The Capitol Theatre has set aside its very best seats for a charitable program to send area schoolteachers to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland for a week of intensive curriculum training. Concertgoers can bid on the coveted Presidential Box—four seats directly overlooking the stage—for most events at the historic Theatre, including recent performances by B.B. King, The Black Crowes, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Drive-By Truckers, Phish's Trey Anastasio, and Furthur's 9-show sold-out run kicking off this week. Proceeds from each Box auction will directly fund scholarships to the Rock Hall's Summer Teacher Institute.

The scholarships are part of the "Capitol Community" program that the Theatre runs in partnership with the non-profit organization HeadCount and are open to fulltime educators at accredited learning institutions in Westchester (NY) and Fairfield (CT) counties. Winners will be awarded the full cost of tuition, and in some cases also have their travel and lodging costs covered. Additional funds from the auctions will also be directed to charities selected by artists appearing at the Cap. "Each Presidential Box auction is a chance for an individual to directly support education in the area," says HeadCount executive director Andy Bernstein. "And by bringing rock history into classrooms, we’ll be opening kids’ minds in a whole new way.” More information, including a list of current auctions and the scholarship application, can be found athttp://www.thecapitoltheatre.com/capitolcommunity. The deadline for applications is May 20.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Summer Teacher Institute, held in Cleveland July 8-12, helps K-12 and post-secondary educators learn how to effectively use rock and roll to teach across multiple disciplines. Educators learn how to connect popular music to their own classroom curricula – from the history of hip-hop to the science of sound – by creating new and exciting learning environments that can help meet the needs of all students, no matter their level or learning style.

"[It's] one of our longest-running programs," explains Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Greg Harris. "It provides teachers with essential resources in a dynamic learning environment. This fantastic community initiative by the Capitol Theatre, which has such a storied place in rock history, allows us to extend our mission of educating students and teachers." More information can be found at www.rockhall.com/teacher/summer-teacher-institute.

"Since my career in live music began at Wetlands, a venue that placed the combination of social awareness and the live music experience at the heart of its mission, it's been really important to me to continue that tradition," says Capitol Theatre owner Peter Shapiro. "This partnership with HeadCount and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a great continuation of what Wetlands was all about: combining the fun of live music with doing something that will have a positive and lasting impact long after the show is over."