Disability and Progress-November 13, 2025-Rocking For Inclusion

[00:00:00] Speaker A: KPI.org and greetings and thank you for joining Disability and Progress, where we bring you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics. My name is Sam. I'm the producer of the show. I want to remind you that you may get on my email list by emailing [email protected] Also, there are so many ways to hear this show live or on our KFAI app on any smartphone, or ask your smart speaker, sometimes not so smart, to please play Disability and Progress. Tonight, though, we are speaking with a couple guys. We are speaking with Kevin Marsh March. Sorry. And Andre Ortiz, and we're talking about Rocking for Inclusion. Good evening, guys. [00:01:58] Speaker B: Good evening. How are you doing? [00:02:00] Speaker A: Good. Did I get it right? Is it Andre and Kevin? [00:02:08] Speaker B: Well, is it really pronounced Andres? [00:02:11] Speaker A: Andres, I am so sorry. Okay. [00:02:14] Speaker B: That's okay. [00:02:15] Speaker C: No problem. Yes. And it was, right, Kevin March. That was correct. [00:02:20] Speaker A: Thank you. All right, well, thank you so much for giving me some time from you guys tonight. Very much appreciate that. And I want to start out by asking you to talk a little bit about how RFI, or Rocking for Inclusion was formed. [00:02:37] Speaker B: Well, it started when I was 23 or 22, and I was inspired by the School of Rock All Stars. And I thought, if they can do that, I can do the same thing myself, but with autistic musicians and neurotypical musicians as well, all combined together to be in one band. And I thought that'd be a unique thing to do, huh? [00:03:04] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. So how do you recruit musicians to join or how do they find you? [00:03:14] Speaker C: So this is I had when I met Andreas. I was his drum instructor for many years, and he kept talking about this dream he had of forming a band and being able to go out and do shows. Like, he mentioned the School of Rock All Stars, which is the top Musicians of top 1% musicians in school of Rock. And I'm the general manager at the School of Rock and Montclair. And we kept talking about this, and more and more neurodivergent adults were coming into our regular adult program because we want to integrate all abilities into our programs. And I told Andreas, I think we have enough people to start this band of yours. And then through the process of his parents being very supportive, we were able to create the nonprofit. And then what happens is the band formed, and now more musicians are coming to School of Rock and starting to take lessons. So when they get to a certain level or abilities, at least to be able to play some of the songs, we're able to maybe bring them into the band, and that's what we've done. And we have one of our instructors there that works with them on a weekly basis to rehearse. [00:04:35] Speaker A: What. What's the age of the general musician at School of Rock? [00:04:43] Speaker C: They range from 4 years old to 70 at the moment. And the rocking for inclusion band members are in their 20s to 30s. [00:04:56] Speaker A: Cool. All right. I feel like I've seen players from School of Rock perform with a very accomplished musician before. So that's probably another. Another topic for another time. But. So I want to. Before I dive into this, could you. I want to understand how it's different working with neurodiverse musicians as opposed to. Not neurodiverse musicians. But could you, before you do that, give a definition of neurodiverse for those of those who don't know that? [00:05:41] Speaker C: Andres, do you want to answer that? [00:05:44] Speaker B: Sure, I'll try. Well, there's no. Really. There's not really a difference. And when it comes to neurotypical or typical musicians, when I play on stage, for example, I don't look like a person with autism playing. I. I'm just enjoying playing the. The drums and having a. And I look at the audience and I look at musicians for cues, and I. Neurodiverse is autistic, and Neurodiverse is autistic. [00:06:26] Speaker A: Ah, okay. This is a wide. Does it encompass just the wide range of autism? [00:06:34] Speaker B: There is a wide range of autism, yes. [00:06:37] Speaker A: Gotcha. [00:06:39] Speaker C: So from my experience of working with the neurodivergent students, there's different abilities. They may have some, and they are able to communicate in different ways. So at School of Rock, what I've been able to understand is communicating to learn, like over a little bit of time through music, what they're able to learn and then present in a group setting, and then over that several months or whatever, we're able to, as instructors, see how they best learn. So, and I can say neurotypical people, everyone learns differently. So it's really getting to know the individual. And I think that's the most important thing is can we bring to the table who this individual is with neurodiverse or neurotypical? But there are different ways of working. The joy that comes from this is seeing the potential of these musicians come to life. [00:07:46] Speaker A: Really, when you think about it, though, I mean, just like somebody who isn't neurodiverse or neurotypical, they all have different ways of learning too, right? So, I mean, everyone's different, and you just got to figure out their best learning style. It sounds like correct. [00:08:05] Speaker C: That's exactly. [00:08:09] Speaker A: So Andreas, I wonder if you could talk about had you had any previous experience with performing as you do now in front of an audience? [00:08:22] Speaker B: You certainly have. I had the opportunity. I had been in the School of Rock for many years. Well, I was in two. First I was in the School of rock Chatham until 2015. I started there in 2009 but then I joined the School of Rock Montclair full time, I think in 2016 or 2017 and I've been full time with the adult program ever since. But I had had opportunity to be in their summer camp for a couple years and 18 and 19. [00:09:06] Speaker A: And when you play what. What are you singing? What's your instrument? [00:09:13] Speaker B: You play the drums and percussion and sometimes I do saying yes. [00:09:21] Speaker A: Excellent. So what does it feel like when you're playing in the band for an audience? [00:09:28] Speaker B: Makes me feel great both inside and out. Love that feeling. [00:09:35] Speaker A: And so how has performing in front of an audience changed for you? Like when you first started, what was it like and how is it different now? [00:09:44] Speaker B: When I started I. But how am I gonna do with this? Turns out I didn't need to worry after all. I. Then when I got older I thought I love performing any kind of audience, large or small. [00:10:03] Speaker A: I wonder if each of you would share like who your musician heroes are, like who are your favorite top? [00:10:15] Speaker B: Well, my idol star Ringo Starr from the Beatles. I discovered him on Shining Time Station when I was a kid but my dad was, my dad was the one that got me into the Beatles. And of course Kevin here, he's one of the another one and Greg Bisson who is Ringo's drummer and David Lee Ross drummer and Roger Taylor Queen. [00:10:42] Speaker C: And. [00:10:44] Speaker B: Max Weinberg from Bruce Springsteen who I got to play with at the Stone Pony even at a golf club. [00:10:53] Speaker A: Cool. Wow. All people I've heard of. Excellent. How about you, Kevin? [00:10:58] Speaker C: Well, I started out in playing drums at a very young age and Peter Chris from Kiss was my first really introduction to playing drums and then and all the makeup, you know, that drew me in and I knew I wanted to perform at that young age. I think I told my mother, I know what I want to do, I want to be a rock star. [00:11:20] Speaker A: And she was like, sure you do, honey, sure. [00:11:24] Speaker C: I was already playing the drums. But I would say Freddie Mercury, I think is one of my heroes as somebody who exudes so much confidence and what it is to be a performer and. And one of my favorite drummers is Keith Moon for the same reason when they sit down when they perform that you can just tell that's what they're meant to do. And of course, John Bonham from Led Zeppelin was a big favorite of mine. But these are. When you see this, the natural ability of people. I think that's what I was drawn to. You really saw that real person. And I have to say, from working with Andreas over the years, he is that he sits at the drums when we were doing drum lessons. He just loves it. And I think that's what people see from rocking for inclusion to bring it back to that, how it's connected. The hero, Ringo Starr, we call him. We call him that, but he brings that energy that I'm talking about, like Freddie Mercury, the charisma on that stage because it's his true self that they're seeing. [00:12:32] Speaker A: Who came up with the. The rfi? [00:12:39] Speaker B: I did, actually, and I thought that'd be a unique name to use for a band. [00:12:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I like the idea of inclusion, right? [00:12:50] Speaker B: Yes. Because all about inclusion and nothing about excluding at all. [00:12:56] Speaker A: Right. What do you guys feel like the benefits are for somebody who is neurodiverse playing in rfi? What are the benefits for that? What do the musicians gain from doing that? [00:13:13] Speaker B: To show that they can get along very well and see how they play with each other and spread the message as long as we can. [00:13:29] Speaker C: And I would say watching them and helping as they do it is understanding that they have abilities, if we. To work together in ways that some people don't see sometimes. And when they're playing their music, when they're actually playing songs, they're communicating in ways a neurotypical person might not notice, and they're able to just play their music and then they end the song and then they'll communicate that way as well. It really allows for them to interact in a group setting, and I think that's really important for them in a social environment. [00:14:12] Speaker A: I wonder. It sounds like. So first of all, do is kind of the requirement of being an RFI having a disability or do you have people with no disabilities? [00:14:33] Speaker B: Well, we. [00:14:39] Speaker C: There's musicians without. Without. The idea is neurodiverse and neurotypical. There are couple neurotypical that help out and are in the band that play with them as well. [00:14:50] Speaker A: Gotcha. So I'm wondering about the different, you know, disabilities and how they. Their learning styles. How does that model work? How do you make it work when you're doing the, you know, lessons and playing together? [00:15:12] Speaker C: From an educational standpoint, I think it comes from, you know, understanding what someone is capable of doing. Some of the Students with autism that I've worked with or that are neurodiverse, they can learn something very quickly and then play it. So it's an actual. They can learn songs very fast and at a high level, too. And I think that's the understanding that we want to feed that potential for growth, and that's understanding what each individual ability is of that student, and we cater the education to that to help them grow, and then we learn through that process. Oh, you can do this. Oh, this might be challenging for you. So we try to, in our lessons and in a group setting, make sure we're aware of those things. But it does take a minute sometimes, like I said, with anybody. Right. How do they learn? [00:16:16] Speaker A: And so with their music lessons, are they. Do they. Are they discounted? How does that work? [00:16:28] Speaker C: The program is a nonprofit, so no, they would be. What? You're just part of the program. So. [00:16:35] Speaker A: Ah, okay. [00:16:36] Speaker C: The funds we raise. So we're doing this fundraiser on Saturday in Montclair. It's to raise funds so that we could have the rehearsals each week so instructors can work with them. When we do performances, we have a sound person that brings equipment. So just to fund all those types of things is what we're raising funds for so that students that are participating aren't paying anything to be part of. [00:17:03] Speaker A: Rocking for inclusion, how do you select songs that you want to be a part of? What the musicians are learning? How do you pick those? [00:17:14] Speaker B: We pick the best songs that are suitable for, like, for the singer's best voice. Like, you had to sing the song that's suitable enough for your voice, and. And because if you do, you'll sound incredible. And. [00:17:36] Speaker A: But who comes up with the idea of what song? So, like, do the performers say, I'd like to perform this song. Can we learn this song? Or, Kevin, are you a big part of selecting the pieces? [00:17:52] Speaker C: The initial thing happened was Andreas, since this is his dream, he came up with a list of songs, and then we went through those, and we go, we'll start with these. And then once the group started to come together, part of the inclusion is including what they love. So then some of the other musicians brought songs in, and then they started learning those. And then you start to realize, oh, this person sings this type of song really well, or they play this song on the drums really well. And band is starting to sound great that way. So we kind of curate their set list and the songs they're working on based on what they brought to the table. Like, Andreas's. [00:18:37] Speaker A: Right. [00:18:37] Speaker C: Wanted to request they May have to want to do. Is it appropriate? You know, you have to go through some of that sometimes. So we really try to include their desires of songs they want to do. But it initially started with a list of. Of quite a few songs. About 25 songs, I think, that Andres started with, and he and I narrowed that down to a few to get started with so that we could create a show that was about 45 minutes long. [00:19:09] Speaker A: How many people are RFI? Oh, sorry, Andres, were you going to add something? [00:19:14] Speaker B: Yes. For example, for some people in the band Jasmine, who. One of our singers, when she sings Amy Winehouse. When. When she sings, it sounds like Amy Winehouse is alive again. And it's unbelievable. When Rosie sings Jefferson Airplane, Somebody Love, it's awesome. Pretty much a great slick style. And when Sam, who is a singer, songwriter, he writes his own material. He's even collaborated with Kevin, and he sounds great, but he also sings Bruce Springsteen pretty well, but we had to change the chord of the song to make it sound better. [00:19:56] Speaker A: Ah. And so how. How many people are in rfi? [00:20:05] Speaker C: There's eight. Yeah, there's eight members at the moment that perform. [00:20:10] Speaker A: So I presume that you kind of help Andres or Kevin sort out, like, who could best sing what part if it comes to. Absolutely. And then. [00:20:25] Speaker C: Correct. And we have a. A music. I oversee it. And then we have a music director that works with them each week, Rob Benista, who's phenomenal. He's a multi instrumentalist, really great at working with the musicians. So he kind of runs a rehearsal on a schedule. So they all have to adhere to, like, a schedule rehearsal where we're going to do this song now. And then he arranges. Oh, we should maybe try this or try that. And then the success comes from out of experimenting a little bit with certain songs. And he mentioned Riley. He. He wrote two songs. One of them is called Acceptance of Diversity that he just happened to have. So they actually play that live as well. [00:21:14] Speaker A: So it's. I'm wondering what types of accessibility that the musicians get support. Like, are they using. You might have some that just learn by ear. Are they getting, like, little tracks that they get recorded for them so they can learn by that, do any of them sit and actually read music, or are there a lot of different things that you might use to help them learn? [00:21:48] Speaker C: We use the recorded versions of the songs mostly. And a lot of the students that are part of Rocking for inclusion, I think all of them also attend School of Rock where they'll work with an individual instructor that may introduce reading Some of them can read music really well, and others learn by ear. So we use a lot of the actual song to do that, and then we have the ability to get the individual parts at least written to do that. And then the instructor is able to demonstrate the individual part. But we're very surprised. They can also figure out what the part is that they need to learn. We just direct them and. Okay, let's work on this section. [00:22:33] Speaker A: How many different I learned. Go ahead. [00:22:35] Speaker B: How I learned to play music is I play by ear, and I even watch Drum covers on YouTube to see who does the closest to the original recording. [00:22:47] Speaker A: Ah, there you go. That's a good way to do it. [00:22:51] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:22:52] Speaker A: So how many different instruments are in the. The band? [00:22:59] Speaker B: We have them on guitars and bass, keyboards and drums and vocals. That's all we have. [00:23:09] Speaker A: Okay. [00:23:09] Speaker B: At least for now. [00:23:10] Speaker A: All right. [00:23:11] Speaker C: Gotta work on getting your standard rock band. [00:23:13] Speaker A: Gotta get some violins, I think. Do you know, electric light orchestra? They have strings. They have violins in their music. [00:23:20] Speaker B: Oh, yes. [00:23:21] Speaker A: They're awesome. So you gotta add some violins there. [00:23:24] Speaker C: Amazing. [00:23:25] Speaker B: We haven't done like that yet, but if we do, we simulate with the keyboards. [00:23:31] Speaker A: Put that in your future. Future life. [00:23:34] Speaker C: I used to be in a band called the Dam Builders, and our. We had a violinist that played through an amp. Just like a guitar. [00:23:41] Speaker A: An electric violin, right? [00:23:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:23:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Cool, cool. What kind of accommodations are in place being on stage? Like, if you're dealing with cables and things like that? Are there any extra things that you guys have kind of practiced with to make sure nobody gets tangled or how do you do that? [00:24:06] Speaker B: We would practice the stage presence and who should say what during the show, like, who should introduce it and not speak too fast and. And don't speed up the song and that kind of stuff. We want to do work on a perfection. [00:24:25] Speaker A: Right. [00:24:25] Speaker C: The cables and gear that's on stage. They'll have regular amps and everything. They are already used to doing that, usually because they've done our. The School of rock adult program, where they're around the amps and understand. Because they. We go over that in the rehearsals. Like, when you're on stage, this is what you want to do. Make sure you hand the cable to somebody or be respectful of the microphones and whatnot. So they're kind of. Before going into rocking for inclusion, most of them have had that real experience of performing on a stage with direction from somebody exposing them to those. [00:25:06] Speaker A: Okay. [00:25:06] Speaker C: Obstacles on stage. [00:25:08] Speaker A: Right, right. Andres. I'm curious, being autistic, can I use that term? Is that Okay. [00:25:19] Speaker B: I have no problem with that. [00:25:20] Speaker A: Okay. Well, because I have some experience with people who have autism, and I do know sometimes there's like, too much, you know, it's a little bit overwhelming or can be. How do you prepare yourself for that? Are there other times that you feel like, oh, my. Too much stimulation or. Or. And then what do you do to kind of handle that? [00:25:51] Speaker B: Well, I have no problem with that kind of stuff at all. I deal with it very well. And it's easy for me to do, like I said earlier, to get along the band and perform live front of people. [00:26:13] Speaker C: A lot with musicians in general. And I think Andres can agree with this is nervousness and stuff is just around musicians just because of performing anxieties. [00:26:25] Speaker A: Right. [00:26:25] Speaker C: Everyone experiences them. So we work on breathing sometimes just like calming yourself down because adrenaline can hit you on stage. And we have to manage. [00:26:34] Speaker A: That totally does. [00:26:35] Speaker C: Everyone has to manage whatever this energy is they're experiencing so that it can stay focused on the song. So everyone I know who's a performing musician deals with that. So breathing is a really helpful thing beforehand. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Take deep breaths. [00:26:51] Speaker A: Yes. [00:26:51] Speaker B: And I would think positive thoughts while playing the drums. And I think to myself playing control. [00:27:00] Speaker A: And. [00:27:02] Speaker B: And if I do it, I think that was a great performance. [00:27:06] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. So what for you, Andreas, would you. What do you do when, you know, like, oh, this song is not going right? What do you do to kind of keep yourself, like, the show must go on bit, you know, we'll get through this and the next song will be better. What. How do you manage that? [00:27:32] Speaker B: I was thinking to myself, like, oh, that didn't sound that right. Like, the chord wasn't not right. And I don't remember that part. When to do a fill in that particular part of the song because of that mistake, if that happens, which doesn't happen too often, I would think that to myself and say, nonetheless, okay, we'll press on to the next song and let's keep going. [00:27:58] Speaker A: And Kevin, what do you teach as far as, like, how to deal with how the band members should deal with that kind of thing? [00:28:08] Speaker C: To not address it with a facial expression. [00:28:14] Speaker A: So it looks like, oops, act. [00:28:16] Speaker C: Like if you did something. One thing we say is, you know, when we're in a recording studio or whatever, do it again like you intended to do it. Sometimes we have to move with that because we're playing live music. You're in the present moment, and that's the great thing about playing live music. Just keep going, don't stop is what I always say, just don't stop. Just keep going. And you'll figure out a way to get back on track and you'll surprise yourself if you do it. So many people want to stop and start over. You can't do that. [00:28:50] Speaker A: Can't do that. [00:28:51] Speaker B: A lot of times I drop a drumstick occasionally, but instead of thinking, oops, I go, oh, ah, I got another drumstick and prepared on top of the bass drum, and I quickly grab it and carry on. Then I would either keep it or I would pick up the drumstick that I draw and continue with the show that way. [00:29:12] Speaker A: Got it. So I too play and I play violin. And my teacher says we do what's called msu. You know what that means? [00:29:25] Speaker B: To be sure. What does that mean? [00:29:27] Speaker A: Make stuff up. [00:29:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:32] Speaker A: So you like. You pretend like I meant to do that. Yeah. [00:29:36] Speaker C: Improvisation is very important. [00:29:39] Speaker A: Right. [00:29:39] Speaker C: Some of the greatest, greatest moments of music are that. [00:29:45] Speaker A: So when you have somebody who's working with musicians at rfi, what kind of training did they have to be able to work in this type of setting? [00:29:58] Speaker C: Most of them are, like I said, through School of Rock. They're actually instructors that are trained in instructing is mainly what we do. Some of our staff have experience working with Neurodiverse. They might be educated in that. Maybe a music therapy degree they might be doing. But most of the time they're just instructors at the school that have had experience doing that and know the students that they're working with. [00:30:29] Speaker A: Well, do you want to talk about the performance that's coming up? [00:30:34] Speaker B: We'll be glad to. This performance we're doing at Just Jake's this Saturday is a very special RFI fundraiser and it's going to be a very big deal. Other local performers will be support. Not only support supporting us, but also be performing in between as well. And we had quite a bit of donation so far, so we will be. [00:31:03] Speaker C: Live streaming it from. It's not gonna be the greatest sound quality, but it will be experienced to see what's going on. And like I said, it's for people to help help us raise funds for this amazing program to keep it going. I'm going to be performing. Some of the School of Rock staff is going to be performing and rocking for inclusion. We'll be doing three sets throughout the day to showcase their abilities. [00:31:31] Speaker A: And how long does the performance last? [00:31:36] Speaker B: For about 30 minutes each. Three for all those three sets. [00:31:42] Speaker C: And the entire show is going to be four hours. It starts at one and will end at five. And there'll be different performers, like I said, performing in between Rocking for Inclusion. [00:31:54] Speaker A: So presumably people can come to the place where you're performing. Jake's. Right, that's Jake's. And see, and they could have a stream online. So how do they. Are you selling tickets or how does that work? [00:32:14] Speaker B: Is, I think, free. But Kevin will get more detail on that. [00:32:20] Speaker C: Yeah, it's free to enter. We're accepting donations. And then the live stream is going to be streamed from School of Rock Montclair's Facebook page. And within that there'll be a comment where we're going to have the link so that you can donate, you can watch and you can donate from the Facebook page. [00:32:38] Speaker A: Excellent. [00:32:39] Speaker C: So people all around the world could participate in this amazing event. And this is our first. This is the initial fundraiser for Rocking for Inclusion. [00:32:50] Speaker A: So Kevin, I wonder if you could share a story about maybe how something has really improved, you know, the whole. The ambiance or the how the whole group works together. What's really been one of those moments that really helped bond people together. [00:33:10] Speaker C: Well, we did a performance at a. The local community farm. They do an event every year. They were doing a fundraiser and we had an opportunity for Rocking for inclusion to play three sets, 45 minutes in length. So we designed the same set. Since there would be people coming and going all day, we designed a set that we would play three times. And what they were able to do was become a band in a day where they did. Did one set, took a break, discussed amongst each other and with the directors. What can we improve on? Then they go back up there, you know, 20 minutes later, and they're able to work on that and play again. And then they did it one more time. So by the third set, this band was like, had come to life and they really learned how to play together because of the three different sets they did, the amount of time they were playing in one day. And they also proved to themselves what they were capable of. You know, somebody, I might get tired, the energy, they just kept doing it and getting better and better. So that was a highlight for them and for me as overseeing everything, just to see how the repetitive part and discussing worked for them to become great performers. [00:34:35] Speaker A: Do you track how musicians do? Like how maybe somebody's gotten better and better retention or their skills are better, the impacts that it might have on their confidence. Is there anything you guys track like that? [00:34:55] Speaker C: As we do at School of Rock, we do notes so we can go back and look at that. And then over time, you see it's very incremental with every musician at School of Rock, incremental changes. We're working on this and you'll keep working on it. Like Andreas and I were working on technique just to be relaxed. Or can you play the bass drum a little louder? So I would work on him with techniques and I put those in the notes. So I could always review it. He can review it. This is what we're working on. So we try to do that with all the individual lessons with every student. Neurodiverse or Neurotypical is make sure there's some note that we can look back on and make sure we're staying on track to help them progress. [00:35:42] Speaker A: Are you just how. Are there other funding avenues that you have or is it all based on doing fundraising for the school? [00:35:53] Speaker C: It's all based on fundraising. [00:35:55] Speaker A: Wow. [00:35:56] Speaker C: We don't have any grants. We don't have anything. We're very new and very excited about the possibilities of collaborating with other nonprofits in the area. One of the things that happened was when they played at the Community Farm event. A person that runs another adult day care educational facility ask Rocking for Inclusion to play their prop. So really cool stuff has happened. And we collaborated with other organizations. So we're looking to collaborate with other non profits. Maybe grants can possibly come into Rocking for Inclusion. They want a tour. They want to get out there and go around the country someday and play live in front of people to, you know, share the experience they've had and give that to other people. It's an opportunity. And more bands, hopefully. I think the big goal, can other bands be created out of this. But it will require funding and stuff like that for that to happen. [00:37:05] Speaker A: If anybody wants to join, do they audition? How does that work? What are the qualifications? [00:37:16] Speaker C: It's pretty. Most of the students are in our adult adult program, like I said at School of Rock. So we're seeing their ability. Usually I've done a lot of trials or I'll meet somebody who is interested. We have a student now that's interested, that's working with the music director as well, a keyboard player. So we're just. We go through a process of are they going to be able to do the rehearsals and what do we need to help them so that they can succeed to do that and then do the performance. And then I talked to Andres and the band members. The idea is there's another student that would like to come and try to join your band. We've had that happen several times where a musician wasn't able to do one of the performances. And we had this other student, and his name is Ezra, that came in and he's now a regular part of the program. [00:38:11] Speaker A: Cool. What happens if anybody wants to volunteer? Do you have spots for volunteers? [00:38:19] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, always. [00:38:20] Speaker B: We always do. [00:38:22] Speaker A: Are there requirements or what do you do? How do they get in? [00:38:28] Speaker B: They would have to learn to understand this and learn how to take this seriously and how to take us and learn how to get along and how to work hard and. And Kevin will tell you some more detail as well. [00:38:50] Speaker C: Yeah, we don't necessarily have a vetting situation for volunteers at the moment. I do at School of Rock where they'll come through. And a lot of our teachers, if they were going to work with Rocking for Inclusion, they're usually through School of Rock. So we've already vetted them. So volunteering is usually more the parents right now of a lot of the musicians or a sibling of one of the other musicians. [00:39:16] Speaker A: All right, give us the information one more time on this Saturday and how people can listen. [00:39:26] Speaker C: So it's going to be Saturday, November 15th. The event starts at 1 and goes till 5pm Eastern Standard Time. It's going to be live streamed from School of Rock Montclair's Facebook page and people can go to also donate by going to rockingforinclusion.org and the event Physic. If you in town in Montclair, it's at Just Jake's, which is 30 Park Street, Montclair, NJ 07042. [00:40:05] Speaker A: Kevin Andres, thank you so much. [00:40:09] Speaker B: Thank you for having us. We truly appreciate that. [00:40:12] Speaker A: Well, good luck on your performance. I hope you guys do awesome. [00:40:17] Speaker B: Thank you very much. [00:40:19] Speaker A: I might even try to get on a little bit and listen. That would be great. I'd love to hear you. [00:40:25] Speaker B: Oh, thank you very much. [00:40:27] Speaker C: You can jam along with your violin. It was so nice talking to you and thank you for taking the time. [00:40:35] Speaker A: Thank you guys. [00:40:36] Speaker B: You're welcome. Have a good night. [00:40:41] Speaker A: We'll be back right after this. Programming on KFAI is supported in part by the Bush Foundation. Proud to partner with the Good Relatives Collaborative to announce the 2025 Bush Prize Native nations honorees, the Minneapolis Indian Center, Makoche Agriculture Development and Turtle Mountain Impact. More information is online at goodrelativescollaborative.org 90.3. [00:41:11] Speaker D: KFAI Fresh Air Radio is a proud member of AMPERS, the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations. Ampers helps support 17 independent community radio stations like KFAI throughout Minnesota. AMPERS is not affiliated with nor does it receive funding from Minnesota Public radio or Minnesota's public TV stations. Many of the AMPER stations were receiving and have now lost federal funding. The $3.5 million loss accounted for as much as half of some of the stations on operating revenue. Despite the cuts, Community Radio is defunded, not defeated. But we need your help. In addition to supporting kfai, we ask that you consider donating to ampers statewide effort to keep Community Radio on the dial. Donate generously online [email protected]. [00:42:23] Speaker A: And you have been listening to Disability and Progress, the views expressed on the Shore, not necessarily those of KFAI or its board of directors. My name is Sam. I'm the host of your show. Charlene Dahl is my PR research person. Tonight we're speaking with Kevin March and Andres Ortiz, talking about Rocking for Inclusion. Check that out if you can. This Saturday, this is KFEI 90.3 FM, Minneapolis, and kfpi.org we want to remind you also that we have an email list you can be on for many things, Disability and [email protected] fresh fruit is up next. Thank you so much for listening. Take care.