Arlington Heights author teams with rocker for new book
“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 Arlington Heights author Ken Korber's Center for Functional Learning, the book also features an accompanying lesson plan that engages the youngest learners in a 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 ninth 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 Teachrock.org initiative, “but we know there are kids without devices or good Wi-Fi, 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 & Roll Hall of Famer Van Zandt and the founder's 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 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.”
Korber, under his Arlington Heights-based, nonprofit Center for Functional Learning, first developed his Grace character and accompanying music-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,” Korber said.
“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,” said Shawna Longo, arts integration specialist with the Hopatcong, New Jersey, school district, who was instrumental in developing the lesson plan that accompanies the book.
“Incorporating arts and music into our curriculum has proved 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.”
Information on the center's work can be found at https://centerforfunctionallearning.com or by emailing 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.