Your humble chronicler of all sounds and smells de la rock is not often presented with a topic that doesnıt deserve a few (actually a ton of) sneers, jeers and insults. So often have I written of crappy rock bands, CDs, cassettes, concerts, band bios (phew), DJs, VJs, reality shows etc, et al, ad nauseum, that itıs become second nature to sharpen my acid pen, tongue and brain just to get through two minutes of a CD. Usually within thirty seconds of the first song, the insults and anger directed at the band floods my brain. Why the hell did they trick me into listening to their boring drivel? Who bought them a guitar? Why do they hate me so much?

So whatıs a jaded LA scenester burnout (thatıs me) supposed to do with a story about some goody two-shoes teacher in San Francisco who starts a music program for kids on his own initiative called Little Kids Rock?

Well first you read the press release/bio sent to SCORE! MUSIC by said teacher, Dave Wish. It all sounds too good to be true. Daveıs a 2nd grade teacher in GratefulDeadtown who was shocked to discover that public elementary schools in California ­ the rock music state if ever there was one - donıt offer cool stuff like art and music for the youth. God forbid the drones should have a taste of honey (relevant culture) on school grounds. Dave probably wasnıt actually all that shocked, but he said he was in the press release. This gap in public music education motivated him to pass his love of the guitar (heıs a jazzhead, but weıll let that slide for now) on to the hungry-for-current-music kids in his class. For some reason they werenıt connecting with ³Polly Wolly Doodle² and other idiotic songs that chorus teachers who hate their jobs are notorious for shoving down kidıs throats. Any song that wasnıt written in the 1800s and still has a copyright owned by the original songwriter rarely finds its way into the elementary school system.

That reminds me of my own chorus teacher from good old Everglades Elementary - Mr. Felcoski. He was a Vietnam Vet with a crew cut and a back so large that he split many a shirt leading us in the second verse of ³Feelinı Groovy². If he knew that song had anything to do with the effects of marijuana circa 1964 he would have flipped.

Back to the storyŠso Dave the teacher has a brainstorm inspired by his four-fingered guitar Buddha Djano Reindhardt. Why not offer the kids in his 2nd grade class a chance to express themselves thru music instead of the usual schoolyard antics like graffiti-ing Principal Skinnerıs car and selling smack in the cafeteria (Iım kidding, so donıt bother writing to tell me kids donıt sell smack in San Francisco cafeterias). So Dave, striving to reserve a spot inside the pearly gates ­ minus the 72 virgins ­ starts to create the Little Kids Rock concept. As the head LKR teacher Dave explains that while the kids get great lessons in creativity the teachers also gain from the experience: ³Being a Little Kids Rock teacher is like being a miner panning for gold.² Appropriate analogy Dave, considering Sutterıs mine is but a nuggetıs throw from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The idea that Dave is trying to teach kids music based on current musical styles and genres doesnıt sound all that radical, but believe me, it is. Anyone who has wandered through the public school system curriculum knows just how behind the times it is. Due to a convergence of factors that include reactionary parents, politically correct parents, Ritalin riddled kids and school district officials whose primary goal is to make everyone happy, public education in many cities has been reduced to a bland mush of gray, pointless pedantic indoctrinations. The kids who care quickly realize that they are being taught the same drivel that passed for education in 1953. All they have to do is flip on the Fox News Channel (19th Century Fox according to rich, white anti-war martyr/actor Tim Robbins) and hear Bill OıReilly ranting or simply walk down their city streets for that matter to realize that the world is a much different place than the one they learn about in school. Thereıs not much we can do about that, but Dave is doing his best to make sure that the kids at least have a chance to connect with whatıs happening in todayıs music right now. Since Dave is a jazz/rock (or is that rock/jazz?) guitarist, Iıll assume that he focuses on teaching standard guitar-oriented music. But as comedian Freddy Soto says, ³regartless² of that, this dude is on the right track. Once he introduces kids to the idea that they can be creative it will empower them in all areas of their lives. For some of these kids who have poor role models in the neighborhood or even in the home, latching onto a socially or politically conscious rock star or rapper as someone to emulate will give them inspiration to learn more about the world and improve themselves as people. A simple concept often lost on kids and adults today.

Daveıs ultimate goal for LKR appears to be to take the idea nationwide, which canıt be a bad thing for all those American elementary school lemmings thirsting for the oasis of rock and roll in our topsy-turvy world of 2003. I have to admit though that Iım a bit uneasy with the idea of the public school system promoting rock and roll, is it really a good idea to have cultural rebellion sanitized through a bureaucracy best suited for instilling conformity and passivity? As long as mini-rebels like Dave are in charge, I think rock and roll will survive the California State Bored of Education.

For more information:
www.littlekidsrock.org