FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INTRODUCING GRACE’S ROCKIN’ ROLL ADVENTURE FEATURING ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER LITTLE STEVEN VAN ZANDT
A NEW BOOK THAT USES MUSIC TO EMPOWER TEACHERS AND INSPIRE YOUNG STUDENTS IN READING, SCIENCE, AND MATH
Book and accompanying “STEAM” Lesson Plan Launched as Part of Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s K-12 TeachRock Initiative —
New York, NY (October 15, 2020) – Grace’s Rockin’ Roll Adventure, a new children’s book featuring the characters from The Musical Adventures of Grace series accompanied by rock star and actor Steven Van Zandt, connects music and early elementary reading, science, and math.
Developed as a partnership between TeachRock.org, the main initiative of Van Zandt’s Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, and author Ken Korber’s Center for Functional Learning, the book also features an accompanying lesson plan that engages the youngest learners in a fun, music-filled “STEAM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) project. Grace’s Rockin’ Roll Adventure is currently being piloted in TeachRock Partner Schools and select school systems in New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois.
In the book, the 9th in the Musical Adventures of Grace Series, Grace and her classmates win a contest to attend a Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul concert—a realistic plot considering that during his 2018 Teacher Solidarity Tour, Van Zandt gifted tickets to nearly 10,000 students and teachers nationwide. Invigorated by the music, Grace approaches Van Zandt, who bequeaths an instrument, setting the young musician on a rock and roll adventure with her classmates. In the accompanying workbook, real-life students learn about the various shapes in guitar designs, and ultimately combine music, math, art, and geometry to create a two-dimensional instrument of their own.
“We’ve reached hundreds of thousands of students with our free online curriculum,” says Van Zandt of his successful Teachrock.org initiative, “but we know there are kids without devices or good wifi, and that even if they have both, that remote learning is hardest on the youngest students. That’s why we’re doing this book the old-fashioned way, on paper!” This first printing will be followed by a digital version, as well as translations in both Spanish and Arabic.
Launched by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Little Steven Van Zandt and the founders board including Bono, Jackson Brown, Martin Scorsese and Bruce Springsteen, the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation empowers teachers and engages students by using music to create interdisciplinary, and culturally responsive education materials for the 21st century classroom. The Foundation’s TeachRock curriculum integrates arts throughout social studies, language arts, STEAM, music, and more. To date, more than 200 lesson plans have been provided at no cost to educators across the country and 40,000 educators, representing all 50 states, are registered to use the free resources.
“Working to keep the arts in the DNA of the school system has been a major mission in my life,” says Steven Van Zandt. “We’ve been working successfully with middle and high school kids for several years, but having little Grace meet up with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul for a jam and a STEAM lesson in this new book helps us engage the youngest of students, get them hooked on the arts, and inspire them to be excited about learning right away.”
Ken Korber, under his not-for-profit Center for Functional Learning (CFL), first developed his Grace character and accompanying musically themed storybooks as tools to help parents, caregivers, clinicians, and educators improve kids’ lives and learning with a new creative resource. Under his leadership, the CFL became the first company to combine reading skills, music vocabulary, and health promotion for emerging readers and their communities.
“We are proud and honored to unveil this new book and lesson plan together with Steven and his Rock and Roll Forever Foundation,” notes Korber. “Grace and her friends believe in the power of rock and roll, and that is exactly what they experience in this new book. Our team has worked diligently to bring to educators a book that is fun, easy to read, educational and incorporates the essential messages that are important to both the Center as well as the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation. We believe educators will be excited to incorporate this new book into their TeachRock curriculum.”
Educators seem to agree, as the early feedback on Grace’s Rockin’ Roll Adventure has been especially favorable.
“TeachRock has been an important partner in crafting materials that can have a meaningful impact on kids and learning,” notes Shawna Longo arts integration specialist with the Hopatcong, NJ school district who was instrumental in developing the lesson plan that accompanies the book. “Incorporating arts and music into our curriculum has proven to be an effective means of not only providing educators with meaningful tools but it also supports our objective of empowering kids while making learning engaging and fun.”
Stephanie Arnell, a veteran music educator with the Freeport, NY school district agrees with Shawna, noting that “the initial response has been incredibly positive as educators and our students are enjoying the book and the lesson plan featured in Grace’s Rockin’ Roll Adventure. “We are grateful to the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation and its TeachRock program in providing materials that can truly have a positive impact with students.”
“Research shows that students who receive music instruction do better in math and science and students who like at least one class or teacher are less likely to drop out,” Van Zandt concludes. “Music continues to prove to be the most consistent and dependable common ground between teachers and students.”
Information on the Center’s work can be found at https://centerforfunctionallearning.com or through their email info@centerforfunctionallearning.com . Those interested in the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation and its TeachRock program can learn more at www.teachrock.org or email info@rockandrollforever.org .
ABOUT STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Steven Van Zandt is a Musician, Performer, Songwriter, Arranger, Music Producer, Music Supervisor, TV Producer, Actor, Director, Broadway Producer, TV and Film Composer, Live Event Producer, International DJ, Activist, Historian, Teacher, member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost authorities on both Contemporary and Traditional Rock and Roll.
After helping create the “Jersey Shore” sound with the Asbury Jukes he became a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and went on to become a successful solo artist in his own right recording and performing solo with his band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. In 2017 he released his first new album in over 15 years returning to his Rhythm and Blues roots entitled “Soulfire” which Rolling Stone named one of its “Best Albums of 2017.” In 2018 he released the “Soulfire LIVE CD / Vinyl box sets, and 2 disc Blu-Ray recorded live during the “Soulfire Tour.”
In 2019 Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul released “Summer of Sorcery,” his first album of all original material in 20 years.
His songs have been performed by artists such as Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Margo Price, Gary U.S. Bonds, Darlene Love, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Setzer, Black Uhuru, and more.
Steven Co-Produced the seminal Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band albums “The River”, and “Born in the U.S.A.” He has also produced albums for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ronnie Spector, Demolition 23, Majek Fashek, and more. He Arranged and Produced “Introducing Darlene Love”, the critically acclaimed album for the legendary Darlene Love, star of the Oscar winning documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom”.
In 1985, Van Zandt formed Artists United Against Apartheid and wrote “Sun City,” a song featuring over 50 major recording artists protesting the Apartheid system and considered by many political experts to be one of the fatal blows to Apartheid, leading to Nelson Mandela being freed only a few years later. He has twice been honored by the United Nations for his political activism, including the “Sun City” project and film, and his involvement in “International Peace Day” along with Peter Gabriel. He also established the Solidarity Foundation to promote the sovereignty of indigenous peoples and to foster economic development in harmony with the earth.
Steven Co-Starred in all seven seasons of the Sopranos, playing the principal character “Silvio Dante,” a character that he created. He Starred in, Co-Wrote, Executive Produced, provided the music supervision and scoring, and Directed (the final episode) for the award winning series “Lilyhammer”, which was the FIRST original programming for Netflix.
In 2001 he launched “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”, his internationally syndicated radio show and the most successful syndicated Rock music radio show in the past 40 years. Steven also created and continues to produce the first two channels of original content on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the Underground Garage (Channel 21) and Outlaw Country (Channel 60). In 2006 he launched his record label, Wicked Cool Records, to further support new Rock and Roll.
In 2018 Little Steven and the Disciples of Tour went back on the road with their “Soulfire Teacher Solidarity Tour.” The landmark live tour benefited The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s TeachRock program and reached the incredible goal of registering over 18,000 teachers (and counting) to use the TeachRock Music History Curriculum.
Established by Dr. Van Zandt (he gave the commencement speech to the Class of 2017 and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Rutgers University), the Foundation creates education materials that use the history of popular music to create engaging, multicultural lesson plans for history, social studies, language arts, music, and science classrooms, all of which are available to educators at NO COST.
It marked the first-ever Rock tour specifically geared towards addressing this crucial societal need. At each stop of the tour, The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation hosted FREE TeachRock Professional Development Workshops, with educators and a guest who attend also receiving a complimentary ticket to that evening’s concert. “Music will forever be humanity’s most effective and consistent source of inspiration and motivation, and, we have learned, music turns out to be our most solid common ground for establishing communication between teachers and students which is where education begins.” – Stevie Van Zandt
Thanks, Steven, for all you do for teachers. I saw your fantastic show in Seattle on October of 2017. I am a retired teacher of 42 years, my wife, Jolyn, retired as a H.S. public teacher of 40 years. My three daughters all teach in public education as do two of my three son-in-laws. My father taught (and coached) for over 35 years in public schools and my brother, Jay, and his wife retired from public education after 35 years each. (Jay as a principal for his last 20.) Their two daughters, Jodi and Amy, are two more public educators. My brother, Tim, retired as a public school custodian after 38 years of service. I look forward to reading the children’s book by Ken, featuring the great mythological character–but true to life–Little Steven Van Zandt. Mark Stricherz