Rock Revolution inevestigates the relationship of rock music and society. The site presents articles about the various events, musicians, and protests that have involved rock music--for example, the anti-Vietnam campaigns, the student protests in Tiananmen Square, Woodstock. Through text, audio links, hands-on composition simulations, and interviews with various rock musicians, disk jockeys, webmasters, educators, those who just love rock, we hope to present one view of rock and (its) role in our world.

These resources are linked to song sites and other onsite resources to give site visitors a better understanding of the different kinds of music there are and the way in which music and culture and history are related. Maybe after an article on Elvis there would be a song to download, or after an article on reggae music they could download a reggae beat.

There is also a section on site visitors can listen to different styles of rock music. Kalle, our midi expert, has taken a midi file of a Mozart piece and added drums, bass, and guitar to give it a rock flavor. He also did the same with a reggae. and we hope to follow up with folk and other styles later.

The virtual jam session allows visitors to "try it out." They can select original drum, guitar, and bass tracks, composed and recorded by the team and their friends and jam, virtually, by mixing the various tracks.

The thing that made this site useful is that it breaks the barrier many students face. It's often hard to see beyond the mainstream media and into where the music originated from and the culture which surrounds it. This site actually brings the student into the fold of the music culture, empowering the student become a historian, an analyst, and a composer rather than just a passive user of music.

Although the words educational and fun are often contradictory, this site enables those concepts to work hand in hand. The composition simulation is a good example. Students will want to know more about where the rhythm and the tune originated from, perhaps even compose some music themselves... and right there, they have that chance. The student is able to contribute to the site and his or her own knowledge through voting, discussion boards, all the while "keeping score" as a secondary reward to creation.

This site really does create that chain reaction educators are looking for. One part of the site leads into another and another. (Check out our search engine and you will see the cross referencing of resources.) Each captivating its audience, inspiring students to learn more and more. It's hard to imagine, but click around... you'll be amazed at the depth of the site and how much you'll learn and read without even trying. That's our challenge to you, give it a shot... this time, learning is actually fun!

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