The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation is a 501(c)(3) created by Steven Van Zandt. Rock and Roll: An American Story (RRAS) is the Foundation’s national middle and high school curriculum initiative. Groundbreaking, geared toward national and state standards, interdisciplinary in scope, featuring legendary performers, the curriculum will be made available at no cost to every interested middle and high school in the fall of 2013:
- Lesson plans geared toward social studies, general music, language arts, media studies, and more
- Multi-media support materials featuring legends of popular music
- An arts-driven project geared toward an environment in which schools face cuts to arts funding
- Designed to keep students engaged and in school
Continuing a series of original interviews, which so far have included such luminaries as Bonnie Raitt, Bono, and Graham Nash, the Foundation spoke with James Hetfield of Metallica and renowned Blues musician Buddy Guy. Both offered insights on their careers, the influence of Rock and Roll in their lives, and many other topics. Highlights of Hetfield’s interview included his reflections on the his …
On October 1st, 85 carefully selected field testers were given access to the RRAS website and began teaching the first classes based on the RRAS curriculum. These teachers come from classrooms around the country and abroad, and teach across the disciplines: social studies, English language arts, general music, American history, and even a few math teachers. We have teachers testing the curriculum in …
Steven Van Zandt and Robbie Robertson sat down in Steven’s office/studio for a two-hour conversation that touched on much of Robbie’s remarkable career. From his experiences as a sixteen year old on the road with Ronnie Hawkins to his role as Bob Dylan’s guitar player during the latter’s “going electric” phase to his seminal work with The Band, his soundtracks for several Martin …
As a member of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary E Street Band, musician Steven Van Zandt regularly plays sold-out shows for massive audiences. But despite his personal success, Van Zandt fears that rock and roll is becoming “an endangered species.” “It was really starting to become hard to find,” Van Zandt told ABC News. Worried for the future — and the past — of rock, …
"There’s a crisis in American schools today. Drop-out rates are higher than ever. Student engagement is at an all-time low. In this moment, the devastating paradox I see is that music and arts programs are being cut. The very things that changed my life –that gave me a reason to believe– are the first to be removed from the schools when times get tough. There are too many young people who would stay in school if they could just find a reason to stay. Students today are looking for a point of connection. I want to give them one."
-Steven Van Zandt