David Wish

Fueled by his belief that we are all innately musical, Dave Wish founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that funds and runs one of the largest, free instrumental music programs in US public schools today. Little Kids Rock is also a leading provider of free instruments and curriculum. Dave has initiated and managed the launch of campaigns to restore and revitalize music education for more than 400,000 low-income children in 12 states.

A recognized social entrepreneur, Dave has been awarded numerous honors for his work in the field, including prestigious fellowships from Ashoka, The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, The Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation, and The Goldhirsh Foundation, as well as receiving the 2014 New Jersey State Governor’s Jeffersonian Awards in the ‘Ambassador’ category for his exemplary volunteer service beyond the borders of New Jersey.

Dave’s work has been highlighted by national and local media outlets including The New York Times, CNN Headline News, Time Magazine, MTV, A&E, The Dr. Phil Show and National Public Radio. He has also been a speaker at the LEGO Idea Conference, Imagine Solutions Conference, Social Innovation Summit, TEDxSantaCruz and the Net Impact Conference.

Dave is active in the broader field of music education. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium as well as the Advisory Boards of SpreadMusicNow and Oberlin’s Music in America Initiative.