Little Kids Rock

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Keith Hejna


Little Kids Rock

Work: (973) 746-8248

keith@littlekidsrock.org

Nonprofit donates over 2,300 instruments and curriculum to Dallas Independent School District in the midst of music education cutbacks

Dallas, Tex, Sept. 9, 2009 — Little Kids Rock (LKR), a national nonprofit music organization that provides free instruments and instruction to underfunded public schools, today announced its expansion into 37 new schools in Dallas, bringing music education to over 2100 students. On September 11-12 at the Nolan Estes Plaza in Dallas, Little Kids Rock will instruct participating teachers in its innovative curriculum and donate 900 brand-new Fender® guitars, along with software and materials. Teachers who complete the workshop will begin leading classes this school year, reaching over 2100 kids in and around Dallas.

The Dallas Little Kids Rock program, which is one of the largest free instrumental programs in Dallas, began with 24 teachers and 464 guitars in January 2008, made possible with support from the Hot Topic® Foundation. Through a generous grant from Thriving Minds, the program expanded during the 2008-09 school year to include 60 more teachers, an additional 600 guitars and 300 keyboards. Little Kids Rock also distributed 40 Starcaster™ drum kits, donated by Fender®, to the Dallas Independent School District.

This Little Kids Rock guitar workshop is presented in the Dallas Independent School District through the generous support of Big Thought and Thriving Minds.

The following Dallas Independent School District schools will benefit from the Little Kids Rock program and instrument donation: Arturo Salazar Elementary School, Anne Frank Elementary School, Annie Webb Blanton Elementary School, Arthur Kramer Elementary School, John W. Carpenter Elementary School, David W. Carter High School, Cary Edward H Middle School, Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa MD Elementary School, Clinton P. Russell Elementary School, Erasmo Seguin Elementary School, George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy, Henry B. Gonzalez Elementary School, Harry Stone Montessori Academy, Herbert Marcus Elementary School, Harold Wendell Lang Sr. Middle School, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, J.W.Ray Learning Community, John B. Hood Middle School, John Quincy Adams Elementary School, Julius Dorsey Elementary School, Louise Wolff Kahn Elementary School, Kleberg Elementary School, Lida Hooe Elementary School, Martin Weiss Elementary School, Nancy Moseley Elementary School, Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School, S.S. Conner Elementary School, San Jacinto Elementary School, Skyline High School, Sudie L. Williams Elementary School, Sunset High School, Thomas A. Edison Middle Learning Center, Tom C. Gooch Elementary School, William B. Travis Vanguard & Academy for the Academically Talented and Gifted, W.H. Gaston Middle School, Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School, Woodrow Wilson High School

Where:          Nolan Estes Plaza
                     3434 SRL Thornton Freeway
                     Dallas, TX 75224

When:           September 11-12, 10 am – 4 pm

 

Media are invited to attend the two-day workshop.

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 underfunded 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 low-income children in US public schools, and has served more than 85,000 students at over 1,100 schools in 20 cities nationwide. Little Kids Rock Honorary Board Members include Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Ziggy Marley and other famous friends in the music industry. More information can be found at: www.littlekidsrock.org.