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    THE LITTLE KIDS ROCK STORY

    Little Kids Rock has brought music education with a

    twist of rock n roll into the lives of over 82,000 chil-

    dren in 20 cities across the country by donating guitars,

    drum sets, keyboards, and basses to public schools,

    holding free teacher workshops, and sending out count-

    less educational materials to help cultivate a growing

    generation of future musicians. It all started one day in

    1996 when Dave Wish, a second grade SanFrancisco Bay Area teacher by day and Jazz musician by night, watched a video about French gypsy guitar

    legend Django Reinhardt. A folk hero and role model, Reinhardt inspired legions of gypsy children who

    did not attend school and had little else to do with their days to emulate him by taking up guitar.

    Wish was amazed at the skill these self-taught youngsters displayed and impressed with how the gypsy

    kids found creative expression and discovered hidden talent once presented with the proper motivator. He

    believed his students possessed their own untapped musical abilities, so he called some musician friends

    to see if they had old beat-up instruments they could donate. Right there and then, an early incarnation of

    Little Kids Rock was born.

    Wish had seen rsthand the sorry state of music education in public schools. He had also heard from par -

    ents and other teachers who were dismayed at the poor quality, if not complete absence, of music educa-

    tion programs. On his rst day teaching, he went to the principals ofce to ask when his class would havemusic, gym and art periods, as these would offer times for him to do prep work. The principal just gave

    me a blank stare, Wish recalls. He told me they didnt have those departments, and any teachers who

    wanted to introduce the subjects to their classes would have to develop the curriculum themselves.

    The next year, the school hired a music teacher to come in once a week, but he only spent about 20 min-

    utes with the kids, singing songs like Polly Wolly Doodle.

    Wishs class responded even to this limited program simply because children are naturally inclined to en-

    gage with music. However, he knew this did not take advantage of their deeper interest in music and their

    capacity to learn more sophisticated material. They could sing every Backstreet Boys song by heart, says

    Wish. The songs being taught in the classroom werent connecting on that level. I knew we were missingsomething.

    Wish wanted to teach his kids the music they were already listening to and nd a point of interest that

    would keep them motivated. This would be more than supplemental music classes to give the kids some

    variety during the school day. Little Kids Rock was founded on the idea that music is a necessary

    component of the educational experience something that contributes signicantly to a childs

    healthy development.

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    THE LITTLE KIDS ROCK STORY

    Music is a hugely unifying force. It bringspeople together, especially during times of

    strife, explains Dave. I personally get a rush

    and a thrill to see people from different cul-

    tures interacting around music.

    For children, music provides a creative outletthey would not otherwise have. I believe that once you put someone in touch with their creativity, the

    cheap thrill of destructive behavior becomes less appealing. Thats just human nature. Theres no competi-

    tion between reaching new heights of creative expression vs. breaking a window with a baseball or spray-

    ing grafti.

    For some kids, nding a musical voice is their ticket out of whatever tough circumstances they face. Music

    becomes their refuge, a safe haven and escape from the difculties of everyday life. Some Little Kids Rock

    students, for example, nd a way to channel the pain and confusion of a troubled home life into their own

    original songs. Others benet from being able to express the jumbled emotions that are part of growing up.

    Some lose interest in negative inuences or dangerous activities once they are hooked on the joy of playing

    guitar.

    Theres a school of thought that says people should be measured in multiple intelligences, says Wish.

    We all excel in certain areas, lag in others and are average in most of them. Some people have a procliv-

    ity for music thats their thing. Without a program that identies and nurtures that instinct from a youngage, kids may never know they have this gift and the rest of us might never get to share their talents. How

    many musical geniuses have gone undiscovered because of the absence of music education in the nations

    schools?

    The joy of nding and drawing out these budding musicians is the greatest reward for Wish and the rest of

    the Little Kids Rock teachers. Being a Little Kids Rock teacher is like being a miner panning for gold, he

    remarks. Youre tapping into something deep especially when you get around to composing and impro-

    vising thats the juicy stuff. It is a revelation. When a kid has his or her rst guitar solo, theyre electri-

    ed. They cant believe its them. Its like waking up and discovering youre uent in Mandarin. These

    kids never knew they had it in them.

    Such an experience opens up new vistas of self-expression and new depths of self-awareness. Traditional

    music education, in Wishs opinion, takes a dry, didactic approach, which makes a subject that is inherently

    interesting and exciting dull and boring. While budget cuts have forced many schools to eliminate

    music programs altogether, those still running are often tedious and unappealing to young kids.

    Indeed, Wishs students found it boring and stupid to learn the old-fashioned, simplistic songs

    that were in the curriculum for their grade level.

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    THE LITTLE KIDS ROCK STORY

    Kids today are exposed to lots of different media, and their taste can be very sophisticated, Wish ex-plains. They also hear and pick up on what their older brothers and sisters are listening to. They become

    interested in a variety of genres that arent represented in the school program.

    Little Kids Rock takes a common sense approach to music education by focusing on music that kids

    already love. Wish describes his own experience with music as a school kid as stereotypical. He took

    violin lessons but hated it he was into the Beatles and Elvis Presley so he quit. Years later, he looked

    back on the squandered opportunity and wished he had stuck with it.

    At 18, Wish took up the guitar. He learned from friends, books, and lessons with several instructors, each

    of whom offered his/her own style of teaching and playing. Those interactions informed the way I taughtonce I got procient enough at 20 or 21 and started giving lessons myself, he says. My teaching style

    was a pastiche of all of the best inuences I was exposed to during my own learning process.

    The pedagogical underpinnings of Little Kids Rock draw upon those same early teaching inuences as

    well as from accepted practices in the broader eld of education. One current trend is to emphasize an or-

    ganic way of learning, for example, teaching kids how to read by letting them read, instead of by discuss-

    ing grammar and sentence structure. In the Little Kids Rock approach, students learn to play by playing.

    You learn through doing; its more motivational that way. Its more inspirational to make music than to

    learn about notes.

    Wish points to the famous and inuential Suzuki Method of violin instruction, introduced by Shinichi Su-zuki in the 1950s, as a model for success. Suzuki believed that playing music was something that anyone

    could do. He saw music as a universal language anyone could learn to speak. Wishs recipe for Little

    Kids Rock is Suzuki meets the Rolling Stones meets Dr. Seuss all in a blender.

    The Little Kids Rock model works, too, because the teachers are all volunteers with a passion for music

    they want to share with young people. They are doing it for love and not money. Their payment is the

    unmatched pleasure of being able to interact with their students in a new and heartfelt way, using their

    creativity to extract that of their pupils.

    Like many arts programs, Little Kids Rock is currently relegated to after-school hours. Wish envisions a

    time when it will become a focus nationwide, ultimately elevating the prole of music education and inu-

    encing the way music is taught everywhere.

    When people hear the music these kids create, they are sincerely impressed with the product,

    Wish says. My goal is that Little Kids Rock will stem the tide of budget cutbacks and help

    reestablish music education in the schools, and that our approach will be widely adopted.

    ROCK ON!

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    How Did it Start?

    Little Kids Rock began in 1996 when elementary school teacher Dave Wish grew frustrated with

    the lack of music program funding 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, Dave has since

    helped grow Little Kids Rock into an organization with a national impact and focus that serves

    thousands of students. Many music industry luminaries have rallied to support the organization.

    How Does it Work?

    Little Kids Rock provides free music classes and musical instruments to children in under-funded

    public elementary schools. Trained volunteers use donated instruments to teach Little Kids Rocks

    innovative curriculum that focuses on popular music styles such as rock, funk, blues, rap, and

    hip-hop. These mentors encourage the students to compose, perform and record their own music.

    Some of these works can be heard on Little Kids Rocks four CDs or on the website www.little-

    kidsrock.org.

    What is the Mission?

    Little Kids Rock knows that music is a critical component of a rst-rate education. We inspire

    children to express themselves through music, building the creativity, condence, and self-esteem

    that are critical to success in school and beyond. We accomplish this by:

    What are the Benets?

    Condence. Creativity. Passion. These are just some of the words used by Little Kids Rock stu-dents and mentors to explain what the program provides them with. Study upon study has 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 teaches more than music it teaches

    students how to believe in themselves and to be successful in life.

    The Four Rs Readin, Ritin, Rithmatic, ROCK!

    Pioneering innovative teaching methods that are rooted in childrensknowledge of popular music forms such as rock, rap, blues, hip-hop etc.

    Preparing practitioners such as teachers and youth workers to offer

    classes utilizing our methods and materials.

    Providing free musical instruments and trained instructors to

    children, especially to those children who do not receive music education.

    LITTLE KIDS ROCK OVERVIEW

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    1996- Elementary school teacher David Wish begins offering a single, after-school guitar class

    to children at a school that had no music program. Davids class was wildly popular and he be-

    gan offering more classes. These tiny classes evolved into Little Kids Rock, a national nonprot

    restoring music education in schools around the country.

    2002 - Little Kids Rock (LKR) established as a national nonprot, with support from honorary

    board members BB King and John Lee Hooker.

    2003 LKR expands its services to kids in TN. Bonnie Raitt,Tom Waits, Jason Newsted of

    Metallica and other artists make guest appearances at LKR schools. LKR featured in RollingStone, CNN Headline News, Billboard, AP and a host of other publications.

    2004 LKR expands its services by bringing its program into ve different states.

    2005 LKR receives $300,000 grant from the Draper Richards Foundation. LKR launches in

    two additional states now reaching 5,000 students in seven states. Steve Vai, Jesse McCartney,

    Rick Springeld and other artists back LKR.

    2006 LKR launches on-line television station, www.littlekidsrock.tv to give free lessons to

    students everywhere. Ziggy Marley, Brad Delson of Linkin Park and Joe Satriani appear on

    www.litlekidsrock.tv and visit LKR students in their classrooms.

    2007 LKR now extends services to seven different states, reaching over 12,000 students. LKR

    program and students featured onNickelodeon, MTV, The Hallmark Channeland other nation-

    al outlets. LKR is sole beneciary of major benet concert with support from Alice in Chains,

    Dave Navarro and members ofKISS, Linkin Park, Queensryche. LKR offers free, down-

    loadable lessons through iTunes and supplies the #1 most downloaded video at iTunes U.

    2008- LKR launches in three new states, served over 50,000 students and wins a prestigious

    $375,000 grant from the Goldhirsh Foundation.

    2009- Guitar legend Slash of Guns N Roses fame visits LKR program and becomes an ofcial

    supporter.

    Served over 75,000 students in schools in NY, CA, IL,

    TN, GA, PA, FLA, TX, NJ, LA and Washington DC

    Released several CDs of original student compositions

    Trained hundreds of teachers

    Recruited hundreds of volunteers

    To date the Little Kids Rock music program has:

    HISTORY AND MILESTONES

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    A comprehensive series of skill tests run on 5,154 fth-graders found that kids who

    were learning to play a musical instrument received higher marks than their classmates

    who were not. The longer the school children had been in the instrumental programs, the

    higher they scored. (The American MusicConference)

    Regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making students get higher marks

    in standardized tests than those who have no music involvement, according to a 10-year

    study that tracked more than 25,000 students. The test scores studied were not only

    standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading prociency exams. (Dr.James

    Catterall, UCLA, 1997)

    The College Entrance Examination Board found that students involved in public

    school music programs scored 107 points higher on the SATs than students with no

    participation. (Proles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, com-

    piled by the Music Educators National Conference- 2002)

    Americas nonprot arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity every

    year, including $24.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues. (Americans for the

    Arts)

    Secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetimeand current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs). (Texas Commission on

    Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Houston Chronicle, January 11,1998)

    COOL MUSIC EDUCATION FACTS

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    State-level arts spending dropped from $409 million in scal year 2002 to $354.5 in

    scal year 2003 and declined again to $272.4 million in 2004.

    (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies )

    Nearly 75% of US States will cut school spending in the coming school year.

    (Budgets Cut Student Experience, CNN, August 2003,

    http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/08/13/sprj.sch.cuts/ )

    Todays music teachers must focus much of their time and energy on seeking funding for music

    programs writing grants or coordinating fundraising events diverting focus away from curricularand professional development.

    (Shaking the Money Tree: Fund-raising and Grants; MENC, Teaching Music, Feb. 2001)

    Between 1999 and 2004, a period when the total California public school student population

    increased by 5.8%, the percentage of all California public school students involved in music educa-

    tion courses declined by 50%. This decline is the largest of any academic subject area. The number

    of music teachers declined by 26.7%. This represents an actual loss of 1,053 teachers. (The Soundof Silence: The Unprecedented Decline of Music Education in California Public Schools, Music for All

    Foundation utilizing data from California Department of Education)

    Nearly 20% of all US public schools fail to offer ANY music or arts classes not even one day a

    week. In schools that do offer music classes, not all students participate. There are often as little as25% of students taking part in music and arts classes in school.

    (http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/text/research/NAEP.doc)

    Noting that some areas of the nation already give students insufcient experience in the disci-

    pline of music education, the Music Education Coalition predicts that the current round of budget

    cuts will lead to curtailment of programs depriving as many as 30 million students (more than

    60% of those enrolled in K-12) of an education that includes music. (Largest Initiative Support-ing School Music Launched in Response to School Budget Cuts Expected in 2003, NAMM, March 2003

    http://www.namm.com/pressroom/pressreleases/2003Mar12.html)

    Cuts to music programs greatly affect elementary school students, as music classes for beginners

    are often seen to compete with core curricular classes and are directly targeted for elimination. Asa result of cuts to elementary school music programs, junior and senior high school music program

    enrollment have, and will continue to fall dramatically.(Defending Music Programs with Econmic Analysis, Dr. John Benham, British Columbia Music Coali-

    tion, Dec. 2002, http://www.bcmusiccoalition.org/resources/defendmusprogreconanaly.html)

    ALARMING MUSIC ED. FACTS

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    Since I was a little girl I wanted to play something. Not sports. I

    wanted to play music.

    -Raquel, Nine-year old LKR Student

    Little Kids Rock does a great job getting kids excited about mu-

    sic, picking up the slack from budgets cuts to music programs in

    our schools. They deserve our support!

    -Bonnie Raitt, Honorary Board Member, Grammy winner

    ...Little Kids Rock will impact in the lives of children in a mean-

    ingful way for many years to come and can create a replicable

    approach to effective music education in our urban schools.-Norman Atkins, Co-Founder North Star Academy Charter

    School in Newark, New Jersey

    Little Kids Rock has provided us a major vehicle. The changes in

    my students these past few years in this regard have been amazing.

    -Val Haskell, Special Education Teacher

    The Lawton School San Francisco, California

    I think that what Little Kids Rock does is just amazing. Id like to

    see this program in a lot more schools. Young kids playing instru-

    ments, composing their own music and recording their own songs?

    That is something I just have to get behind.

    -B.B. King, Legendary blues artist, Honorary Board Member

    Little Kids Rock brings cool water to the desert. Unfortunately, a

    desert is what arts education in the schools has become.

    -Tom Waits, musician, actor, composer

    We believe that Little Kids Rock just may be the hippest, most

    forward-thinking model for turning kids onto music that weve

    ever seen.

    -The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

    There are several for-prot programs that give lessons in rock

    musicBut Little Kids Rocks national scope and non-prot

    status make it unique.

    -Time Magazine

    QUOTES ABOUT US

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    As music programs across the country are being eliminated, its nice to know that Little Kids

    have big friends. The following individuals are all helping us put music back where it be-

    longs... in our schools! We are thankful and proud to have the support of ....

    Bonnie Raitt

    Slash

    Jason Newsted (Metallica)

    Bob Weir (Grateful Dead)

    Paul Simon

    BB King

    Ziggy Marley

    Brad Delson (Linkin Park)

    Tom Waits

    Steve Vai

    Joe Satriani

    Les Paul

    Rick Springeld

    Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel)

    Dave Mason (Trafc)

    Carmine Appice (Rod Stewart)

    Will Lee (The David Letterman Band)

    Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple, Rainbow)

    and others

    BBKing

    PaulSimon

    LibertyDeVitto

    BobWeir

    TomWaits

    BonnieRaitt

    SteveVai

    JasonNewsted

    LITTLE KIDS ROCK HAS

    SOME BIG FANS

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    Dave Wishs work as a second-grade public school teacher took an unusual turn in 1996when he grew frustrated with the lack of music program funding at his school. Equipped

    with only his guitar and a passion for teaching kids, Dave started his own after-school mu-

    sic program and began offering free lessons to his students.

    What began in 1996 as an informal project led by Dave and a handful of volunteers has

    catapulted into a nationally recognized non-prot organization that has served thousands

    of students.With the support of Honorary Board Members Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, BB

    King, Les Paul, Jason Newsted and a host of celebrated friends in the music industry, Little

    Kids Rock is poised to signicantly extend its reach in the United States.

    Dave graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Sociology with a minor in Womens

    Studies from Brandeis University. He worked as an elementary school teacher for 10 years.

    After his volunteer music classes began to take off, he left the classroom to dedicate his

    time fully to Little Kids Rock and helping foster future musicians.

    In the fourth grade he took violin lessons, but they were playing tunes like Hot Cross

    Buns and Mary Had A Little Lamb, which lead to an early retirement from the violin.

    Thankfuly, he picked up the guitar during high school. Daves love of music makes him

    what he calls, ...a compulsive guitar player and music teacher. He is a fan of jazz and is

    of the rm belief that Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Django Rheinhardt were some

    of the greatest geniuses of the 20th century. He also has a taste for the Clash, the Beatlesand a guitar player named Jimi Hendrix.

    Dave Wish emcees a rock recital with his original guitar class

    OUR FOUNDERS BIO

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    As always, Im delighted to say something

    about my daughters. My dear children have

    helped me cope with the pain after leaving

    my war-torn Bosnia. Their laughter and joy

    have helped me pull through the difculties

    and adjustments. In this letter, I will speak

    about my younger daughter Alma who is

    eight years old, and how Little Kids Rock

    has changed her life.

    Raising Alma in the United States has been achallenge for me. The urban, cosmopolitan

    city of San Francisco has offered a lot, but

    before I was able to see its good side, I

    needed to learn to live in this new place. Alma is an energetic and playful child, and like a little

    monkey has tremendous endurance for fun. I often asked myself: Will this child ever rest? To

    satisfy her urges for play, I would take her to the neighborhood park where she would prance

    around the balance beam, swing on the tire-swings and slide the steepest slides. Unfortunately,

    Alma was not satised; something was missing in this wild play, a sense of fulllment, a sense

    of true satisfaction. I learned later that her games at the park were only an escape from our small

    apartment and Nickelodeon.

    Then something happened. Something that parents usually tell other parents who have kids with

    potential but no place to use it. Alma came home with a guitar. She held it as if it were made

    of glass. Drops of sweat trickled down her face out of fear of breaking it and out of excitement

    for having the honor to hold this new instrument. She spoke with great enthusiasm about all the

    things that one can do with a guitar. She spoke of great musicians such as Carlos Santana, and

    assured me that soon she would be able to play like he does.

    I did not know that Alma would give so much of her passion to this guitar and this program.

    Alma was driven from the very rst day, and I could not believe it. That same day, Alma called

    her best friend Aphiffany and the girls chattered as usual, only this time I did not hear the same,repetitive giggling as I did in the past. My Alma looked serious. There was a tone of you-

    wont-believe-what-happened-to-me in her voice. Alma was happy and so

    was I. Almas friends were now the kids from guitar class, kids who shared the

    same interest as her. Mr. Wish, Almas guitar teacher, was establishing a new com-

    munity for these kids, a new home away from home for my daughter. Almas days

    after school were now spent differently. Alma spent many hours with Mr. Wish and

    LETTER FROM A PARENT

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    other Little Kids Rocksters learning the basics. Watching her play the guitar, her little ngerslooked like they were in pain, but her face radiated determination, faith and love. I now under-

    stand that those little ngers never suffered, but only found a creative outlet she could not nd in

    the local park. Listening to my daughter play gives me such joy. My fears seem to fade away, and

    sometimes tears of joy run down my face.

    I realized that Alma, unlike my older daughter and myself, was given a gift. Maja (my other

    daughter) and I are listeners to music. We were the outsiders who were stunned with awe upon

    hearing a beautiful piece. Alma had something more; she was given the opportunity to be inside

    the music. This wonderful opportunity was given to her by a Little Kids Rock class. There the

    children are pushed towards what was once unattainable in my eyes. I remember the day when Iobserved Alma and her fellow students perform De Colores at a school recital. This time, Alma

    played the guitar and the music sang for her. I suddenly realized; it is only through music that we

    can see all the colors of the world.

    I would like to see Little Kids Rock share its beautiful program with many children and give them

    the opportunity it has given my daughter. Mr. Wish, the teacher who started Little Kids Rock, the

    teacher with such a spirited soul, deserves all the support that is available to spread the music to

    other children.

    Sincerely,

    Azmira Ruznic

    Almas Mom

    San Francisco,

    California

    (PAGE 2)

    LETTER FROM A PARENT

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    The key to the success of Little Kids Rock at my school can be directly attributed to Daves devel-

    opment of a teacher training package, and provisions for a network of ongoing support. A two day

    summer workshop brought together a cadre of teachers, who left his training so inspired that we

    all signed on as guitar mentors, starting LKR classes at our own schools. We were given not just a

    methodology, but the rationale behind it.

    We were given not just a curriculum, but rather a foundation to build, create upon, and share. We

    were given not just instruments for our kids, but also tuners, reference materials to duplicate, and

    forms that simplied paperwork rather that exacerbated it. We were also offered access to CD

    recording for our students work. Visiting artists perform for our classes. Ben Meisel of Kid N

    Together performed at Lawton in November, and the students are still talking about it.

    Perhaps most importantly, a network was established. A local teacher coordinator visits classes.

    Mentors are connected via e-mail, and LKR established a Yahoo Group site to facilitate the sharing

    of ideas. The weekly digest provides us all with updates from the organization, and Dave remains

    readily accessible via e-mail and telephone.

    In conclusion, helping students build self-esteem and creative expression have always presented

    great challenges to educators. Little Kids Rock has provided us a major vehicle. The changes in

    my students these past few months in this regard have been amazing. I am just so very glad that Iwent to that workshop; it has made for a wonderful year not just for the students, but for me too.

    Sincerely,

    Val Haskell,

    Teacher

    Lawton School, San Francisco

    As a public school teacher, it is honestly my

    privilege to work with David Wish and his Little

    Kids Rock organization. It is not often that one

    teacher has an idea that turns into such a success-

    ful project that he remains committed to sharing

    it with as many of his colleagues as he possibly

    can. It is also not often that such a project when

    duplicated by other teachers, continues to be noth-

    ing but successful across a broad range of student

    grade levels, abilities, and cultural backgrounds.

    LETTER FROM A TEACHER