At the MENC National Biennial Conference in Milwaukee MENC asked members:
Is there a place in Music Education for Rock and Roll?
- “Absolutely. Rock & Roll has a dependable harmony and it usually has a traditional form —verse and chorus. It’s folk music—music that expresses the relationships of the people. It has a great beat and is easy to dance to.”
Joy A. E. Morgen,
Kaiserlautern, Germany
- “Absolutely! If your goal is to respectfully and authentically introduce music of all genres to your students – it’s a part of our heritage and should be taught.”
Alison Manion,
Cambridge, MA
- “Yes. The kids now, it’s all they want. Give them something with a nice drumbeat to rock to—and they’ll do it!”
Sondra Patillo,
Farmington Hills, MI
- “Absolutely. My specialty is strings. Mark Woods (on the ASTA Nat’l Board) is doing a great service for our kids. It gives the students another choice—and isn’t that what teachers are supposed to do? I love that visionary teachers are starting rock string ensembles.”
Marilyn Seelman,
Atlanta, GA
—Becky Spray , May 29, 2008, © MENC:The National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org)
