On a world wide basis, most high school and college age students spend a great deal of time listening to music that is a product of American Roots Music.  Rock, Hip-Hop, Punk, Reggae, Rap and the broad spectrum of Pop Music are all direct descendants of work songs, blues, folk, country and jazz. However, we live in a world where music is often de-structured, re-structured and digitally presented by various media in 3 to 10 second segments.  Today’s students are losing sight of the very idea of music that is written and performed by musicians with instruments.  More importantly, they are often unaware of the birth and development of American music and how it continues to affect and to reflect modern culture.     American Roots Music Education’s aim is to change this trend, and in doing so, enrich the minds of young people by means of ingraining their own musical heritage into them.  This will change the way they listen and the way they think.  In turn, this enriches our society itself by fostering minds that think creatively, react emotionally, and consider the world historically.