The NAMM show provides a great showcase for kid-oriented companies that may otherwise be overlooked in favor of the big-ticket brands. One newcomer at this year’s show, Rock & Roll High (rockandrollhigh.com), hopes to make its mark in this underserved, but vital, segment. As Rock & Roll High’s President, Aaron Burch, tells it, “We want to be the kid brand.” The company’s first product offering, the Volt, demonstrates just how serious it is about cornering this market. “It’s the world’s first kid guitar that’s actually made for kids,” Burch explained. Burch has been a music teacher for the past 10 years, and came up with the idea for the Volt during one unforgettable guitar lesson. “One day a kid looked up at me who was 6 years old and said, ‘I don’t want to do this. It’s too heavy. I want to go play soccer,’” he recalled. “The kid weighed about 42 pounds, and he was playing a mini Strat. So, I took it home and weighed it. It turns out, it was 12 percent of his body weight.” In order to drive this point home, Burch tied a sandbag to an adult-sized guitar and invited visitors to the Rock & Roll High booth to try playing it. “With the sandbag on it, that guitar is 12 percent of my weight, and it feels ridiculous. I would never want to play it,” said Burch. “So, I designed the Volt, which is 40 percent lighter than a standard guitar.” The Volt also incorporates some other features for kids who are just learning how to play. “The fret patterns across the neck are color coded. So, in a retail shop, you can teach a kid that’s never played guitar before to play a simple song in two minutes,” Burch explained. “He can stand up and play it because it’s nice and light. And Mom is super impressed there in the store, so she’s gonna sign the kid up for lessons.” And, of course, the Volt comes in a variety of fun colors that kids will love. “It comes in Pink Punk, Blue-Green Monster (which is the only monster that actually is under your bed), Cherry Red, Black Voltage (none more black) and a natural wood finish,” said Burch.
To demonstrate the Volt’s appeal to youngsters, Rock & Roll High invited touring youth rock group The Local Rebellion to its booth to play a set. Seeing The Local Rebellion shred on Volts and have a blast making music was the kind of thing that inspires optimism not only about the future of the MI industry, but of music in general. And thanks to the exposure Rock & Roll High received at the show, Burch is optimistic about the future, as well. “We’ve been getting a lot of press, a lot of attention, and it couldn’t be better,” he said. The company plans to expand to a full line of kid-oriented products—from amps and pedals to straps and other accessories—and it’s also been getting involved with music-education programs aimed at children. “I’ve been meeting with a lot of schools and School of Rock, people that have these incredible curriculums,” offered Burch. “We just want to provide the right tool for their curriculums, and the Volt is definitely the right tool for teaching.”