(New York, NY—June 17,
2016) Veteran High Tech Language Arts instructor Robert Dillon and Social
Studies teacher Ronald Kliesh escorted sophomores to the famous Hard Rock Café
to complete their final project on rock and roll’s connection to critical
moments in history and American culture, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella,
Principal of High Tech.
Sophomores researched songs,
wrote papers, prepared speeches, and created art relative to the political
impact that these rock and roll songs had on America in the fifties and all the
way through the end of the 20th century. For their projects, they chose songs that
focused on such topics as gun violence, police brutality, race, religion, and
gender discrimination.
“This project is
rooted in a teaching philosophy that holds that students learn best when they
connect with curricula that holds their interest,” says Dillon. “Obviously, popular music is one such point
of connection.”
By touring the Hard Rock Cafe, the sophomores had access
to hundreds of artifacts from famous rock and roll musicians. On the current site of the Hard Rock Cafe, the
historic Paramount Theater once hosted acts such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis
Presley, and Buddy Holly. Using a Rock
and Roll Guide, students learned how rock music has impacted their culture.
“We saw handwritten
lyrics by Dylan, Hendrix, and Johnny Cash,” sophomore Daylen Ala, a resident of
North Bergen, says. “We even saw Bo
Diddley’s homemade guitar and many items from the groups associated with the British
Invasion, like the Beatles.”
Dillon, who has been accepted into the Rock and Roll Forever Summer Teacher Workshop this summer,
reminds us that this field trip to the Hard Rock Cafe accentuates the
significant impact of bringing music into the classroom.
“Music is a gateway to
substantive and meaningful exploration of a wide range of topics,” he adds,
“especially in Language Arts and History, not to mention the Humanities, too.”
