SHARE

Lego, Little Kids Rock Band Together To Bring Music To Bridgeport Students

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The gift of 50 instruments Friday is just what Bridgeport's Roosevelt School needed to bring the sound of music to the students through a new program. 

Students at Bridgeport's Roosevelt School show off the donation of musical instruments.

Students at Bridgeport's Roosevelt School show off the donation of musical instruments.

Photo Credit: Salvatore Trifilio
Photo Credit: Salvatore Trifilio

Students, faculty and staff gathered together in the gymnasium Friday as representatives from the LEGO Community Fund and Little Kids Rock presented the gift, which will allow the school to teach instrumental music.

Keith Hejna, communications officer at Little Kids Rock, said the gift was just one of many to schools throughout Bridgeport. The program, which was financed by LEGO, has distributed nearly 600 instruments to schools in the city.

“One key thing is that [this gift] won’t just reach kids this year,” Hejna said. “It’s a sustainable program.”

What makes the program so sustainable is that Little Kids Rock doesn’t just donate the instruments and hope for the best, , according to Hejna. Rather, the organization -- which launched its Bridgeport chapter in January -- trains local teachers on how to teach music and how to teach popular music from the last 60 years.

The program, according to Laura Post of the LEGO Community Fund, is in line with its philosophy and mission and just the start of “supporting charitable initiatives in Connecticut.”

“We’ve never partnered with Little Kids Rock before, but we’ve been in contact and we’re excited,” Post said. “[The program] is creative drive and very squarely in our mission.”

Dubbed “Modern Band,” the nationwide nonprofit’s program helps kids get interested in playing instruments by teaching them popular music, like the song “Just The Way You Are,” by Bruno Mars, that was performed by students, acapella, at the unveiling Friday, March 13. The students had been practicing for just a couple weeks with teachers trained by Little Kids Rock.

“The best part about this program is it only takes a couple of weeks to start rocking,” Hejna said.

And while teachers may have received their initial training in January, weekly online curriculum instruction and professional development days will help keep Bridgeport teachers up to date, so the students continue to grow musically.

“Instruments don’t change children,” Hejna said. “Teachers do.”

 

to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE