Watch These ‘Band Grandpas’ Use Their Musical Skills to Teach Children

Rockford Illinois’ Band Grandpas stemmed from a thought Dr. Arnie Rosen had when contemplating how to spend the rest of his life. Specifically, Rosen thought, “… When I retire I want to be a ‘Band Grandpa.’”

What exactly is a “band grandpa,” you ask? It’s the name given to a program Rosen was integral in starting — with the cooperation of the Rockford Public Schools (RPS 205) — that sees musically talented retirees volunteering their time to help the district’s children learn about music.

The RPS 205 Band Grandpas will participate in All-City Fine Arts week! The group will perform at All-City Band at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, where high school and middle school band students will perform at the Coronado Performing Arts Center! Our Band Grandpas are retired volunteers who share their music expertise and passion for music with our middle school students. #ourkidsrock #ourvolunteersrock #coronado #finearts #allcity #rockford #rockfordil #rps205 #music

A post shared by Rockford Public Schools (@rps205) on Jan 24, 2018 at 2:25pm PST

As explained on the school district’s Instagram page, “Our Band Grandpas are retired volunteers who share their music expertise and passion for music with our middle school students.”

As seen in the video below, the Band Grandpas travel to different schools each week to teach band to students who otherwise might not have access to musical education. The relationship goes even deeper than just student-teacher however, as seen in the clip where one of the grandpas discusses the bond he forged with a student over the child’s home life.

Be sure to SHARE the Band Grandpas heartwarming story with anyone you know who cares about music education.