30 Apr 2010
Thriving Minds-Funded Nonprofit Helps Students Showcase Musical Skills
DALLAS—The Dallas Independent School District's award-winning partnership with Little Kids Rock spotlights teachers and students in workshop and concert on May 8.
Little Kids Rock (LKR), a national nonprofit music organization that provides free instruments and instruction for students in under-funded public schools, announced today that some of its Dallas ISD teachers will coordinate a student jam summit beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 8, at Nolan Estes Plaza, 3434 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (entrance on the Beckley side of the building). Students from 22 schools will participate in the event, which will include a series of workshops, jam sessions, and concert-style performances by each group of students.
This LKR special event is sponsored by the Dallas Independent School District and Thriving Minds, a partnership managed by Big Thought that includes the Dallas ISD, City of Dallas and more than 100 community organizations.
Participating Dallas ISD schools include: Gabe Allen Charter School; Rosemont Primary School–Chris V. Semos Campus; Cesar Chavez Learning Center; Leonides Cigarroa, S.S. Conner, Stephen C. Foster, Anne Frank, Onesimo Hernandez, Victor Hexter, Anson Jones, Barbara Jordan, Obadiah Knight, Esperanza "Hope" Medrano, Maria Moreno, John H. Reagan, Clinton P. Russell, Alex Sanger, Edward Titche and Sudie Williams elementary schools; George Bannerman Dealey Montessori; Dallas Environmental Science Academy; Thomas Edison, Harold W. Lang and Seagoville middle schools; and David W. Carter and Seagoville high schools.
The Dallas ISD Little Kids Rock program began with 24 teachers and 500 guitars in January of 2008. Through a generous grant from Thriving Minds, the program expanded during the 2008-2009 school year to include 60 more teachers, an additional 600 guitars and 300 keyboards. The non-profit organization, honored in April with the Dallas ISD's "Extra Mile" Award for outstanding partnership, currently serves more than 8,500 students, with nearly 100 active teachers in 85 Dallas ISD schools.
Little Kids Rock is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in under-funded 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 music lessons and instruments to underprivileged children in U.S. public schools, and has served more than 88,000 students at more than 1,200 schools in 23 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.
"Dallas ISD is pioneering a college readiness warning system and we are proud to lend our support to it," in announcing a $3.77 million grant.