Keith Hejna is the program specialist for Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and facilitating music education in underserved schools. For many years, shrinking school budgets have cut deeply into music education programs in public schools. Little Kids Rock not only seeks to address this trend, but spread the message that music education is an essential part of the curriculum. Mr. Hejna and I discussed the philosophy and methodology of Little Kids Rock, the vital role music plays in education, and how music transforms the lives of struggling students.

DT: Why is music education an important part of the curriculum?

Keith Hejna: First of all, it gives kids something cool to learn. You don’t often hear the words “cool” and “learn” in the same sentence! We transform kids’ lives through the music education. Little Kids Rock gives kids a reason to say in school. Music education isn’t just something supplemental or artsy. Studies have shown that music education can build confidence, enhance communication skills, and unleashes creativity. Quantitative data backs this up. Skills tests run on 5th graders show that the students who received music education have higher grades than those who didn’t. Students who have studied music score an average of 107 points higher on SATs. Spatial and abstract reasoning are improved by music education, and skills honed by musical instruments can help you with math and science.

But the qualitative data is more important. Music brings kids together. Little Kids Rock prevents tragedies that may happen by keeping kids interested in coming to school and staying off the streets. A lot of these kids often don’t have anything to feel good about, but music is something they can carry with them. They’re willing to stay after school. Only now we’re truly beginning to realize the benefits of music. It goes way beyond the sound of the musical instruments.

DT: I’ve read that Little Kids Rock uses the Suzuki Method of teaching music. Can you tell me about that methodology, and why your organization has embraced this technique?

Keith Hejna: Suzuki based his principles on the notion that kids already have ability, and music education is about cultivating and extracting the ability they already possess. Students learn to create music by playing their instruments rather than first learning to read music. Social interaction with other children is also important, and we teach the kids the music they love. By having fun, kids learn better and they’re more focused.

We teach kids to improvise, not just to regurgitate the music. This builds on their creativity. We also teach composition. The main thing is that we approach music like a language. Just as you learn a language by speaking, you learn music by playing it. Little Kids Rock is deliberately non-notational.

DT: A lot celebrities are involved in Little Kids Rock. How do you contact these music stars, and how have they helped out? Do you have any special stories?

Keith Hejna: David Wish (the founder of Little Kids Rock) has established several relationships with musicians. Artists are willing to help out because it hits home for them. They would have wanted these kinds of programs when they were kids. Carlos Santana has visited David’s class, as has Bonnie Raitt and the late John Lee Hooker. Rick Springfield and Norton Buffalo have played benefit concerts. Most recently, Ziggy Marley visited a middle school. During a benefit concert at BB King’s blues club, Clarence Clemens played “Jailhouse Rock” with a class from the Bronx.

Slash of Guns ‘n’ Roses visited a middle school in LA. The kids had been practicing Guns ‘n’ Roses songs for a while, and didn’t know he was going to visit. One student couldn’t make it because she was sick. But we urged her to come because there would be a very special guest. So she came anyway. Battling a sore throat, the girl, along with the student band, wowed Slash by joining him in an impromptu rendition of “Sweet Child ‘O Mine.”

DT: What kinds of problems have your run into with your program, such as organizational problems, broken or stolen instruments, etc?

Keith Hejna: The biggest challenge is organizational and communication. We’re the one of the leading nonprofit music programs that donates free instruments AND instruction to public schools. A lot of people are come to us, and it’s a challenge to keep in constant communication. We reach over 42,000 kids in 21 cities across the country, which can be overwhelming for only six employees. Fortunately, the teachers make it possible to reach as many kids with music education as we do. It is very difficult as we started out as a grassroots organization, and now we’ve gone national. We are in a transitional phase, moving away from our grassroots and onto a larger platform.

The kids really treasure the instruments. They do bring the instruments home with them, and they are very conscious about keeping the instruments safe because they know other kids will use them. We teach the students that “the instruments are tools, not jewels.”

DT: How can a person get their school involved with Little Kids Rock?

Keith Hejna: A music teacher can go to our website, and apply for a workshop. All applications are carefully reviewed. We also have a YouTube channel that shows our whole curriculum, and we’re on iTunes U. If you’re interested in donating to Little Kids Rock, you can do so on the Little Kids Rock site, Facebook, and MySpace. A donation of $50 allows us to reach three more students.