High school music classes don’t usually feature hit songs by Van Halen and Adele along with also a room full of guitars, but that’s exactly the kind of lesson which was on display at Waterville Senior High School through a teaching workshop on Wednesday.

The workshop was part of a pilot program at Maine called Maine Kids Rock! Ten schools throughout the state were awarded $5,000 to buy instruments for teaching modern popular music from the hope they would reach more students and expand musical offerings. But that did not stop 29 other colleges who did not receive funds from sending music teachers to the workshop.

“For teachers it is a revolutionary approach,” said Scott Burstein, director of coaching at Little Kids Rock. It will get the teachers comfy playing music they generally do not perform, but that pupils love listening to, ” he explained. “Most teachers receive zero instruction on teaching popular music.”

The objective is to attract students who may otherwise not be considering linking more traditional band classes, such as jazz or chorus, ” he explained. At a regular school population, about 20 percent of pupils want to combine a music class, he explained, but each pupil listens to music in some capacity.

“Teaching modern audio can benefit kids who struggle socially or socially, as it puts something they’re passionate about to a classroom setting”, he explained.

“This helps construct children to succeed and pull them in a school setting,” he explained.

This program is a partnership between the Maine Department of Education and Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that all public school kids have the opportunity to unlock their inner music manufacturers. It’s the first time a state department of education has approached Little Kids Rock and then partnered with them, Burstein explained. Usually his organization raises money and designates a place to spend it. Little Kids Rock financed the Maine pilot.

Beth Lambert, visual and performing arts pro at the Maine DOE, stated 10 colleges in Maine each received $5,000 to purchase instruments. Waterville Senior High School was among those colleges and played host to the conference on Wednesday. In addition, 29 other universities, which range from the state from Portland to Fort Fairfield, delivered a teacher to take part in the all-day workshop, which Lambert said suggests that the Little Kids Rock program is something all educators and students can gain from.

Lambert said colleges eligible for the pilot needed to have enrollments at which at least 50 percent or more of the pupils are qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and they must agree to offer modern band during the 2017-2018 school year, taught by certified music teachers.

Burstein said the turnout shows how passionate the educators are. They came from throughout the country to learn to play, improvise on and write with contemporary group instruments — guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and vocals — in order to teach them at a classroom. They were not getting paid to be there, ” he explained, and the majority did not secure absolutely free instruments.

Sue Barre, the music and band manager at Waterville Senior High School, stated teaching modern pop songs will help achieve students who otherwise would not have engaged in traditional music courses.

Barre said the school already does a great job with its present music offerings, but that will allow the school to expand its reach and keep helping students to learn. The program will be instituted this year in Waterville, also Barre said she sees a lot of ways contemporary audio may be used to make students more engaged in a classroom setting.

“Music really does use every aspect of the mind,” she said.

Burstein explained the Little Kids Rock organization is international, but most of its work is done in the United States. The organization currently runs trainings in 37 states, and Burstein explained that Lambert had seen one of those trainings and approached Little Kids Rock to come to Maine.

The philosophy of the business, he stated, was that it did not matter whether they had been teaching music or any other subject, it’s the approach that matters more. That approach is to inspire children to be convinced, he said, and also to use things they’re interested in to raise their interests in learning.

“We are only trying to help children. Music is the tool we use for that,” he explained.