Little Kids Rock Partners with Sabian and Evans to Support Music Education Programs Across the US

Little Kids Rock to receive proceeds from the sale of
SABIAN cymbals and Evans drumheads

Media Contact:
Allison Neves, PR Director
Little Kids Rock
415-948-1200
allison@littlekidsrock.org

January 17, 2008 (NAMM Winter Session) Anaheim, CA – Little Kids Rock (LKR), an innovative non-profit program that provides free instruments and music instruction for public school students, today announced that it has partnered with SABIAN Ltd. and Evans Drumheads to help support its music education programming across the US.  SABIAN and Evans will each present checks of $10,000 to Little Kids Rock from a portion of the proceeds of SABIAN cymbals and Evans drumheads sold to dealers. SABIAN and Evans will present their checks to Little Kids Rock on Thursday, January 17th at the NAMM conference (Sabian booth #3254) located at the Anaheim Convention Center  .

“SABIAN’s involvement in this promotion further illustrates our belief in the importance of music education for children,” commented Stacey Montgomery-Clark, SABIAN’s director of marketing.  “Little Kids Rock is a nonprofit that provides free instruments and lessons to thousands of children across the country.  It is a fantastic organization with an inspiring initiative.  We are thrilled to be involved and we believe strongly that music should be a cornerstone in every child’s education.  We are confident that this promotion will help the organization grow and reach even more students who may not have access to music education.”

Michael Robinson, Evans senior product manager, continued: “Evans is thrilled to be part of this partnership that truly puts music education on the forefront of dealers’ and consumers’ minds.  Dealers and consumers who partake will lend a hand to Little Kids Rock, a group determined to instill a love of music in children.  It’s a promotion where musicians, dealers, and music education win at every level.”

David Wish, founder and executive director of Little Kids Rock added:  “Little Kids Rock is committed to putting music back where it belongs, in our schools.  That’s a big job and we are honored to have the support of respected companies like SABIAN and Evans to help us achieve it.  Together we will be enhancing children’s music education!”

Little Kids Rock teaches kids how to play pop, rock, funk, blues, rap and hip-hop music. LKR students not only perform, but they also compose and record their own music. They have released four full-length CDs as well as music videos featuring student-written originals. Currently, the Little Kids Rock program serves more than 12,000 students in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington DC. Supporters of the program include Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Liberty DeVitto (drummer for Billy Joel), Carmine Appice (drummer for Rod Stewart) and Brad Delson of Linkin Park.

About Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock believes that music is a critical component of a first-rate education. Many schools have been stripped of their music programs. These cuts have had a disproportionately large impact on children from low-income backgrounds. Little Kids Rock restores music to its rightful place in the academic lives of kids in our public schools by providing a rich music education program including instrument instruction, free instruments and trained mentors. Currently, the Little Kids Rock program serves more than 12,000 students in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington DC. For more information, visit us at www.littlekidsrock.org or www.littlekidsrock.tv

About D’Addario/Evans
D’Addario & Company, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets complete lines of strings for fretted and bowed musical instruments, drumheads, drum practice pads, guitar and woodwind accessories under the proprietary brand names D’Addario, Evans Drumheads, Planet Waves, Rico, and HQ Percussion. The company also runs the popular Gbase.com online gear source. D’Addario products are marketed in approximately 120 countries. 

About SABIAN
SABIAN is globally renowned as the world's leading designer and maker of musical cymbals. With endorsers including major drummers Phil Collins, Neil Peart (Rush), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Keith Harris (Black Eyed Peas) and Bob Bryar (My Chemical Romance), as well as renowned percussionists within the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Symphony, Royal Opera House – Covent Garden and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, this award-winning company offers cymbals and sounds for every musical application, playing level and price point. Known for combining centuries-old traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation, SABIAN ensures quality and value in every cymbal. The company also prides itself on eco-friendly practices; a cymbal recycling program is one of its many longstanding “green” initiatives, as is a commitment to working with brands that share likeminded environmental values.  Headquartered in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada, and with offices in the US, the UK, Europe and the Far East, SABIAN is also the world's largest cymbal maker.  For further information about SABIAN or its products, please visit the company online at www.SABIAN.com.

 

Note to Media: Interviews with spokespeople and b-roll available upon request.