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Wildomar teacher mixes rock ‘n’ roll with state standardsBy JENNIFER DEAN
The Press-Enterprise
A Wildomar Elementary School teacher has brought rock ‘n’ roll into a place you’d never expect to find it — California State Standards. And guess what? It’s a chart topper.
Over the past several weeks, the album “Math” by Rockin’ the Standards has held a top 10 position — No 1. on Sept. 16 — in bestseller downloads in the Children’s Music/Compilations/Education category of Amazon.com.
It all began a few years back as the brain child of elementary school teacher Tim Bedley. After more than 20 years in the classroom, he’s got the tough customer standards down to a science.Story continues below
Special to The Press-Enterprise”Math” by Rockin’ the Standards takes the state standards for students grades 2-6 and puts them to rock ‘n’ roll tunes.
“It’s all based on the standards and what I’ve experienced in the classrooms … the things kids tend to forget,” Bedley said.
He decided to start putting some of these concepts to music, but teaching upper elementary school students, it had to be rock music.
The first album, “Singin’ the Standards: Simple to Learn, Impossible to Forget” came out in 2006. It was something he put together himself after the big reaction of students at Wildomar Elementary School.
He and friends Ben Jacobs and Ryan Shultz put their heads together for the next album, and “Math” was the result.
Jacobs is the lead singer and guitar player, Shultz the bass player and Bedley is the songwriter and drummer.
Michael Anderson also teaches at Wildomar Elementary School and his students love to “rock out” to the songs.
“The kids just get electrified,” Anderson said. “They love the music.
“When he introduced this concept to me three or four years ago, he was just coming up with some songs to teach the kids. It has evolved over the years, becoming this national phenomenon.”
Bedley offers training for educators interested in using “Rockin’ the Standards” albums in the classroom.
The band is working on a new album that will be about language arts that should be out by next year sometime.
This album will be a bit different from the past two because it’ll have some new tunes.
“Most of the songs have been set to familiar tunes,” Bedley said. “The new CD will probably be about 50/50.” Half will be familiar sounding and half will be all new music.
“When I play it in my classroom with my kids, they jump all over the place,” Anderson said. “It’s like party central in there.”
Reach Jennifer Dean at 951-368-9336 or jdean@PE.com
The California
National Spelling Bee
Rockin’ the Standards Song: ‘Spelling Bee Champ’ Airs on ESPN and ESPN3
The 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee welcomee 275 spelling champions and their families to the Nation’s capital region for Bee Week marking the 84th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
As an added bonus, the rock band ‘Rockin’ the Standards’ song ‘Spelling Bee Champ’ was selected to be used for the national broadcast on ESPN and ESPN3.
Spelling champions hail from: the 50 U.S. states, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Schools in Europe, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. Seventy-one spellers previously have taken the stage in Washington, D.C., including three four-year repeaters.