Little Kids Rock

I am a huge proponent of the arts.  While I am not musically talented at all, I admire those who excel at playing musical instruments.  Children from disadvantaged areas are less likely to participate in music education because they would be unable to purchase the musical instruments and the books and learning materials that would be required.  Little Kids Rock (LKR) works to revitalize music education in the most disadvantaged public schools across the country.  The organization works with school districts and trains teachers in the 'Little Kids Rock' curriculum and then donates all of the musical instruments in order for the program to be successful.  Many school districts in poor areas have closed their music programs because they are unable to keep them up and running due to financial reasons.

Little Kids Rock// www.littlekidsrock.org

Little Kids Rock currently serves over 85,000 students in K-12 schools.  There are statistics that say that students who play musical instruments are over 50% more likely to attend college than those who don't.  By giving these students the right to participate in a top-notch music program, these students are being empowered and able to have fun.  This nonprofit organization is able to inspire creativity in these students and give them a skill that can take them beyond the classroom.  Another cool thing to note is that the curriculum is deeply rooted in modern-day music such as rap, rock, blues and hip-hop.

The idea for Little Kids Rock goes back to 1996 when school teacher David Wish became frustrated with the lack of funding for music education being provided by the school he taught at.  David decided that he would take matters into his own hands and offer after-school guitar classes to this students.  These after-school guitar classes were very popular, and Wish decided he would take the program national.  In 2002, with the support of musical legends BB King and John Lee Hooker, Little Kids Rock was born.  The program has support from honorary Board Members Ziggy Marley, BB King, Slash, Paul Simon and Bonnie Raitt. 

Little Kids Rock// littlekidsrock.org

The program is spreading like wildfire and growing bigger daily.  I was excited to see that the program can be found in Dallas as well.  Good to see that this program is available to kids in my backyard.

Check out the Little Kids Rock web site and help our kids 'Rock On!'

You can donate on their web site and also shop on their online store.