TeachRock

What TeachRock does

TeachRock is a nonprofit educational organization founded by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt and operated as the flagship program of The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, Inc., a New York–domiciled 501(c)(3). The organization delivers free, standards-aligned multimedia K-12 curriculum that uses music as the primary lens for teaching core academic subjects including Social Studies, ELA, STEAM, Civics, and Social Emotional Learning. Its platform at teachrock.org hosts video content, lesson plans, student handouts, and interactive tools, augmented by exclusive archival footage licensed from Reelin' In the Years, ABC News Video Source, and Rock's Backpages. The organization reports a network of more than 85,000 educators and over 1 million students reached across at least 11 U.S. states and one UK partner district.

The product portfolio centers on three flagship curricula: the semester-long "An American History of Rock and Soul" high school elective, "A People's Playlist: U.S. History with Music as a Primary Source," and the "Harmony" middle school Social Emotional Learning program. These are supplemented by an extensive Lesson Plan Library, Unit Plans, and Special Collections co-developed with media partners (CNN Soundtracks, PBS Soundbreaking, RUMBLE, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Sun City). Recent additions include the Library of Congress–funded 10th–11th grade American History course, the Les Paul Foundation–funded Les Paul Collection, and the Experience Hendrix / NYU MusEdLab Jimi Hendrix Curriculum. Distribution occurs through self-serve digital access, state digital libraries (Connecticut's GoOpenCT), formal partner school and district agreements (Milwaukee Public Schools, Red Bank Middle School, Beckmead Trust UK), and embedded placements on PBS, CNN, and the Library of Congress.

TeachRock generates no commercial revenue from curriculum delivery; all resources are free to teachers, schools, and students. The organization is funded through donations, institutional grants (Library of Congress 2024, Les Paul Foundation 2024), and annual fundraising events. It maintains a small core team (1–10 employees) headquartered in New York and relies heavily on founder Stevie Van Zandt's celebrity network and a Founders Board (Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese) plus a 14+ member Artist Council to drive visibility, partnerships, and fundraising.

Name

TeachRock

Legal name

The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://teachrock.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TeachRock is a nonprofit organization that provides free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum using music as the primary lens for teaching core subjects. Operated by the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation and founded by Stevie Van Zandt, it serves 85,000+ educators and over 1 million students across multiple U.S. states and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Educational Curriculum

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (EDAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

Keywords

• K-12 curriculum resources
• Music education materials
• Standards-aligned lessons
• Social emotional learning
• Arts-integrated instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization, TeachRock is funded through donations and grants. The parent organization is the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation. Development costs for programs such as the Connecticut course are covered by the Rock and Soul Forever Foundation, eliminating cost to taxpayers and schools.
2. Free Educational Resources: All TeachRock curriculum is provided free of charge to teachers and schools. The site is intended solely for non-commercial educational purposes and cannot be used for commercial tie-ins or sold for profit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TeachRock provides free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum and educational content that uses music as a primary lens to teach core academic subjects including Social Studies, ELA, STEAM, Civics, and Social Emotional Learning. The organization delivers multimedia lesson plans, complete semester-long courses, and professional development resources to educators and schools through its website and partner networks. TeachRock operates as the educational program of the nonprofit Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.

Product overview

TeachRock is a free, standards-aligned educational platform founded by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt and the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, offering curriculum resources that bring core academic subjects to life through the lens of music. The platform centers on three primary curriculum products: An American History of Rock and Soul Course (a semester-long high school elective), A People's Playlist (a U.S. History course with five chronologically-structured books), and the Harmony Student Wellness Program (a middle school SEL program using creative arts). These core offerings are supplemented by an extensive Lesson Plan Library covering all subjects and grade levels, Unit Plans for thematic exploration, and Special Collections including CNN Soundtracks, RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World, PBS Soundbreaking, The Beatles, and Environmental Jukebox. The platform provides professional development through Webinars and the annual TeachRock Teachers Summit, operates a Partner School Program for districts, and hosts student programs including the Hometown Documentaries Film Festival. All resources leverage multimedia content including archival video, music footage from partners like Reelin' In the Years and ABC News Video Source, and printable lesson materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• An American History of Rock and Soul Course A complete semester-long high school elective course that explores US history from the 1950s onward through music as a primary source. Covers social movements, pop culture, and historical events from Blues to Hip Hop, available as a History Elective or Music Course for high school students.
• A People's Playlist: U.S. History with Music as a Primary Source A U.S. History course utilizing American music to examine historical events from the Reconstruction Era to 2001. Features five books of core lessons structured chronologically through rock and roll history for middle and high school students.
• Harmony Student Wellness Program A middle school social-emotional learning (SEL) program that empowers students to thrive emotionally and academically through creative arts, music-based discussions, reflections, and arts-based activities including poetry writing.
• Lesson Plan Collections Extensive library of standards-aligned lesson plans across multiple subjects (Social Studies, ELA, STEAM, Art/Design, Civics, General Music) and grade levels (Elementary K-6, Middle, High School, AP/Honors), using music as the primary teaching tool.
• Unit Plans Multi-lesson thematic units including Math and the Music Industry, LADAMA: Movement Music and Community in South America, and Civic Environmentalism, designed for deeper exploration of specific topics.
• Jimi Hendrix Curriculum A free multimedia curriculum on Jimi Hendrix developed with Experience Hendrix LLC and NYU's MusEdLab for middle and high school students, exploring Hendrix's legacy through interactive tools and archival footage.
• The Les Paul Collection A set of free lessons exploring Les Paul's invention of the solid-body electric guitar through STEAM learning for K-12 students.
• Library of Congress American History Course A complete 10th-11th grade, Common Core and NCSS standards-aligned American History course utilizing materials from Library of Congress collections, developed under the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative grant.
• CNN Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History Media-rich lesson collection from CNN exploring how music shaped and reflected historical events, aligned to standards and featuring video content, worksheets, and primary source materials.
• RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World Standards-aligned lessons accompanying the award-winning documentary about Indigenous influence in American music history, featuring five lesson plans exploring the contributions of Native American musicians.
• PBS Soundbreaking Sixteen lesson plans created in partnership with PBS accompanying the critically acclaimed Soundbreaking series exploring recorded music and the recording technology that shapes it.
• Segregation and Integration in Asbury Park Special collection exploring the history of segregation and integration in Asbury Park, New Jersey, through the lens of music and cultural history for classroom use.
• Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead Special collection examining the history and cultural impact of the Grateful Dead through lesson plans and multimedia resources.
• The Beatles Lesson Collection Lesson collection exploring the history, music, and cultural impact of The Beatles, including their recording techniques and influence on 1960s counterculture.
• The Music That Shaped America Special collection showcasing the foundational music and artists that shaped American popular music culture for K-12 classrooms.
• Sun City Lessons about Artists United Against Apartheid and the Sun City project, exploring how musicians used their platform for political activism.
• Environmental Jukebox Collection of lessons where students explore intersections of Environmental Science, Art, and activism through music, including The Water Walker lesson on Indigenous Wisdom and Water Contamination.
• Hometown Documentaries Student film festival program where high schoolers investigate local histories of their towns and tell these stories in documentary format, with music as the cornerstone of the curriculum.
• TeachRock Webinars Online professional development workshops hosted on edWeb.net, featuring guest teacher-presenters and exploring music and STEAM resources for classroom implementation.
• TeachRock Teachers Summit Annual in-person professional development event partnering with the National Humanities Center, inviting educators to reimagine US history through the power of music.
• Partner School Program Program providing schools and districts with access to TeachRock resources, professional development, and ongoing support for implementing arts-integrated curriculum.
• Honor Roll Membership Donor recognition program supporting TeachRock's mission to provide free educational resources to teachers and students.
• Help on the Way Events Annual fundraising events featuring live music performances and the Star Teacher Award, honoring outstanding educators at venues such as The Cutting Room (NYC) and Fairfield Theatre Company.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of educators agree TeachRock curriculum is more engaging than textbooks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Connecticut Department of EducationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Connecticut's Department of Education collaborated with TeachRock to develop the state's first 'Course in a Box' elective titled 'An American History of Rock and Soul.' The course is available free to all state schools through the GoOpenCT digital library, with development costs covered by the Rock and Soul Forever Foundation.
• Library of Congress (Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2024TeachRock received the Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative Teaching With Primary Sources Grant from the Library of Congress. The grant funds expansion of TeachRock's history offerings to create a complete 10th-11th grade, Common Core and NCSS standards-aligned American History course.
• New York EdgeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 April 2020New York Edge, the largest afterschool programming provider in New York City, partnered with the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation to provide NYC public school students with free TeachRock enrichment content during coronavirus school closures.
• New Jersey School Boards AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 May 2017The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation partnered with the New Jersey School Boards Association to provide New Jersey public school districts with free access to arts-based, STEAM-aligned professional development and educational materials.
• Rock and Roll Forever FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rock and Roll Forever Foundation is the parent nonprofit organization of TeachRock. Stevie Van Zandt founded both the organization and the TeachRock program. The foundation provides organizational structure, funding, and strategic direction.
• ABC News Video SourcecoreTechnology or IntegrationABC News Video Source provides TeachRock with access to its archival video collection spanning 1896 to the present, including ABC News, The Associated Press, British Movietone, and Helinet footage. This content is used throughout TeachRock lessons.
• Reelin' In the YearscoreTechnology or IntegrationReelin' In the Years is described as the world's largest library of music footage, covering the roots of Rock and Roll to the present day across all genres. They provide exclusive archival music video content for TeachRock lessons.
• Rock's BackpagescoreTechnology or IntegrationRock's Backpages is one of the best online libraries of music writing, an archive of writing contributed by celebrated music journalists covering more than five decades of rich written content, used as a primary source in TeachRock lessons.
• PBScoreTechnology or IntegrationPBS partnered with TeachRock to create educational materials accompanying the critically acclaimed 'Soundbreaking' series and other PBS content. TeachRock has developed 16 lesson plans based on PBS content.
• CNNcoreTechnology or IntegrationCNN partnered with TeachRock to create the 'CNN Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History' lesson collection, using CNN archival footage and reporting to explore history through music.
• National Humanities CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Humanities Center partnered with TeachRock for the annual TeachRock Teachers Summit, inviting educators to explore US history through the power of music. The 2026 summit is co-hosted by the Rock & Roll Forever Foundation and the National Humanities Center in North Carolina.
• Music WillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic Will is a national nonprofit that trains public school teachers to deliver Modern Band music classes and provides instruments at no cost. The Rock and Soul Forever Foundation partnered with Music Will to create interdisciplinary lessons that combine musical performance with social and historical context.
• Experience Hendrix LLCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperience Hendrix LLC collaborated with NYU's MusEdLab and TeachRock to develop a free multimedia Hendrix curriculum for middle and high school students, launched as part of the Jimi Hendrix Way street naming ceremony in NYC.
• NYU MusEdLabflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU's MusEdLab partnered with Experience Hendrix LLC and TeachRock to develop the multimedia Jimi Hendrix curriculum for schools, bringing academic rigor and pedagogical innovation to the music education content.
• Wellbeings.org (WETA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellbeings.org, created by Washington D.C. PBS station WETA, is a public mental health resource. TeachRock announced a collaborative partnership with Wellbeings.org to integrate mental health and social emotional learning content.
• Stevie Van Zandt's Artist CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe TeachRock Artist Council includes 14+ luminary artists including Erykah Badu, Common, Sheryl Crow, Peter Gabriel, Norah Jones, DJ Khaled, Margo Price, Rapsody, Marty Stuart, and others who support and amplify the mission of music education.
• Positive Legacy, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPositive Legacy, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to integrating music and service to benefit communities. They co-sponsored a TeachRock edWebinar on music, education, and environmental activism featuring Indigenous musicians, politicians, and activists.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Music industry-affiliated nonprofit that donates instruments and supports music education in K-12 schools. Closest peer on music-and-education nonprofit mission, though focused on instrument access rather than curriculum.
• Music Will: National nonprofit (formerly Little Kids Rock) that provides free music education resources, instruments, and Modern Band training to K-12 public schools. Directly comparable nonprofit mission, K-12 music-education focus, and free-distribution model; TeachRock's Music Will partnership deepens the overlap.
• Common Sense Education: Nonprofit division of Common Sense Media providing free K-12 curriculum, lesson plans, and educator professional development focused on digital citizenship, SEL, and media literacy. Comparable nonprofit K-12 curriculum provider with free distribution and PD workshops.
• Edutopia: George Lucas Educational Foundation's free K-12 resource platform offering research-backed teaching strategies, videos, and lesson ideas. Comparable as a nonprofit-funded, free-distribution K-12 educator resource, though Edutopia focuses on pedagogy rather than subject-specific curriculum.
• OER Project: Free, standards-aligned world and U.S. history curriculum for high schoolers, supported by the Stanford History Education Group and funded by philanthropic grants. Most direct peer on curriculum structure: free, full-year, standards-aligned secondary history courses.

Emerging players

• Nearpod: K-12 interactive lesson platform with standards-aligned content, real-time student engagement tools, and integrations with Google Classroom. Comparable as a multimedia K-12 instructional delivery platform; commercial freemium model versus TeachRock's nonprofit free distribution.
• Newsela: K-12 instructional content platform offering leveled articles, lesson plans, and assessments aligned to standards. Comparable as a standards-aligned K-12 content provider with teacher self-serve distribution; primarily commercial while TeachRock is nonprofit.
• BrainPOP: Subscription-based K-12 educational platform offering animated videos, quizzes, and lesson plans across subjects. Comparable as a multimedia, lesson-based K-12 platform with curriculum integration, but commercial freemium model versus TeachRock's nonprofit free model.

Broad incumbents

• PBS LearningMedia: Free digital media library for educators from PBS and WGBH, offering thousands of standards-aligned videos, lesson plans, and interactives across all subjects. Overlaps as a free K-12 multimedia curriculum platform; broader in scope and backed by a major public broadcaster.
• Smithsonian Learning Lab: Free platform from the Smithsonian Institution offering curated collections of artifacts, videos, and lesson plans for K-12 classrooms. Comparable as a free, cultural-institution-backed K-12 multimedia resource, though anchored in museum collections rather than music.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TeachRock
• Xx.com/TeachRock

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TeachRock