Sweetwater Commits $500,000 to Little Kids Rock Organization

The program donations offer K-12 students access to quality music education. Partnership has served more than one million students thus far.

FORT WAYNE, Ind., October, 20, 2020 – Sweetwater, the world’s leading music technology and instrument retailer, today announced the continuation of its partnership with Little Kids Rock, national nonprofit transforming lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education, with a pledge to donate $500,000 over five years to help them on their mission to build the next generation of music makers.

The partnership will also include the development of a unique portal that provides Little Kids Rock teachers and parents of more than 550,000 participating students with access to discounted pricing on instruments. Additionally, a portion of the funds will be used to invest in Fort Wayne Community Schools District’s Little Kids Rock program, including teacher and student performance events.

“We are proud to continue to support our friends at Little Kids Rock on their mission to see that every student has the opportunity to participate in fun and engaging music programs,” said Chuck Surack, Founder and CEO of Sweetwater Sound. “It is important for us to continue to dedicate resources that enable children to become involved in activities when they are facing so much uncertainty today. Music is an outlet that can have a profound impact on a child’s life and we are honored to be a part of that.”

The Sweetwater and Little Kids Rock partnership was born three years ago and has since helped bring music to more than one million students and build music programs in public schools across America. In support of this goal, Sweetwater is the official distributor of instruments and equipment to Little Kids Rock programs across the U.S. and provides annual funding via its corporate philanthropy and customer donation program totaling over $675,000 since 2016 and resulting in over $1.2 million worth of musical instruments placed directly into classrooms every year.

This partnership provides the Sweetwater community with the opportunity to actively support the emerging music makers of tomorrow through their philanthropic giving strategy and distribution of thousands of instruments to public schools each year. Sweetwater’s loyal customers are encouraged by Sweetwater Sales Engineers to make a donation to Little Kids Rock at Point-ofSale.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Sweetwater. Their commitment to supporting our mission will have an incredible impact on our work,” says David Wish, Founder & CEO of Little Kids Rock. “Since our partnership began with Sweetwater in 2016, more than 2,000 teachers have received gear from Sweetwater and nearly 40,000 instruments have been distributed thanks to donations to Little Kids Rock and discounted purchases by teachers.”

To learn more about the partnership, visit https://www.sweetwater.com/feature/little-kids-rock/.

About Sweetwater Sound

Founded in 1979, Sweetwater is the No. 1 online retailer of music instruments and audio gear in the U. S. The company is respected as the nation’s leading retailer serving musicians, recording studios, broadcast, education, and houses of worship. Sweetwater’s customers can be found everywhere music is heard and audio is played, broadcast, or recorded, including recording, film, and broadcast studios in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami; in hundreds of thousands of home recording studios; and in schools and churches nationwide. Sweetwater’s founding and meteoric growth are built on a knowledgeable and experienced staff, outstanding selection and pricing, and, above all, an unwavering commitment to customer service excellence in every situation. For further information, visit Sweetwater.com.

About Little Kids Rock

Little Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in U.S. schools. Their network of thousands of K-12 teachers across 44 states lead a national movement that brings innovative and inclusive music education to students. Using genres including rock, pop, Latin, and rap, their program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. Little Kids Rock students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Little Kids Rock also donates necessary instruments and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs. More than 550,000 kids currently participate in Little Kids Rock programs nationwide. Since 2002, the organization has reached more than one million students with highly-inclusive and culturally relevant music education. For more information, visit littlekidsrock.org.