Verona, NJ -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/03/2017 --Little Kids Rock, the nation's leading nonprofit provider of music instruction, instruments and curricula announced new leadership of its Board of Directors earlier this month. California-based singer/songwriter Chris Donohoe will assume the role this month from former Chairman of the Board, Mark Lipson of Bessemer Trust. Donohoe has been a Director on Little Kids Rock's National Board since 2015 and previously served as Chair of the organization's San Francisco Area Advisory Board.
"We are excited to congratulate Chris on his leadership role in the National Board of Directors," says Little Kids Rock Executive Director and Founder, David Wish. "With his many years of support and insight into the organization, he is the perfect match." Wish added, "Chris is focused on three things: mission, mission, and mission. That is why he is such a great fit for our organization."
Born in Sunnyvale, California, Donohoe grew up listening to his parents' vinyl record collection and the eclectic mix of artists like The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, Judy Collins, Benny Goodman, and The Fifth Dimension, to name a few. Chris always had music in his head, but it wasn't until college that he picked up a guitar and was hooked.
Though his music pursuits took a back seat as to pursuing a career as a TV Weather Anchor; Chris always had his guitar close at hand. Perhaps it was destiny that landed him television jobs in such storied music towns as Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Bakersfield, California because, Chris' passion for music and songwriting proved stronger than the storms he covered as a weather anchor, and he left television in 2001 to follow his passion and be a singer/songwriter in the ultimate music city, Nashville, Tennessee.
Now living in San Francisco with his wife Robin and their four children, Chris is a prolific songwriter and recording artist, releasing one project a year. "Music has always been incredibly important to who I am. It makes me feel alive, and it motivates me tremendously," Donohoe shared.
He is also motivated to share a passion for music with children nationwide. "I believe music is essential to human existence, and when kids play music it does wonders for their brains, their souls, and it builds a community which is so important in every school we serve," added Donohoe. In 2016, Little Kids Rock achieved the incredible milestone of reaching half of a million kids through its innovative program. Under the direction of Donohoe, the organization is poised to reach one million students within the next five years.
About Little Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. The organization partners with public school districts to train teachers to run its innovative Modern Band curriculum, and donates all the accompanying instruments and resources necessary to teach popular music in a way that empowers students to experience instant achievement. What began as a single after-school guitar class has since exploded into a national movement that brings free, weekly music lessons to more than 250,000 public school children through the efforts of more than 1,800 teachers in 127 school districts nationwide. To date, Little Kids Rock has served more than 500,000 students.
More info at http://www.littlekidsrock.org
