“The success of what we do has to do with teaching kids HOW to think instead of WHAT to think, and that is something that the arts does best.” It is impossible to deny the universal capacity of music to touch the souls of millions around the world. So why have we not used it as a gateway to learning in the classroom? This is exactly what world-renowned musician and actor/producer, Steven Van Zandt, set out to achieve with the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation and TeachRock.org. Joining alongside Steven is the Chairman of the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, David Roth. “The arts inspire and engage. Music engages you, it engages your soul. It engages you to your very core. That is exactly the goal we have for every classroom”.

After 12 years of building a curriculum on the foundations of music, TeachRock is now offering over 150 lessons entirely for free. Currently, there are more than 25,000 teachers registered on the platform despite only going public in 2018. CEO of WISE, Stavros Yiannouka, sits down with Steven and David to talk about turning STEM into STEAM, what it means to be human, and what Steven has learned from his illustrious career as an artist.