Rock On!

One former teacher does not miss a beat with school kids today. As a child, David Wish took violin lessons, but he dreamed of playing the guitar. He used to pretend he was playing the guitar by standing in front of a mirror with a broom.

Wish later quit violin lessons and learned how to play the guitar. Today, he shares his love of rock ’n’ roll with school kids across the country.

Little Kids Rock

In 1996, Wish started a program called Little Kids Rock. The program reaches about 2,000 children in public schools in New York City; San Francisco, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Newark, New Jersey.

Little Kids Rock puts free instruments in the hands of students who go to schools that do not have music programs. Some of the classes take place during the school day. Many classes are held before or after school.

Star Power

Wish asked famous performers to help with the program. The celebrities include singers Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana, blues guitarist B.B. King, and Billy Joel's drummer, Liberty DeVitto. They participate in the program because they believe it is important to learn music.

“When I got a guitar for Christmas [as a child], I found my voice,” Raitt told a group of students on a visit to a California school.

One third-grade student in New York City took part in the program. He said that he used to want to become a baseball player. But now he also wants to be a singer. He said, “I could sit in the [dugout] and sing ‘Lil' Bow Wow.’”