Music Will
FormerlyLittle Kids Rock, Inc.
TypeNon-profit organization
IndustryNonprofit, Education
Founded2002
HeadquartersMontclair, New Jersey
Key people
David Wish, Founder
Janice Polizzotto, Interim CEO
Revenue5,813,939 United States dollar (2016) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitemusicwill.org

Music Will, formerly known as Little Kids Rock (LKR), is a nonprofit charity based in Montclair, New Jersey, that encourages and enables children to play popular music. It provides free music instruction and instruments to public school districts across the country, from kindergarten through high school. Their modern band curriculum is rooted in popular music (rock, blues, hip hop, reggae, country music, funk, etc.) and their teaching methods are rooted in teaching music as a second language, with a heavy emphasis on composition and improvisation.[1][2] It is the largest nonprofit music program in US public schools.[3][4]

History

The program dates back to 1996 when David Wish, a first grade teacher in East Palo Alto, California,[5] began giving free guitar lessons to his students, as he was frustrated with the lack of music programming at his school.[6] He began by teaching his students the music they wanted to play, which led to him training other teachers to do the same.[1] He coined the term "modern band" to describe the curriculum of his music class, later publishing Modern Band Method textbooks with Hal Leonard.[7]

In 2002, Wish started Little Kids Rock as a nonprofit organization,[4][8] and in the following years, the programme was extended to New York City and several other public schools districts. In September 2022, Little Kids Rock changed the organization's name to Music Will and announced a goal to reach one million more students in the next five years, and to expand to a wider variety of music styles.[3][4] As of 2022, the program is in over 6,000 schools in 928 cities across 50 states.[3] It has brought free music lessons and instruments to 1.2 million students in the US, donated more than 100,000 instruments, and trained teachers in music education.[3]

Supporters

Music Will is supported by artists including Slash, Usher, Hozier, Mavis Staples, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, and Paul Simon.[1][3][4]

Since 2011, there has been an annual benefit for Music Will, with past performers and guests including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Squier, Joan Jett, Billie Joe Armstrong, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Ad-Rock, Graham Nash, Steve Miller, James Hetfield, Jack Black, Brian Wilson, Yo-Yo Ma, Lady Gaga, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Loggins, and Wiz Khalifa.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

In May 2015, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith, was given the "Livin' The Dream Award" at the first annual Little Kids Rock Family Jam benefit at Facebook's Menlo Park campus for his work to help expand public schoolchildren's access to music education. The benefit raised over $85,000 to help provide music education for students.[15][16]

In 2019, Adidas and the Beastie Boys collaborated on a special edition sneaker, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Paul's Boutique, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Music Will.[17]

Modern Band Summit

Since 2011, the charity has put on the Modern Band Summit, an annual conference for professional learning for music educators. In addition to educators and administrators, past summits have included artists discussing their careers and music education, including Darryl McDaniels, Linda Perry, and Steven Van Zandt.[18][19] The program has statewide adoption in Maine[20] and New Hampshire.[21]

Amp Up NYC Initiative

Berklee College of Music and Music Will partnered[22] with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to expand the district's Modern Band music program to an additional 60,000 students in 600 city schools.[23] The Amp Up NYC initiative is the largest private investment to date in a city's public school music education program.[24] The donated services and resources for this initiative are estimated at $10 million. Berklee College of Music and Music Will will contribute teacher training, modern band curriculum, and thousands of new musical instruments.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Conversation with David Wish". utne.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ "UpClose: David Wish, music education revolutionary?". sbomagazine.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Little Kids Rock Rebrands to 'Music Will' With Goal of Reaching One Million More Kids in Next Five Years". jazzedmagazine.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Little Kids Rock Rebrands as 'Music Will'". murfreesborovoice.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ "David Wish, the Founder and CEO of Little Kids Rock, Joins Denver Frederick". denver-frederick.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Little Kids Rock Benefit NYC 2014: Founder David Wish Explains Why Music Education Is Vital To The Future". musictimes.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Modern Band Movement: Accessible, Relevant, and Student-Centered Education". symposium.music.org. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine,
  9. ↑ "Brian Wilson, Jack Black, James Hetfield Join Little Kids Rock Virtual Benefit". rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Surprises Steve Van Zandt at Little Kids Rock Concert". rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Lady Gaga Donates $13,000 to Charity in Little Kids Rock Event". billboard.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Joan Jett Rocks Out With Billie Joe Armstrong, Alice Cooper & More at Charity Show". billboard.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Tracy Morgan to Honor Smokey Robinson at Annual Little Kids Rock Benefit". billboard.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Little Kids Rock Benefit: Steve Miller, Surprise Guest David Letterman, Darlene Love & More Perform". billboard.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Watch RHCP's Chad Smith Jam With Children for 'Little Kids Rock' Event". Rolling Stone. May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  16. ↑ "National Nonprofit Little Kids Rock to Honor Chad Smith at Family-Friendly Fundraiser at Facebook HQ". Market Watch. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Adidas x Beastie Boys Sneaker Collab Releasing This Week". hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Fort Collins program teaches students and teachers to love music". wyomingnews.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Virtual Modern Band Summit: A Music Education Conference for the Moment". sbomagazine.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Little Kids Rock Kicks Off Statewide Music Education Program". bangordailynews.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Carlos Santana's Milagro Foundation Launches 'New Hampshire Rocks!' Music Education Program". billboard.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  22. 1 2 , Berklee.edu
  23. ↑ , Wall Street Journal
  24. ↑ , Boston Globe
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