Little Kids Rock

Little Kids Rock (LKR) is a nonprofit that is working to revitalize public school music education by both restoring music programs in communities that do not have programs and by pioneering new methodologies to revolutionize how music is taught. The Little Kids Rock approach is focused on making the program relevant to the lives of the students in each class by utilizing popular instruments such as guitar, bass, drums and keyboards and focusing on popular music styles.

LKR works within the urban public school system by training volunteer teachers to offer music instruction in both after-school and classroom formats. To make programs more accessible, LKR provides the instruments, training and lessons to teachers at no cost. Teaching students to compose their own music and work together in groups is a large part of the curriculum. The benefits of musical education go far beyond learning to play an instrument. Research has indicated the positive relationship of music programs and school attendance as well as social, cognitive and behavioral development.

Over 500 LKR trained teachers are now teaching 40,000 students across the United States. LKR programs have proven to be reproducible and the team is refining its program model and creating the infrastructure that will enable the program to expand its program. In addition to its music programs, Little Kids Rock broadcasts music lessons at its online TV station at www.littlekidsrock.tv. LKR lessons are also available on iTunes U.

The Social Entrepreneur: David Wish

LKR formally became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2002. However, the roots of the program date back to 1996 when elementary school teacher, David Wish, began giving free guitar lessons to his students. Borrowing from friends and scouring area flea markets for instruments, David developed a music education curriculum gleaned from the best influences that informed his own playing. It immediately captured the students’ interest because it had them playing, within minutes of teaching, the types of music they listen to, and enabled them to improvise and compose freely around a basic network of ideas and skills.

Soon he began to train other volunteer teachers, and in five years, the project grew exponentially. As many other cities drastically cut their school budgets, the mission became clear: he left teaching to focus on developing this initiative. Little Kids Rock has since expanded from serving 500 students in the San Francisco Bay Area to serving more than 40,000 low-income public school students in ten states and the District of Columbia.

LKR has won the support of musical icons such as Bonnie Rait, Ziggy Marley, Paul Simon, Joe Satriana, B.B. King, Steve Vai, Les Paul, Carlos Santana, Rick Springfield, Bob Weir, Brad Delson and others who serve on the LKR Honorary Board.

For more information about LKR go to www.littlekidsrock.org.