Free Music Education For Dozens of Beleaguered New York City Public Schools

Little Kids Rock, the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts and drum companies bring free music classes to under-funded NYC schools

Sept. 4th, 2003- San Francisco, CA- Little Kids Rock (LKR), an innovative non-profit music program for children announced today that it would be expanding its program in New York City public schools. This effort will be made possible with the help of a generous grant from the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts as well as support from a number of drum companies. The new support will provide the instruments and training necessary to put 50 new music classes into New York City Schools during the fall of 2003.

"Little Kids Rock is an organization that is critical to the growth of music education," says John D'Addario, Jr., President of the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts. "As budget cuts become more prominent, it is wonderful to work with organizations like Little Kids Rock that step up to the plate and fill that void. It is an honor to be part of LKR's commitment to educating and creating thousands of future musicians and music enthusiasts."

Together, drum industry companies Sonor, Sabian, Evans, ProMark and Latin Percussion have committed over $150,000 worth of musical instruments to this initiative. "We are proud & honored to be helping Little Kids Rock reach the newest generation of musicians," said Jerry Goldenson, Director of Sales & Marketing at Sonor Drums. "Passion and commitment is what music is all about," concluded Goldenson. Sabian's Director of Sales, Peter Stairs, is similarly enthused. "When I read about this great program giving free instruments and lessons to kids I knew instantly that it was something that Sabian would want to get behind," said Stairs.

"We are honored that music industry heavyweights like D'Addario, Sonor, Sabian, Evans, Pro-Mark and Latin Percussion have given us their support and enabled us to expand our program," said David Wish, LKR's Executive Director. " With all the school budget cuts that we've seen in recent days, the need has never been greater."

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 four full-length CDs, the kids of Little Kids Rock have also recorded three music videos featuring student-written originals. To date, the Little Kids Rock program has served more than 2,000 students in California, New York and New Jersey. Additional LKR programs will be launching in Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago schools within the next year.ll again!"

Supporters of the program include B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Carlos Santana, the Grateful Dead¹s Bob Weir, Les Paul String Cheese Incident and the late blues legend, John Lee Hooker.

About Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock believes that music is a critical component of 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 kids in our public schools by providing a rich music education program including instrument instruction, free instruments and trained mentors. Founded by a single elementary school teacher in 1996, Little Kids Rock is now serving 2,000 students in CA, NY, NJ and TN. Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, BB King and Les Paul sit on our Honorary Board of Directors and we are supported by friends Carlos Santana, Phish, Bob Weir and others. Little Kids Rock programs are scheduled to launch in the Los Angeles area in 2004.

About the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts
The D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts is committed to inspiring and assisting the growth and appreciation of music throughout the world. The focus of the Foundation's giving is in the areas of stringed musical instruments as well as band and orchestral instruments, primarily through the support of educational programs and events, as well as performance-based activities. The D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts is a sister organization of J. D¹Addario & Company, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of musical instrument accessories.

About Sonor
Sonor is a German based manufacture of some of the world¹s finest musical instruments. Founded over 125 years ago, Sonor is an unquestioned industry leader in quality and innovation. Located in Bad Berleburg-Aue, Germany with production facilities in Tianjin, China and distributed in the United States through HSS A Division of Hohner, Inc., Sonor¹s attention to detail and the unparalleled quest for perfection take German engineering to an entirely new level throughout the world. Sonor Drums and Percussion offer various product series such as Designer, Delite, S-Class Pro, Force 3003, 2003, 1003, 503 as well as a full range of Hand Percussion, hardware and Orff Educational Percussion. Played by many of the world¹s best drummers, Sonor is set to push past its already successful history.

About Sabian
Founded in 1982, SABIAN is globally renowned as the world's leading maker of musical cymbals. Located in the tiny eastern Canada village of Meductic, New Brunswick, this family-owned company employs approximately 130 personnel, with its corporate centre and manufacturing in Canada, plus offices in Switzerland, the UK, France, and the USA. From its rural location SABIAN exports cymbals for distribution to approximately 120 countries around the world. Annual double-digit sales increases reveal this to be one of the music industry's most consistently successful companies.

About Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer dedicated exclusively to the design, production, and distribution of drumsticks, mallets, and percussion accessories. Since it was founded in 1957, the company has been responsible for many innovations that are now considered to be industry standards. More info at: www.promark-stix.com

About Evans
With the invention of the synthetic drumhead in 1956 Chick Evans began a revolution in the drum industry. More than 30 years later, Evans continues to lead drumhead innovation, technology, and design and currently manufactures more than 8,000 drumheads per day. Evans is owned and operated by J. D'Addario and Company, Inc., the world's leading musical instrument accessories manufacturer.

About Latin Percussion
After four decades of innovative design in the world of percussion, Latin Percussion, Inc. currently boasts the largest collection of percussion instruments and accessories in the world. The company is committed to bringing the musician of any level, from the most demanding pro to the youngest child, the very best percussion instruments available. More info at www.lpmusic.com.

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