Our  Mission  is  Music

Little  Kids  Rock  is  a  national  nonprofit  that  is  dedicated  to  building  a  world  where  children  can  live  creative,  purposeful  lives  by  unlocking  their  inner  music-­‐makers.      

What  We  Do  

Little  Kids  Rock  partners  with  public  school  districts  in  some  of  the  nation’s  most  economically   disadvantaged   communities   with   the   goal   of   ensuring   that   all  students   (K-­‐12)   have   access   to   an   engaging,   relevant   and   fun   music   education  program.  As  the  nation’s  leading  nonprofit  provider  of  free  music  instruction  and  instruments,  Little  Kids  Rock  has  changed  the  lives  of  more  than  300,000  children.  

Little  Kids  Rock  accomplishes  this  by:    

• Pioneering  innovative  teaching  methods  that  are  rooted  in  popular  music  forms  such  as  rock,  pop,  reggae,  funk,  country  and  hip-­‐hop.  

• Preparing  public  school  teachers  to  offer  classes  utilizing  Little  Kids  Rock  methods  and  materials.  

• Providing   free   musical   instruments   and   professional   development  training  to  school  districts  that  have  been  affected  by  budget  cuts.  

   

PRESS  CONTACT  Keith  Hejna    Communications  Officer o:  (973)  746-­‐8248  ext.  114    c:  (201)  264-­‐9520  keith@littlekidsrock.org    HEADQUARTERS  Little  Kids  Rock          271  Grove  Ave.,  Bldg  E-­‐2  Verona,  NJ  07044      Phone:  (973)  746-­‐8248      Fax:  (973)  746-­‐8240    WEB  PRESENCE  

Website:  littlekidsrock.org  

Blog:  littlekidsrock.org/blog                    facebook.com/littlekidsrock                    twitter.com/littlekidsrock                    youtube.com/littlekidsrock      

 

PRESS  KIT    

Putting  music  back  in  schools!  

 

 

 

The  Results  Confidence.  Creativity.  Passion.  These  are  just  some  of  the  words  used  by  Little  Kids  Rock  students  and  teachers  to  explain  what  the  program  brings  out  in  them.    Studies  have  shown  that  students  who  have  access  to  arts  and  music  education  tend  to  perform  better  in  school  than  their  peers  who  do  not.    Little  Kids  Rock  does  more  than  just  teach  music  -­‐  it  provides  children  with  a  creative  outlet  and  builds  confidence  necessary  for  success  in  life.  

How  We  Got  Started  Little  Kids  Rock  began  in  1996  when  elementary  school  teacher  David  Wish  grew  frustrated  with  the  lack  of  funding  for  music  education  at  his  school,  and  started  his  own  after-­‐school  music  program.  Equipped  only  with  a  guitar  and  a  passion  for  teaching  kids  to  express  themselves,  David  began  giving  free  lessons  to  kids  after  school.  With  the  help  of  a  few  volunteers  and  some  celebrity  supporters,  David    helped  grow  Little  Kids  Rock  into  an  organization  with  a  national  focus  that  serves  tens  of  thousands  of  public  school  students  with  free  music  education.  

 

 

 

FAQs  What  do  Little  Kids  Rock  students  learn?  Little  Kids  Rock  students  learn  to  play  styles  of  music  that  are  familiar  to  them,  such  as  rock,  blues,  rap,  country,  funk,  hip-­‐hop  and  reggae.  Heavy  emphasis  is  placed  on  performance,  composition  and  improvisation.      What  instruments  does  Little  Kids  Rock  provide?  Little  Kids  Rock  provides  training  and  curriculum,  and  donates  the  following  instruments:  electric  guitars,  acoustic  guitars,  bass  guitars,  drums  and  keyboards.  Little  Kids  Rock  also  provides  donated  microphones,  amplifiers  and  recording  equipment.  

Why  popular  music?  All  music  is  made  up  of  the  exact  same  elements.  The  music  of  Beethoven,  the  Beatles  and  Beyoncé  all  use  the  same  basic  notes  and  chords.  Viewed  through  this  lens,  musical  genre  becomes  a  secondary  consideration  in  education.  A  student  who  feels  comfortable  playing  rock,  funk  or  blues  music  will  be  well  equipped  to  study  all  musical  forms.  Their  musicianship  is  a  passport  across  culture  and  history.  

 

FACTS  Little  Kids  Rock  is  the  only  school-­‐based,  pop  and  rock  instrumental  music  program  in  the  U.S.  and  is  one  of  the  leading,  free  instrumental  music  programs  in  the  country  today.  In  fact…  

• Little  Kids  Rock  currently  serves  nearly  200,000  disadvantaged  students  in  nearly  1,500  schools  in  30  cities  nationwide.    

• Since  2002,  Little  Kids  Rock  has  brought  FREE  instruments  and  lessons  into  the  lives  of  more  than  400,000  underprivileged  children  in    13  states  and  Washington  D.C.    

• While  budget  cuts  are  forcing  music  programs  out  of  public  schools,  Little  Kids  Rock  is  serving  more  children  than  ever  before  with  free  instruments  and  free  lessons.    

• The  goal  is  to  teach  kids  to  play,  improvise  and  compose  the  music  that  they  love,  creating  “Modern  Band”  music  programs  in  schools  nationwide    

• Since  2002,  Little  Kids  Rock  has  donated  more  than  50,000  instruments  and  invested  more  than  $12M  worth  of  resources  into  U.S.  public  schools.    

• Nearly  1,500  public  school  teachers  are  currently  running  Modern  Band  programs  powered  by  Little  Kids  Rock.