Little Kids Rock Receives $30K Grant From NAMM

Funding Helps LKR Bring Music Education to More Students Nationwide

July 19, 2002 - NAMM SUMMER SESSION, NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Little Kids Rock (LKR), an innovative non-profit music program for children, announced today that it was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from NAMM, the International Music Products Association.. The grant represents the single largest award ever received by Little Kids Rock and will help the program bring free and dynamic music classes to more children in schools that lack music education.

NAMM's board of directors granted more than $840,000 over the past year to organizations and programs that help support the trade association's mission of creating more active music makers worldwide. Winners were chosen based on criteria including the geographic scope of the program, a demonstrated ability to fulfill the stated objectives and successfully implement the program and an enhancement of the market for music products. "We're excited to receive this grant from NAMM, because it means we can reach a broader base of students with our program," said David Wish, executive director of Little Kids Rock. "Having the support of the music products industry also validates our approach to music education and the creation of future musicians." "On behalf of the more than 7,700 NAMM Member companies, we are proud to support the efforts of Little Kids Rock to promote the benefits of making music to children," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM.

LKR students learn to perform, compose and record their own music from a variety of genres, including pop, rock, funk, blues, rap and hip-hop. In addition to releasing three full-length CDs, the kids of Little Kids Rock have also recorded a music video featuring student-written originals. To date, the Little Kids Rock program has served more than 1,000 students in California, New York and New Jersey. Supporters of the program include musicians Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, B.B. King and the late blues legend, John Lee Hooker.

About Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock believes that music is a critical component of a first-rate education. Many elementary 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 the kids in our public schools by providing a rich music education program including instruments, instruction, and trained mentors. Founded in 1996, Little Kids Rock is headquartered in San Francisco, California and serves schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, New Jersey and Memphis. Little Kids Rock will be opening chapters in Boston and Chicago in 2003. Please go to: www.littlekidsrock.org for more information.

About NAMM
The International Music Products Association, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $16 billion global musical instruments and products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 8,000 member companies. For more information about NAMM, interested parties can visit www.namm.com or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

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