Why Rock 'n' More will never take money from people who want to ban the playing of air guitar in public spaces.

Or, hey look! We made a value statement that puts into writing the values we've held since day one.

A while back I received a message from someone who said they were going to ask the board of directors of a small trust of which they were a member to give Rock ‘n’ More a donation. My first thought was, “wow, cool.” My second thought was, “I don’t know anything about this organization. What if this is an organization that is trying to make eating pizza illegal, or is trying to outlaw air guitar in public spaces?” Rock ‘n’ More could never take money from those organizations. Any organization that we partner with needs to have values that align with ours. I’ve known what our key values are for years, and I bet many of you have as well but, we haven’t put them in writing. Until now.

AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY, PERSEVERENCE

In order to serve our community by achieving our mission and fulfilling our vision, Dace’s Rock ‘n’ More Music Academy holds authenticity, transparency, and perseverance as core values. Rock ‘n’ More strives to be a safe, inclusive, and comfortable space for everyone with an emphasis on that of historically marginalized communities such as LGBTQIA2S+ and people of color.

As a queer-women-led non-profit organization, we feel that showing up authentically every day plays an important role in lessening bigotry and providing safety for others to do the same. The role that authenticity plays in music is even greater and more magical.

If someone is going to invest the time and money that it takes to learn a skill like playing an instrument, they’re going to need to trust the process and that’s why we are totally transparent in everything we do. Policies, procedures, financials, plans, etc. It’s all out there for everyone who is interested. Our top priority is the comfort of our students and families. Feeling safe and comfortable is a foundation upon which we believe we can all learn and grow.

Perseverance plays a pivotal role in learning a skill like playing an instrument. It is also pivotal in fostering community. Showing up every day is key, even when it’s not easy. Since Rock ‘n’ More began in 2005, our community has shown up for us every day and we promise to continue to do the same for our community. We’re all here for the same reasons and were all in it together.