Finding a new groove: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer launches music program in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On a weekly basis, you can hear a jam session vibrating from the basement of Milwaukee's Don & Sallie Davis Boys and Girls Club.
That's thanks to a new program made possible by Chad Smith, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"I knew, certainly by the time I was in high school, this is what I want to do," Smith told CBS 58 reporter, Jenna Wells. "I love music, I love the drums, I want to be a musician."
It was that lifelong passion that inspired the Chad Smith Foundation, an organization based in Milwaukee, and directed by Chad's nephew, Lewis Smith.
"When you've had as much success as he had, you get to a place where you look back, and you think about what your legacy's going to be, or the impact that you can have on the next generation," Lewis explained.
The foundation's cornerstone initiative is called AMP: After-school Music Program - bringing instruments and music instructors directly to organizations that benefit children in the community.
"We just try to come in and fill those gaps, bring in qualified instructors and pay them good wages, build consistency with them, and have weekly lessons going across a variety of instruments," Lewis described.
Chad Smith credits much of his career to the many music programs at his suburban Detroit public schools - an experience that's becoming less common across the United States.
"Music education and the arts are the first things that get cut out of schools, especially public schools," Smith explained. "When there's music and art in schools, their attendance is up, you do better in other subjects, your family gets involved, graduation rates are up."
He wants AMP to be an outlet for kids who may not otherwise have access to music education, and to prove how transformative music can be.
"It's just been so fulfilling for me and incredible. I'm so fortunate to have this life that I love," Smith said. "Still to this day, I probably love playing music more than I ever did. So, we want to expose people to that."
This year, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee became AMP's launchpad, and the Davis club has space for lessons, recording, and performances.
"As I've come back to the club day after day, week after week, it just keeps growing, and growing, and growing," said Jeff Snell, the president of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.
Any club members in the system can sign up for AMP. The program been active for about three months, and it's already getting a lot of interest.
"That's something we strive for at the club, so the kids learn to find their voice, have a sense of agency, develop those latent skills and gifts and abilities," Snell explained. "We're just thrilled that music is going to become a great platform for us to do just that.
The program offers incentives to keep kids coming back.
"If students stick around long enough, they can get their own instruments or gear, get the ability to play at Summerfest, or maybe even get to meet Chad one day," Lewis said. "It's an activity that can provide a lot of purpose, identity, bring groups together, and just have fun making a whole lot of noise."
"MAKE SOME NOISE" is the foundation's catchphrase: and when they make all that noise, it can strike a chord.
"It might be the first time - you might have no idea what you're doing, but just doing something and getting the sound as a reaction from it is an incredible initial experience," Lewis explained.
When that spark is ignited, it's shared between the student and the instructor.
"I really get emotional at that moment, because we didn't know how much impact music would make in our lives until later on," gushed Chad's brother, Brad Smith, who is a foundation board member and an AMP instructor. He's also the guitarist for Milwaukee band, Kitty Soft Paw. "Now that we're able to look back and bring these kids into it, I really feel we're giving them skills and experiences that they will also feel rewarded later in life."
"It's like, furthering their love for life and love for music," Chad remarked. "In these crazy times, that's a really great thing to have."
Milwaukee is AMP's first stop. Once it's fine-tuned, they plan to launch it in more cities: starting in the Midwest.
"It's great to be able to have a bunch of music being made in southeastern Wisconsin, to have the next generation of artists come from southeastern Wisconsin," Lewis emphasized.
When Jenna asked Chad to share any words of advice for young musicians, he preached empathy, practice, and passion.
"Really just play from the heart and be authentic, and that will connect with people every time," he concluded.
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