edWebinars
«Back to all edWebinarsTeaching With the Grateful Dead: What a Long, Strange Lesson
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST
Teaching With the Grateful Dead: What a Long, Strange Lesson
Presented by Dennis McNally, Author, Historian, and Longtime Publicist for the Grateful Dead; Bill Carbone, Executive Director, TeachRock; and Gina Machado, Former Educator, Current Director of Programs and Partnerships, TeachRock
Sponsored by TeachRock
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
For over 30 years, the Grateful Dead built one of the most devoted communities in American music, amassing a vast archive of songs, artwork, recordings, and film.
In this edWebinar, Dennis McNally joins TeachRock to share stories from his years as the band’s longtime publicist and explore how these materials can serve as primary sources for teaching American history and culture. Attendees will also explore TeachRock’s free lessons connecting the Grateful Dead to American literature, politics, and social change.
Attendees will:
- Use TeachRock’s Using Music as a Primary Source framework to analyze songs, images, and documentary film
- Explore connections between the Grateful Dead’s music and community and broader themes in American history and culture
- Leave with free, standards-aligned TeachRock lessons they can use right away
This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, school leaders, and district leaders.
View all of the recent TeachRock edWebinars.
About the Presenters
Dennis McNally is an author, historian, and longtime publicist for the Grateful Dead, Little Feat, and many others. His books include On Highway 61: Music, Race, and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom; A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead; and Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, the Beat Generation, and America.
Bill Carbone champions the transformative power of music to build vibrant communities in education. Decades spent as a researcher, teacher, journalist, and musician led him to TeachRock.org, where he now helms a team of brilliant minds dedicated to reshaping school culture. Bill holds degrees in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, and when not standing behind his desk at TeachRock, he can be found sitting behind drums and percussion with Max Creek, The Z3, She Sings Dylan, and 10ft. Bill also taught music history, ethnomusicology, and percussion at Central Connecticut State and Wesleyan Universities.
Gina Machado is the Director of Programs and Partnerships at TeachRock, where she leads the development of an arts-integrated social and emotional learning program and designs and facilitates professional development initiatives nationwide. Drawing from her experience as a classroom educator in The Bronx, New York, and her master’s degrees in special education and educational leadership, Gina supports educators across the United States in implementing TeachRock’s curriculum and pedagogical approaches. An educator at heart with extensive experience working with students of various levels and abilities, Gina’s passion lies in developing creative ways to engage all learners while strengthening meaningful student-teacher relationships.
Join the K-12 Social Studies and Civics community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Launched by Stevie Van Zandt and the Founders Board of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, TeachRock.org provides free, standards-aligned resources that use music to help K-12 students succeed in science, math, social studies, language arts, and more.
