As all eyes turn to San Francisco for the big game, we’re gearing up to give back in an equally big way. Through its sponsorship of The Night Before Concert featuring Metallica, Salesforce is helping raise money for Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that offers free music education and instruments to underserved public schools.

Check out this short video and be inspired to pay it forward:

To donate to Little Kids Rock, visit salesforce.com/rock4kids. And be sure to share what music education meant to you and challenge your friends to do the same on social networks using #Rock4Kids.

When asked what music means to them, the 8th graders at Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco respond: everything. There, teacher Lauren Schwartz teaches students drums, keyboard, bass, guitar, and vocals every day beginning in sixth grade.

Ms. Lauren is one of more than 140 teachers in the Bay Area who are a part of Little Kids Rock. This rocking nonprofit has been helping students unleash their inner music-maker through fun, engaging, Modern Band music programs since 2002. They provide teachers like Ms. Lauren with the training, curriculum, instruments, and equipment necessary to give kids the right to rock. Their teach-a-man-to-fish model has helped support music programs in over 1,700 schools in 30 US cities, giving more than 400,000 students access to music education. Donate to the cause now.

Why do you support music education? Use #Rock4Kids and tell us why music education is important to you!

The confidence and skills kids gain through the program extends outside the classroom and permeates every aspect of their lives. They become more confident learners, better friends, and bigger dreamers. Salesforce is proud to partner with Little Kids Rock to help power the next generation of rock stars.

Salesforce is committed to the communities where our employees live and work, and to empowering the leaders of tomorrow. Little Kids Rock is an example of an organization doing just that through a creative, innovative and scalable program. Not only have they been using Salesforce.org technology since 2006, but Little Kids Rock students have rocked out at Dreamforce four years running and received regular support from employee volunteers.

Music enhances the process of learning. The systems it nourishes, including our emotional capacity, are shown to be the driving forces behind all other learning. (Source)

Music training is a powerful way to improve children’s abstract reasoning skills. The sooner children are hands-on with musical instruments, the more opportunities they have for growth. (Source)

High school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages than non-musicians in the same schools — and they often have a lot of fun, too. (Source)

One more stat, in case you’re still not convinced: Schools with music programs have an attendance rate of 93.3% compared to 84.9% in schools without music programs. (Source)

With music instruction in schools, teachers found that students were less aggressive, more in touch with their emotions, and more connected to others. (Source)

Students lagging behind in scholastic performance caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22% when given music instruction over seven months. And those are the type of students we want to encourage. (Source)

Why do you support music education? Use #Rock4Kids and tell us why music education is important to you!

Support music education, support Little Kids Rock! Donate now.