Smokey Robinson to Visit L.A. School Next Week in Support of Music Education

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Credit: Mark JaworskiSmokey Robinson will pay a special visit to Pio Pico Middle School in Los Angeles next Wednesday, January 18, to present a $1 million check on behalf of the Niagara Cares charity in support of music education. While at the school, the Motown legend also will deliver some brand-new instruments and will be treated to performances of a few of his classic tunes by the students.

Niagara Cares, which is the philanthropic arm of Niagara Bottling company, is donating the funds in support of the Little Kids Rock organization’s campaign to restore and expand music-education programs in public schools.

“Little Kids Rock is such a great organization for supporting the effort for getting our kids in the arts in schools,” says Robinson, who was honored as the charity’s “Rocker of the Year” at its October 2016 gala in New York City. “We need to support our kids in as many positive areas as we possibly can. We are not only talking about the future of music; we are talking about the future of our country. We are talking about the future; our future period.”

After Smokey’s visit to the school, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Little Kids Rock plans to donate more instruments and expand its program to 30 more schools in the district on January 28 at the organization’s Modern Band Workshop at L.A.’s Miramonte Elementary School. Little Kids Rock first partnered with the L.A. school district in 2004, and since then has distributed more than 7,000 instruments and provided resources worth over $2 million.

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