David Byrne at Central Park Summer Stage
David Byrne performing at Central Park Summer Stage in New York, July 4th, 1990. Photo courtesy of Dan Dion.
Chuck Berry Playlist
Chuck Berry was a pioneering guitarist, stage performer, and songwriter often considered the “father of rock & roll.” Berry’s unique combination of country and blues music captivated audiences of all races during the period of legal U.S. racial segregation. His...
Carly Simon Playlist
During the dawn of the singer-songwriter movement of the early 1970’s, the candid, melodic, masterful Carly Simon emerged as a pioneer of introspective songwriting and emotional relatability. She received critical acclaim for her emotional, straightforward relatable subject material layered within...
Carole King Playlist
Carole King’s solo career hit its pinnacle with her 1971 solo album Tapestry when she transitioned from a songwriter to a songwriter and performer. Her skills as a pianist, arranger, vocalist in both the lead singer role and layered harmonic...
Building Blocks of Music
Music has four important building blocks: rhythm, pitch, color (or timbre), and volume. Musicians have many ways to arrange these pieces, just as there are many ways to build a tower out of toy blocks. Click Download for a PDF...
Billy Preston Playlist
Have you ever heard an unexpected part in a song that caught your attention and wondered who might be playing it? Sometimes it is easy to tell if a member of the band plays, but occasionally, it’s a musician brought...
A Tribe Called Quest Playlist
One of the most eclectic and perceptive rap groups of the 1990’s, A Tribe Called Quest nurtured a new alternative hip-hop style with a caste-free cross-pollination of hip-hop, jazz, and alternative rock. Since day one, Tribe set themselves apart from...
Ancient Myths Meet Rock & Roll Playlist
Throughout history, authors, artists, and musicians have drawn on Greek and Roman mythology for inspiration. And rock & roll is no exception! Use this playlist to introduce students to Greek and Roman myths and explore how these stories are retold...
Cyndi Lauper Playlist
Cyndi Lauper struck the pop music scene in 1983 with her eclectic clothing, hairstyles, and a stunning four-octave vocal range. She encouraged her listeners to be their most authentic selves, and to stand up for themselves in the face of...
Music and the Civil Rights Movement
Many styles of music helped to support the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. For example, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963—where Martin Luther King, Jr., famously delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech—featured...
Dionne Warwick Playlist
Dionne Warwick’s sophisticated voice and clear, soulful tone recorded some of the most beloved songs from the 1950s through the 1980s. As both a solo artist and duet team player, Warwick’s voice embodies a controlled and versatile sound, creating nuances...
Devo Playlist
On May 4th, 1970, the United States experienced a cultural loss of innocence with the Kent State shootings – a distressing example of political and social unrest during the Vietnam War. Devastated, several art students who witnessed the tragedy, asked...
Chaka Khan Playlist
Chaka Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens, nicknamed “little Aretha” as a child, christened as Chaka at age 13 by a Yoruba Baba, and eventually became known as the Queen of Funk. She is revered across genres, with soul artist...
Charley Patton Playlist
Patton crafted such full textures in his music that his recordings can sound as though three guitarists are performing together – but it was all Patton. The virtuosity of his guitar technique helped convey on record the energy of his...
Halloween Playlist
Halloween is the spookiest time of year! On October 31, kids and adults dress up in costume, go trick-or-treating, and set out their jack-o’-lanterns. The holiday honors the human fascination with the unknown. Some people like to be scared for...
Iron Maiden Playlist
Iron Maiden is powered by a dual (or even triple) guitar attack, galloping bass guitar, and sometimes-guttural, sometimes-soaring vocals. Founded in East London in 1975 by bass player Steve Harris, “Maiden,” as they are called by their fans, would become...
Janis Joplin Playlist
Janis Joplin is a blues-influenced rocker with one of the most powerful voices of the 1960s. Her voice is equal parts tough and vulnerable, and her star rose fast, burned bright, and burned out too soon. Joplin joined the band...
Joy Division/New Order Playlist
Joy Division and New Order: a band that shares a single story. Not satisfied with the conservative nature of punk music, Joy Division pushed their own boundaries into new styles of music and lyricism. Combining the synth rock sounds of...
JAY-Z Playlist
Armed with a knack for storytelling, a boombox on his shoulder, and a love for rap music, a teenage Shawn Carter hit the streets of 1980s Brooklyn, determined to succeed. Shawn Carter soon became JAY-Z, and succeed he did: breaking...
Elizabeth Cotten Playlist
Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten’s guitar style was warm and intimate. Cotten began composing music as a child, bringing together strains of oral traditions: church singing, ragtime, popular songs, and music played by traveling and local musicians. She quickly mastered the guitar...
For Your Ears Only – James Bond Playlist
You know the name; you know the number. For the past 6 decades, British super-spy James Bond has stood the test of time and remained relevant within the cultural conversation. Many Rock ‘n’ Roll inductees and nominees have received that...
Get Back Sessions Playlist
The Beatles were at a crossroads as a band in 1969. What was once a collective group of four musicians had grown apart as four proficient solo songwriters/performers. To capture the magic of the early days of their career, The...
Foo Fighters Playlist
In what started as a passion project for Dave Grohl, The Foo Fighters consistently prove that there is still a place for guitar and drum-driven rock & roll in mainstream music for the past 25 years. The early albums consisted...
Eminem Playlist
Eminem: Unbridled controversy. Unparalleled talent. Unmatched superstardom. A rags-to-riches story, Eminem (b. Marshall Mathers) rapped his way out of a childhood marked by abuse and instability through MC battles in Detroit’s Hip-Hop Shop, where he harnessed his aggression and wit...
Elvis Presley Playlist
Elvis Presley was a trendsetter. He was the first rock artist to establish a new definition for superstar success. His regional radio work from Sun Studios in Memphis, TN quickly caught the attention of RCA Victor, a larger record company...
Early Hip-Hop Playlist
Hip-hop music and culture started as an artistic response to the social and economic crisis in the 1970s Bronx. In the wake of extreme violence and poverty, block parties encouraged embattled communities and neighborhoods to come together peacefully. Disc Jockeys...
The Rolling Stones Playlist
Use this playlist to introduce students to the Rolling Stones, one of the most iconic bands in rock & roll history. During their nearly 60-year career, the Stones have married their love of blues and American R&B with a vast...
Rock & Roll’s Blues Roots
Blues music arose from African American communities in the South and has origins in older styles such as work songs, field hollers, and spirituals. This music was informed by the African-American experience, which often relied on oral tradition to pass...
Protesting the Vietnam War Through Music
Musicians have written over 6000 songs about the Vietnam War, using their music to speak out against injustices, voice support for the troops, and inspire communities to come together in peaceful demonstrations. References to the war in popular music rose...
Musical Storytelling
Many songs tell stories. Like words in poems or novels, lyrics—the words in a song—depict settings, characters, and plots. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” takes place in a jungle near a village where a lion snoozes. “Under the Boardwalk” details a...
LL COOL J Playlist
James Todd Smith is best known by his stage name, LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James). LL Cool J achieved mainstream hip-hop success through a hard-hitting, edgy style that marked the beginning of a new hip-hop era...
Mary J. Blige Playlist
Mary J. Blige, The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, flipped the R&B world on its head with her groundbreaking 1992 debut album What’s the 411? Since then, her anthems of resilience and empowerment have inspired a legion of loyal fans while...
Missy Elliott Playlist
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott helped craft the Virginia Beach sound marked by catchy, off kilter grooves that still sound like the future. That style took over the charts in the late 1990s and 2000s and is still heard today. Use this...
MTV in the 1980s Video Playlist
MTV (Music Television) was launched as a cable TV channel on August 1, 1981. The channel was meant to be like a radio station, but with visuals. This playlist highlights MTV’s early history in the 1980s, including artists such as...
The White Stripes Playlist
The White Stripes reimagined minimalist garage and punk rock for a new generation and brought blues into the 21st century. Guitarist Jack White (born John Gillis) and drummer Meg White formed the White Stripes in Detroit, MI in 1997, and...
Soundgarden Playlist
Soundgarden emerged as a powerful voice for the socially alienated in the late twentieth century. They offered their brilliant musicality, willingness to experiment with sound, and skillful balance of contrasting song elements as a form of relief. Use this playlist...
Rock Against Censorship
This playlist ranges from the 1950s to the early 2000s and presents music that was censored or that responds to censorship. In 1985, music censorship became a hot topic of debate as new genres like hip hop, heavy metal, and...
Motown: The Soundtrack of American Life Essay
In this essay, Ryan R. Goble describes the history of Motown Records, a record company that came to be known throughout the 1960s as “The Sound of Young America” and “Hitsville, U.S.A.” Goble recounts how Berry Gordy Jr. founded the...
Kosmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin Essay
This article, written by Holly George-Warren for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2009 Annual Music Masters tribute to Janis Joplin, explores the highlights of Joplin’s career. This two-page informational text has a difficult level of text complexity and...
A Hip Hop Story: Early Hip Hop Essay
In this personal experience essay, music journalist Kevin Powell describes the early hip-hop scene in the late 1970s and the influence this genre had on him growing up. This one-page essay has a standard level of text complexity. Download to...
Les Paul and His Experiments in Sound Essay
This article, written by Dr. Steve Waksman for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2008 Annual Music Masters tribute to Les Paul, explores Paul’s many innovations in music technology. In particular, Waksman details how Paul came to invent the...
Jane Scott Essay
This one-page essay describes the life and career of Jane Scott, one of the country’s first daily newspaper rock-music reporters. Scott worked at the Plain Dealer for over 40 years, documenting thousands of people, places, and events that otherwise could...
Bruce Springsteen Persuasive Essay
Bruce Springsteen’s impact on his audience is key to understanding his importance in rock and roll, but that impact goes beyond just popularity. This persuasive essay spotlight’s the impact & influence of Bruce Springsteen. It uses lyrical analysis to illustrate...
Mavis Staples: A Strong Voice of Gospel and Soul Essay
Use this essay to introduce your students to the iconic gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples. This informational text is written at an intermediate level and helps students learn about Mavis’s life and music. Follow-up comprehension questions are also included.
John Lennon: 1940-1980 (Essay)
This essay, written by Parke Puterbaugh of Rolling Stone, describes John Lennon’s personal relationship with music and his career after the Beatles. This two-page informational text has a difficult level of text complexity and is suitable for advanced readers. Download...
1920’s African American Female Blues Singers Playlist
While the blues as a musical style predates the 20th century, blues music was first recorded in 1920 by blues singer Mamie Smith. The earliest stars of the blues were African American women whose music was marketed to African American...
The Go-Go’s Playlist
As one of the most successful all-female rock bands, The Go-Go’s bridged the gap between the dark, eyeliner-clad D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) punk scene and the sunny sounds of California new-wave in the 1980s. The Go-Go’s were determined to succeed in the...
The Change that Came: The Life of Sam Cooke Essay
This article, written by Peter Guralnick for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2005 Annual Music Masters tribute to Sam Cooke, explores the highlights of Cooke’s career. Guralnick, the author of a full-length biography on Cooke entitled Dream Boogie:...
Smokey Robinson Essay
This essay, written by Dr. Lauren Onkey for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2015 Annual Music Masters tribute to Smokey Robinson, explores the highlights of Robinson’s career and discusses his significance as a songwriter. This two-page informational text...
The Rolling Stones: Fifty Years as the Rock and Roll Archetype
This essay was written by Bill Janovitz for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2013 Annual Music Masters tribute to the Rolling Stones on the occasion of the band’s fiftieth anniversary. This informational text has a moderately difficult level...
Alan Freed Essay
Disc jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with coining the term “rock and roll” to describe the uptempo R&B records he played on the radio as early as 1951. Freed was also one of the people who put together the...
Stax Records Essay
This essay, written by music journalist Rob Bowman, tells the story of Stax Records, a record label in Memphis, Tennessee specializing in soul music throughout the 1960s and 1970s. This document also provides spotlight paragraphs on significant Stax artists, including...
Why Madonna is Inducted Essay
Very few musicians have influenced popular culture the way that Madonna has. These essay discusses Madonna’s excellence (and fearlessness) in performance, her depth of musical awareness, her power to reinvent and reimagine herself as an artist, and her influence on...
Janet Jackson Essay
In this essay about Janet Jackson, written for the 2019 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony, rock critic Amy Linden describes Jackson’s career and importance to popular music. This eight-page document contains a difficult level of text complexity and is suitable for...
Volume Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to demonstrate their understanding of volume by writing about quiet and loud instruments. The prompt reads: “Volume describes how musical sounds range from loud to quiet. Can you think of a loud instrument? How...
Animals and Pitches Writing Prompt
This writing prompt asks students to demonstrate an understanding of high and low pitches by writing about animals and their sounds. The prompt reads: “Animals make different kinds of pitches. Can you think of an animal that makes a high...
New Band Member in a Band Paradox Writing Prompt
The Ship of Theseus is an ancient story that questions if a ship remains the same ship as it becomes slowly replaced piece by piece. We see this paradox play out in many real-world examples: objects, buildings, organizations, and even...
Michael Stanley Sold Out Shows Writing Prompt
In August of 1982, the Michael Stanley Band set the attendance record for the outdoor amphitheater Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. By playing 4 sold out shows on August 24-25 and Aug. 30-31, they rocked out with nearly...
Musical Haiku Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt encourages students to write a haiku based on an instrument, its sound, and its role or function within music. The prompt reads: “A haiku is a three-line Japanese poem with five syllables in the first and...
Artifact Donation Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to write about an imagined experience of donating one of their own belongings to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The prompt reads: “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is...
Colors and Adjectives Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to choose adjectives to describe the musical colors they want their song to have. The prompt reads: “Pretend you are a rock star writing a new song. What colors do you want your song...
Color Of Your Favorite Song Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to describe their favorite song in terms of color. The prompt reads: “Listen to your favorite song. What color is this song? Does it have more than one color?”
Extraterrestrial Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt encourages students to craft a narrative of an imagined experience. The prompt reads: “Imagine an extraterrestrial came to Earth and borrowed all of the world’s music for one day. What would the world be like without...
Instrument Inventor Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to describe a new musical instrument that they have created. The prompt reads: “Imagine you are an inventor and you create a completely new musical instrument. Describe your instrument and what it sounds like....
Chaka Khan Women Empowerment Writing Prompt
Chaka Khan is a talented singer and performer. Her influences include Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell. In turn, she influenced performers like Missy Elliott and Whitney Houston. Chaka Khan’s role models are essential to her decades-long success and being an...
“Born in the U.S.A.” Writing Prompt
The title song from Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. has been used a number of times by politicians running for office. Soon after the song came out, Ronald Reagan said in a campaign speech: “America’s future rests in a...
David Bowie “Space Oddity” Writing Prompt
“Space Oddity” is a 1969 song by David Bowie. The song follows Major Tom and his reflections as he floats in space. Use this writing prompt to start a discussion around “Space Oddity” and Major Tom.
David Bowie Characters Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt asks students to create their own character and write a story about themselves as their chosen persona. Text of prompt reads: “David Bowie adopted many different rock personas throughout his career. Each persona, or character, had...
Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” Writing Prompt
This writing prompt is designed to encourage students to write narratives developing an imagined experience, using the characters in Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” as a basis. The text of the prompt includes lyrics from “Like a Rolling Stone”...
Voyager Mission Writing Prompt
Prompt asks students to choose songs that represent themselves and their communities to send on a future Voyager mission into deep space. Text reads: “In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft as part of the Voyager mission to study and then...
Time Machine Writing Prompt
This writing prompt is designed to encourage students to write narratives developing an imagined experience. The prompt reads: “Imagine you have invented a time machine. If you could travel to any moment in music history, where would you go? Who...
Johnny Cash Writing Prompt
This writing prompt, ideal for journal writing, asks students to consider the lyrics to Johnny Cash’s “Man in Black” and think about how they can represent their own beliefs and values through their fashion choices. The prompt reads: “To millions...
Mystery Music Box Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt encourages students to craft a narrative of an imagined experience. The prompt reads: “There is a large, mysterious box on the teacher’s desk. When the teacher leaves the room, the box starts to make musical sounds....
Yellow Submarine Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt encourages students to express details of an imagined experience based on the Beatles’ song “Yellow Submarine.” The prompt reads: “In the song ‘Yellow Submarine,’ the Beatles go on an adventure under the sea. Imagine you have...
Turn a Book into a Song Writing Prompt
This writing prompt is designed to get students thinking about how songs and books can both create narratives. The prompt reads: “Songs often tell stories. If you could choose any book to turn into a song, which book would you...
Animal Song Writing Prompt
A writing prompt that encourages students to consider well-chosen details for a song about an animal. The text of the prompt reads: “The song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ is set in a jungle where a lion is sleeping. Imagine that...
Drawing Prompt on JAY-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”
JAY-Z is a world-renowned businessman, producer, and hip-hop artist from New York City. Use this drawing prompt to have learners draw some of JAY-Z’s lyrics about New York City and even draw their own versions of their hometown.
Meaningful Song Writing Prompt
This writing prompt, ideal for journal writing, asks students to reflect on a song that is meaningful to them. The prompt reads: “Think about a song that is special to you. Do you associate this song with a special person,...
Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind” Writing Prompt
This writing prompt asks students to consider two contrasting interpretations of Bob Dylan’s poetic song “Blowin’ in the Wind” and to form their own interpretation of the song. The text of the prompt reads: “You can hear in this a...
“Johnny B. Goode” Drawing Prompt
The 1958 song “Johnny B. Goode” by 1986 Inductee Chuck Berry is a rock and roll classic! The song exemplifies a musician’s success both in the song’s lyrics and in the real world with Chuck Berry as both the songwriter...
School Concert Writing Prompt
This creative writing prompt encourages students to craft a narrative of an imagined experience. The prompt reads: “Imagine that your principal chose you to plan a special concert for your school. You book your favorite band but they don’t show...
