Little Kids Rock

Media Contact:

Keith Hejna
Little Kids Rock
Phone: 973.746.8248 x 114
Cell: 201.264.9520
keith@littlekidsrock.org

Artie Kornfeld helps cultivate next generation of musicians; joins honorary board of directors of charity, Little Kids Rock

CEDAR GROVE, NJ, August 14, 2011 — Forty-two years ago, Artie Kornfeld’s Woodstock Festival changed the history of music. Today, the “Father of Woodstock” is helping a charity called Little Kids Rock change music education in U.S. public schools by joining its honorary board of directors. He joins other music legends like B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt and Paul Simon who also support Little Kids Rock, a leading nonprofit provider of free musical instruments and teacher trainings to U.S. public schools.

Kornfeld connected with Little Kids Rock because its service is geared toward his two passions: music and children.

“It’s all about helping the kids because there is so much talent out there that isn’t going to have a shot,” Kornfeld says. “Little Kids Rock is such a great way, if you love music, to give back a little into what you grew up to, what got you going, and what made you happy, which was music.”

Kornfeld can closely relate to the zeal that Little Kids Rock students feel for their classes, because his music career started in the fourth-grade, when he rented his first trumpet and became an all-state trumpeter. The rock legend was Vice President at Capitol Records at 23 years old, had written 49 Top 100 songs by age 24 and was the first executive in the history of the music industry to have the title “Director of Rock” – all before he put on the most famous festival in history at age 25.

Kornfeld is still an active music producer and is credited for having the most amounts of songs written and produced in history. He is responsible for some of the biggest acts and songs of all time; most of whom are enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Kornfeld’s passion for songwriting and improvisation also drew him to Little Kids Rock, as these are key components of Little Kids Rock’s pedagogy, which makes it unique from other music nonprofits.

“Our future lies not in our children’s hands, but in their creativity,” says Little Kids Rock founder David Wish. “Mr. Kornfeld is one of the most instrumental men who shaped the ‘Woodstock Generation’ and we are honored to have his support to help us provide for the next generation of musicians.”

Wish was a public school teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area and began giving free guitar and songwriting lessons to his students in 1996 after he had grown tired of the lack of funding for music education. His vision, like Kornfeld’s vision of Woodstock, quickly grew much larger than he ever imagined it would. Today, Little Kids Rock has served more than 160,000 low-income children in 25 cities nationwide and has become the leading nonprofit provider of free instruments and lessons to U.S. public schools, having donated millions of dollars-worth of rock and roll instruments, resources and trainings.

“It breaks my heart to see kids from the inner city who don’t have enough money to get a guitar and learn a couple of chords, and that’s why I love what [Little Kids Rock is] doing so much. It was something that I wanted to put together myself.”

Kornfeld is donating an autographed Carparelli guitar as well as an autographed copy of his book, The Pied Piper of Woodstock to Little Kids Rock’s “Right to Rock” fundraiser, where they will be auctioned on October, 20th at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

Kornfeld will help raise awareness for the work that Little Kids Rock is doing to restore and revitalize music education in public schools nationwide by joining an honorary board that includes: Jackson Rathbone, Bonnie Raitt, B. B. King, Slash, Ziggy Marley, Paul Simon, Joe Satriani, Bootsy Collins, Steve Vai, Carmine Appice, Liberty DeVitto, Brad Delson, Jason Newsted, Mike Stone, Brian Hardgroove, Orianthi, Stefan Lessard, Monte Pittman, Meredith Brooks, Zigaboo Modeliste, Rick Springfield, Dave Mason, Gregg Rolie, Jeff Carlisi, Jack Orbin, Manuel Barrueco, Jim Campilongo, Marcus Henderson, Al Leiter, Jesse McCartney, Robert Zildjian, John D’Addario, Jr., Jon E. Gee.

“It’s all about helping other people, because that’s what counts. It’s not what you take; it’s what you give,” Kornfeld says. “It’s our job to give the kids hope for the future, and music has always been the bridge. We have to use music and love to get us peace and give these kids a reason to want to exist.”

About Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that transforms children’s lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in public schools. Little Kids Rock was founded in San Francisco in 2002 by David Wish, an elementary school teacher who had grown frustrated with the lack of music education funding at his school. Today, Little Kids Rock is one of the leading nonprofit providers of free lessons and instruments to underprivileged children in US public schools, and has served more than 160,000 students at over 1,200 schools in 25 cities nationwide. Little Kids Rock Honorary Board Members include Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Slash, Ziggy Marley and other famous friends in the music industry. More information can be found at: www.littlekidsrock.org.