(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Van Zandt, founder of the innovative music education program TeachRock, will host Hard Rock Presents Stevie Van Zandt's Party at the Pony, a special benefit event at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 6:00pm. The event will include the presentation of the TeachRock Star Teacher Award to Asbury Park public school teacher Casey Miles, recognition of Spring-Nuts founders Julie and Howie Chazanoff, and a celebration of the birthdays of Stevie Van Zandt and his wife, Maureen.
The star-studded guest list features members of the E Street Band family, Disciples of Soul, and chart-topping artists including Jesse Malin, Darlene Love, and Gary U.S. Bonds. Additional performers include Marc Ribler, Anthony Almonte (The Funky Mofo's), Curtis King Jr., Ozzie Melendez, Eddie Manion, and Barry Danielian.
This celebration also highlights TeachRock's impact in its own backyard. At Asbury Park's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School teacher, Casey Miles has helped shepherd the Harmony Student Wellness Program, which uses music, visual art, poetry, creative writing, dance, and drama to help middle schoolers grow emotionally, succeed academically, and strengthen their school community. Since its introduction, the school has seen nearly 50% fewer disciplinary incidents, more than 50% fewer suspensions, and a year without a single fight. In recognition of her leadership, Miles will receive the TeachRock Star Teacher Award during the evening.
"Asbury Park has always been at the heart of the music that shaped my life and career," said Stevie Van Zandt. "Now, through TeachRock, we're bringing that same transformative power of music into the classrooms of Asbury Park students, helping them connect with their local musical heritage while learning core academic subjects. This benefit will help us expand our impact in the community where we created the Jersey Shore sound."
Tickets are $350, with sponsorship packages beginning at $2,000. All ticket purchases are tax-deductible, and proceeds directly support TeachRock's work in Asbury Park classrooms and beyond. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit TeachRock.org/events or contact Michael-Ann Haders at [email protected]. The Stone Pony is located at 913 Ocean Avenue N in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Fans will also have unique opportunities to join in the celebration. Stevie and fellow musicians will host a Rock and Roll Garage Sale featuring music memorabilia and treasures, giving attendees the chance to take home tax-deductible pieces of music history while supporting TeachRock's mission. In the spirit of the Halloween season, a t-shirt design contest will invite guests to create a Halloween-inspired design celebrating Asbury Park. The winning design will be revealed live on stage, with the creator receiving a prize from the garage sale collection.
From its roots in Asbury Park to classrooms across all 50 states, TeachRock now serves over 80,000 educators in more than 30,000 schools, reaching more than 1 million students nationwide.
TeachRock is a free, standards-aligned curriculum that brings core subjects to life through the power of music and popular culture. Designed by educators and artists, TeachRock helps students engage more deeply with Social Studies, Language Arts, STEAM, Music, and more—connecting what they explore in their K-12 classrooms to the world around them.
Founded by Stevie Van Zandt with the support of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, TeachRock was created to help address the student dropout crisis by keeping music and the arts in the DNA of education. What began as a mission to prevent disengagement has evolved into a movement—one that meets a generation of students growing up isolated, distracted, and overwhelmed, and helps them reconnect to learning in ways that feel personal, relevant, and real.
Today, more than 80,000 educators in all 50 states have used TeachRock to reimagine their classrooms. The curriculum has reached more than one million students worldwide and is shown to improve attendance, engagement, and academic outcomes. Teachers report renewed purpose in their work, and students gain tools to understand history, reflect on their sense of self and place in the world, and think critically—all through lessons that begin with the universal language of music.
TeachRock is endorsed by leading education organizations in social studies, music, and the humanities—and is helping shape what 21st-century learning can and should look like.
