World’s Coolest Job?
Susan Oehler (Col ’90) teaches appreciation for rock ‘n’ roll
Photos courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
A sixth-grader hearing Aretha Franklin belt out that lyric might know what the letters spell but might not understand the cultural, social and gender implications of the song.
It’s Susan Oehler’s job to connect the words to the times and the listener to the artist. And some folks tell her she’s got the world’s coolest job.
"Yes, people say that, they really do," says Oehler (Col ’90). "I say, ‘Yes, it’s pretty amazing.’"
Oehler is the education programs manager for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. "People might think I sit around and talk to superstars all day, but it’s a real job."
The programs range from exposing preschoolers to the basics of music—rhythm, volume, pitch, sound color—to explaining to older children how popular musicians use those elements for various purposes. Franklin, for example, provides a lesson in an artist using the power of song and video for social empowerment.
"They see how she’s performing, and they say, ‘Oh, she’s not asking for respect, she’s demanding it,’" Oehler says.
She tries to teach appreciation for various artists’ styles and their messages, whether the complex harmonies of Yes, the in-your-face rawness of the Ramones or the social witness of Marvin Gaye.
Oehler, who was in the Distinguished History Majors program while at U.Va., grew up around music in Henrico County. Her father played jazz saxophone, her mother classical piano, and the family routinely gathered after dinner to sing together. At age 7, she began studying violin as well as singing in the church choir, and as a preteen she grooved on Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel and—as a product of the ‘70s—even disco.
"I love to dance!" says Oehler, who is 39.
She combined her love of music and history by studying ethnomusicology at Indiana University, where she got her Ph.D. Through teaching stints in Virginia, Tennessee and Japan, she also found a common thread in the unifying force of music from one generation to another.
"I started realizing that some of these kids who were walking around with their Sony Walkman and their earphones, they’re not just tuning out what’s going on at school, they’re tuning into something."
Now, she and her co-workers turn them on to how hip hop sprang from "oldies" in the Roots of Rock and Roll class. They tune them in to the sounds that instruments make in Meet the Instrument. They illustrate music as a messenger in Fight the Power: Music as a Social Force. Their offerings go beyond schoolchildren, too, through monthly programs for adults, community outreach and a summertime institute for teachers.
And yes, sometimes she does rub elbows with stars and legends—Robert Plant, Billy Joel, Aretha. And though everyone has their favorites, part of Oehler’s job is to teach respect for rock and its ability to draw people together.
"That’s what I love about popular music. It’s accessible, it’s available, it’s powerful," she says. "Somehow, you ride on this energy that comes from it. That’s what really grabbed me—that experience of people coming together and joining together."
| 
