RockandRollHallofFameforTeachers

=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum: Teacher Programs= (http://www.rockhall.com/teacher/)

AUTHORITY
Although the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization, the site is listed in a commercial (.com) domain. Though it is increasingly difficult to draw a distinct line between for profit and not for profit organizations, it does seem as though a museum - no matter how "hip" and engaged in documenting a commercialized enterprise - should be listed as a ".org" instead. There is not mention of the author on the site, but the Rock Hall's education department staff (and their credentials) can be found at [|http://www.rockhall.com/student/bios/].

**INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT**
This website contains a variety of resources for the music educator. First on the list of available resources is a monthly professional development opportunity (2nd Wednesday evening) called [|Teachers Rock], providing ideas on how teachers and administrators can integrate popular music in their classrooms.

Most notable is a list of [|lesson plans] created by teachers at the Rock Hall’s [|Summer Teacher Institute] (STI). This annual, one-week summer event draws practicing music educators to the Rock Hall for an intensive session with performing artists, Rock Hall education staff, and colleagues who regularly teach using popular styles. (Schedules of past institutes can be viewed on the STI page; the 2006 workshop was apparently themed to address Hip-Hop.) The lessons listed teach topics including music history, instrumental music, music in relation with other arts/culture, and music theory. Each lesson plan includes a title, rationale, objectives, audience, time-frame, materials, procedures, evaluation, and any selected recordings or additional resources.

This teacher portion of the website also includes an extensive list of [|print resources] for educators. Indeed, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a leading authority on music made famous through radio and television since the 1950's.

National Music Standards that could be addressed through this website include:
 * 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
 * 7. Evaluating music and music performances.
 * 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
 * 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

There is no specific date indicating when this site was last updated, though it is copyrighted for 2007.

PURPOSE, VIEWPOINT
The intent of this portion of the Rock Hall's website is to share ideas among educators for engaging and relevant music education. Through the announcement of professional development opportunities and sharing of specific ideas (__i.e.__, lesson plans) about incorporating popular music in education, its only bias seems to be toward making this music a more established part of school curricula - a bias which is fairly and authoritatively expressed. The Rock Hall gives credit to corporate organizations that have made the production of the overall site possible, in particular Continental Airlines. This is a clear sign of the value and visibility of the Rock Hall to its community.

REPUTATION
The music education staff at the Rock Hall have impreInstitutions such as Indiana University and Ithaca College link to this website. It is also recommended by websites such as menc.org, songsforteaching.com, and teachingliterature.org. The widespread renown demonstrated by these links from leading music schools and sites as well as the aforementioned corporate support the Rock Hall receives are evidence of their expert reputation and status in this field.

OVERALL EVALUATION
There are (currently) 51 lesson plans available on this website. Each was created by a practicing music educator. Rather than focusing on the performing standards (NMS 1 and 2), these lesson plans focus on music listening, analysis, evaluation, and appreciation. These lesson plans link music to world and American history and demonstrate how they have influenced each other and continue to do so. Judging by its name, one might be tempted to believe that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's focus would be rather narrow, yet there is a substantial breadth of music addressed here combined with an abnormally fresh and accepting view of new styles of popular music. Historical events and people such as the Protestant Reformation, the Salem Witch trials, Mark Twain, slavery, Apartheid, and Stravinsky are also investigated. The site is engaging, well-organized, and easy to navigate. It is an excellent resource for educators who strive to take music education beyond its often musty and outdated confines.

Rating: ++++

Reviewed by: Margaret Kiehl, 4/9/2006 Revised by: Daniel Heim, 4/4/2007