Asset – Page 6 – Rock Hall EDU

James Brown Playlist

James Brown was a dynamite performer, keen businessman, and fierce advocate. Brown is an essential catalyst in the transformation from soul to funk. He began as a rhythm & blues singer in The Famous Flames, where he first started refining...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

Fela Kuti Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

George Michael Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

2020 Inductees Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

Rock & Roll’s Country Roots

10/10/2023

Rage Against the Machine Playlist

10/10/2023

Music and Activism in the Twenty-First Century

10/10/2023

New York Dolls Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

Train Symbolism in Music Playlist

10/10/2023

Todd Rundgren Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

The Supremes Playlist

10/10/2023

Sheryl Crow Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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.

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

The Environment and Rock & Roll Playlist

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

Tina Turner Playlist

10/10/2023

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:...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

Bill Withers Essay

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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?”

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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....

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

“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...

10/10/2023

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.

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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”...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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....

10/10/2023

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...

10/10/2023

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