Pat McGuire’s third period US History class learns about presidents, wars, and music. They have recently gotten in touch with The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation to create a short film about Denver’s music history.
The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, created by Steve Van Zandt, hopes to integrate more music and art programs into schools. The foundation provides resources for teachers interested in connecting music into their curriculum. McGuire uses this material in his classroom and now works to evaluate, test and improve the product.
The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation recently partnered with Dave Grohl, the founder of Foo Fighters and creator of the HBO series “Sonic Highways,” to create educational materials for middle and high school students. According to the HBO website, “In is new series, the Foo Fighters commemorate their 20th anniversary by documenting the eight-city recording odyssey that produced their latest, and eighth, studio album.”
This sparked the project “Sonic Highways in the Classroom.” McGuire is actively involved in this project. “It provides the opportunity for my students to think and discover locally while connecting to the overall journey of US History,” McGuire said.
The class hopes to finish up the video by July so that McGuire can present it to educators in a summer session for The Rock and Roll Foundation in New York City.
On Feb. 18, junior Hannah Patrick interviewed the band Firefall. “My dad’s friend is the lead singer of the band,” Patrick said. “It was fun because we got to hangout with them all night.” She plans to interview the keyboardist from Fleetwood Mac next.
McGuire hopes to make his students educational experience meaningful. “My role as a teacher is to give students confidence, instill a love of learning, a belief that they are worthy of my attention, that their voices are the voices of our nation, and they can count on me to be there to listen,” McGuire said.
Patrick’s experience with the project is completely positive. “I’ve grown up loving and listening to music,” Patrick said, “it’s my passion and something I have a deep connection to,” she said.
McGuire agrees, “Music is apart of my DNA,” He said. “It is who I am, who I was, and who I will be.”
The class’s hopes for this project are high. They are asking anyone who has ideas or connections to Denver’s music history to please contact McGuire.
