Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Rockin' and rollin' at the library

The Boston Globe describes how a few dozen public libraries in Michigan have become venues for rock concert tours (Library sheds stuffy image with rock band). The bands play for about an hour, and then open it up for a Q&A period. In a new twist this year, bands now let the audiences help them write a song at the end of the show (sounds like open-source marketing to me)! As the librarian who got this project going says, "My goal is to change the image about what people think about public libraries...You take something that appears to be complete opposites, rock 'n' roll music and libraries, and it makes for an explosive combination."

Categories: new_news | real_life

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

We started a similar program this year called Rock the Mic. We host it once every few months. Students and staff sign up to read some form of literature (mostly poetry) and mixed in are musical performances (mostly instrumental). Our first event drew almost 200 students and staff - a huge success for our alternative high school with resistant readers. Go here to learn more - http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/high/mclain/web/rock_the_mic.htm.

Jill said...

This is very neat, Mr. McQueen! Thanks for sharing. How many events have you done so far? I like how these approaches integrate entertainment with learning.

Anonymous said...

We did 2 last year. The response from students and staff has been amazing! I look forward to the next one in fall!

Jill said...

Hey, thanks! I'll definitely give it a listen. I think the episode you're referring to is #294 from 8/5/05 (to make searching for it easier). :)