schoolwide, where everyone recognizes themselves as part of something larger and incredibly impactful.
Learn more about TeachRocks Harmony Program through their website, which provides student feedback on the pilot, sample Harmony Lesson Plans, and Teaching Notes.
HOW THE BLACKWING FOUNDATION IS HELPING
The Blackwing Foundation supports Teach Rock through the Ignite the Arts Grant to assist with their curriculum rollout and development during the Covid-19 pandemic. The content is accessible both in the classroom and virtually.
Most recently, the foundation has been working closely with the Harmony Program team, donating Blackwing Slate Notebooks to be used by students engaged in the Harmony Program. Additionally, the foundation sponsored the Harmony Program teacher training for local school, John McCandless STEM Charter School of Stockton, CA- the first school along the West Coast to commit to the Student Wellness Program. Shortly after starting the program, Steven Van Zandt himself came to Stockton, CA to view the program in action. He spent time in classrooms, talking with students and teachers- hearing about the impact of Harmony. View the news coverage on Steven’s visit here. We will continue to champion Harmony and are dedicated to recruiting additional schools to commit to the program.