Guitar Center Replaces Instruments Stolen From Marshall School’s Band

Guitar Center partnered with a music nonprofit to present replacements for some of the audio equipment and instruments stolen from the John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School last month to the band and its teacher last Friday at its Pasadena store.

“When we heard of this horrible situation, it only made sense that we help by replacing as many stolen items as possible,” said Guitar Center’s Pasadena store manager, Scott Smith.

The Center along with Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit music education provider to U.S. public schools, replaced stolen speakers, condenser microphones, a bass amplifier, a bass guitar, and electric guitar and an eight-channel audio mixer.

“Marshall High School is thrilled,” said John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School’s music director, Joel Lopez. “The music program would not be where it is without the support of such excellent community partners and friends.”

In 2014, Lopez attended Little Kids Rock’s free music workshop, where he and other teachers from the Los Angeles area were trained and equipped to launch the Little Kids Rock “Modern Band” program, which helps facilitate the teaching of popular musical styles that kids know and love, like rock, hip hop, country, blues and funk.

“When we heard that instruments were stolen from one of the schools we support, we were obviously devastated, especially since it is National Music In Our Schools Month,” says Little Kids Rock founder and CEO David Wish. “We are so grateful that Guitar Center could help replace the instruments on such short notice so that our kids can continue to unleash their inner music makers this school year.”