Partnership Aims to Empower More Teachers to ‘Rock’ Music Education

WorldStrides OnStage, the performing division of trusted educational travel organization WorldStrides, recently began a partnership with Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization empowering music educators to teach popular music such as rock, pop and hip-hop in schools.

WorldStrides will help spread Little Kid Rock’s Modern Band methodology by making it accessible to the more than 10,000 teachers who travel with WorldStrides each year. In addition to developing and hosting Modern Band events, WorldStrides is co-developing programs offering teachers professional development points and academic credit to participating students. With music education programs struggling for funds and resources, the mutual goal of partnering with teachers to provide students with opportunities to perform, grow and learn is more important than ever.

The partnership was launched with a concert at Carnegie Hall on April 29, 2017. Little Kids Rock students gave the performance of a lifetime as a finale to the WorldStrides’ Festival at Carnegie Hall concert. Attendees were entertained by the National Youth Choir, which featured elite music ensembles from across North America and performed classical arrangements under the direction of esteemed conductor Jeffery Ames. After that performance came the contrast of a traditional choral repertoire, when modern band rockers took the stage. New York City-based Little Kids Rock school ensembles, The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, Juan Morel Campos Secondary School and Amp Up NYC All Stars blew the crowd away with a performance of the Beatles’ classic “”Hey Jude”” that had everyone out of their seats, dancing and singing along.

Since 2002, Little Kids Rock has enriched the lives of more than 500,000 public school students by empowering and equipping music teachers to launch Modern Band music programs, which focus on teaching youth popular music. WorldStrides, an accredited school and travel organization, has advanced music education through travel with festivals and events that give student performers access to elite venues, professional adjudication and instruction, and cultural experiences that provide hands-on learning all around the world. WorldStrides’ tremendous commitment to music education led the organization to Little Kids Rock and this exciting new collaboration with a shared goal to restore, expand and innovate music education in schools across the nation.

“Modern band complements existing music programs. It’s really natural for our organization to work with WorldStrides,”” said David Wish, Little Kids Rock founder and CEO. “”There is no point for a student to be practicing and loving the music they are playing, only to play in their high school auditorium. WorldStrides will help modern bands take the show on the road.”

“Being an accredited school allows for us to offer unique advantages to the music programs and directors we work with,” noted Marion Gomez, General Manager of the Festival at Carnegie Hall, WorldStrides OnStage. “We currently travel with over 10,000 educators across the United States, and it’s a great way for us to further music education and enrich students’ lives with the Modern Band curriculum.”

The concert at Carnegie Hall is just the beginning of the partnership between WorldStrides OnStage and Little Kids Rock.

Courtesy of WorldStrides OnStage.