With Stevie Van Zandt's TeachRock curriculum, Lincoln Unified students learn through music

Inside Tina Craig's seventh-grade classroom at John McCandless STEM Charter School in Stockton, students watched the music videos for Miley Cyrus' hit song "Party in the U.S.A." and Nina Simone's classic track "Feeling Good."

Craig explained to her students that both pieces described feelings of change or starting something new. She then asked students to write in their journals about which song they related to more and why, and include a lyric that resonated with them.

"It's really interesting and I really like hearing other people's perspectives on life, and how they feel on a day-to-day basis," student Zander Hamilton said.

The recent lesson was part of the TeachRock curriculum — a standards-aligned, arts integration curriculum that uses the history of popular music and culture to help teachers engage with students.

'We don't teach rock and roll'

TeachRock was founded in 2002 by musician and actor Stevie Van Zandt, who is well-known for playing the guitar in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Van Zandt said he was inspired to launch the education initiative after he spoke to representatives from the National Association for Music Education, and was told that the No Child Left Behind Act took funding away from arts education.

TeachRock offers arts-integrated K-12 lessons, full courses, and custom programs to districts, individual schools, and teachers. It also offers virtual and in-person training for teachers and school administrators.

"At TeachRock, we don't teach rock and roll. We use rock and roll and popular music to teach," said Randa Schmalfeld, TeachRock's director of school partnerships. "We offer hundreds and hundreds of lessons and resources to teachers that uses music of all areas and genres as a springboard into academic content, and in the case of this school, as a springboard into social-emotional learning and student wellness."

Since January, the charter school has been piloting TeachRock's Student Harmony Wellness Program.

As part of the program, students participate in five daily harmony lessons that focus on: self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, and social awareness. These lessons are part of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) key competencies.

Daily harmony lessons are structured to ensure that all students in the classroom have a shared experience each day. Students listen to the same music, participate in conversation circles and partner talks, and have opportunities for personal reflection.

John McCandless STEM Charter School is the first school in California to host the program, but TeachRock has also been used in 30,000 schools across the country, according to Schmalfeld.

Holding up the value of arts and music

While the Student Harmony Wellness Program may be new to Lincoln Unified School District, arts education is not.

Superintendent Kelly Dextraze said Lincoln Unified has historically been a district that has "held on to and held up" arts and music programs for students, despite cuts seen across the state.

California state law requires all students receive sequential, standards-based visual and performing arts education, but only 11% of schools are meeting that requirement, according to SRI Education’s latest study, “Creativity Challenge: The State of Arts Education in California."

"We've had leaders in the past and trustees in the past who have found ways to maintain arts and music instruction, even when it was necessary to make cuts in other places," Dextraze said. "We definitely believe that it's a value to our students, and we definitely believe it supports their academic pursuits."

Lincoln Unified Board President Sandra Chan said she is in strong support of arts education.

"It brings so much to our students," Chan said. "It keeps them exploring who they are becoming as young people and the things that are out there, the careers that are out there for them to pursue ... but it also encourages them to come back to school and want to learn more, and find their place in the world."

Dextraze said TeachRock is beneficial because it incorporates social-emotional learning, a methodology that helps students better comprehend their emotions and demonstrate empathy for others. She also emphasized the importance of finding new ways to actively engage students in their learning during class time.

"Music is a universal way to do that, and so we're thrilled to have the opportunity to pilot this program with our students," the superintendent said. "It's been very well-received. It would be wonderful to consider expanding it in other places."

As of now, John McCandless STEM Charter School is the only school within the district implementing the Student Harmony Wellness Program.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: With TeachRock curriculum, Lincoln Unified students learn through music