A Brave Brand Interview: Music as a Human Right

While music ebbs from school curricula across America, relegated to "extracurricular" status or eliminated entirely, one organization refuses to accept this diminishment of an essential human language. Rawkstars creates space for transformation in this era of cultural erosion, offering children not just music lessons but a rare form of sanctuary. I've had the true honor of getting to know JJ over these past seven months, and our conversations have revealed what a rare thing it is to encounter someone who moves through the world with such quiet conviction and purposeful impact.

There's something immediately noticeable when you speak with JJ, a particular, quiet quality of presence that comes from someone who has found that elusive alignment between purpose and practice. Someone who has faced the shortfalls in society they work to address. It's not the loud certainty that often masquerades as confidence in our culture, but a grounded knowing that emerges when someone has built something true and meaningful. As someone who was greatly impacted by music in my early youth, I tear up even writing about what Rawkstars is doing because I can feel it in my bones. The gift of an Alvarez acoustic-electric guitar in my formative years changed my life's trajectory, so I understand viscerally the transformative power of what JJ is offering to these kids.

Founded by Jonathan "JJ" Jacobs, Rawkstars doesn't just provide music education, it creates transformation through the universal language of rhythm, melody, and self-expression. In a landscape increasingly defined by scale and standardization, JJ has chosen the path of depth and meaningful connection. What makes Rawkstars a quintessential Brave Brand isn't just its mission, but the unwavering authenticity and principled leadership behind it. In this conversation, JJ shares the personal journey that led to Rawkstars' creation, the challenges of growing with integrity, and why music education isn't just a "nice to have"... it's essential to human development.
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Your Journey & Rawkstars' Origins

Q: Before Rawkstars was even a concept, what was your relationship with music? Was there a moment when music changed your life?

JJ: Music was my security blanket, most reliable friend and identity since day 1. I grew up in a very unstable home with lots of issues managing anger. As with many in this situation, I developed emotional issues that manifested in lots of negative behavior. I had always been in love with music, but learned quickly I didn't have the same gift of talent that others in my circle did.

Through being involved with the local music scene, I found myself in a recording studio, back when those were foreign and genuinely sacred spaces.

When I saw the Sound Engineer at work and realized he was musical, but not in the same way as a performer was, I knew I had found my calling.

Q: At what point did you realize that creating Rawkstars wasn't just an idea but something you had to do? Was there a specific catalyst?

JJ: I had a large network of local musicians and one summer I organized a 'rock n roll softball game', as a way to basically throw a party. In an effort to make it an annual event, I decided to collect donations for a local charity.

The event was such a huge success and I realized that what we had was so much more than music in common. We had developed a genuine community filled with respect, love and support for one another. Music was the connection point but far from the whole picture.

After that experience, it made me think about how that could become something others could share in and experience for themselves and Rawkstars was born.

Q: The name "Rawkstars" carries this great energy. What were you trying to communicate with that choice?

JJ: Nothing too deep. In all honesty, I wanted something powerful that evoked the confidence and strength of identity that comes along with playing music. The spelling came about as a result of the fact that I grew up in Boston. We're known for our strong accent and it was a way to convey who we wanted to be, and embrace our unique local culture.
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Building & Growing

Q: Building an organization from the ground up requires incredible persistence. What kept you going during the early days when things were uncertain?

JJ: I always told myself that Rawkstars would be successful if we helped even just one kid. After the first year of putting the business together, getting a tiny bit of funding and establishing ourselves, we found our first student.

I'm still in touch with him today and have gotten to be close with his mom over the years. I still have his original email to Rawkstars asking for guitar lessons printed and tacked to the wall of my office.

Q: You've mentioned that the last 18 months have been a growth period for Rawkstars. What's been the most surprising part of scaling up?

JJ: It's been a welcome journey to grow, but I've also found it difficult to find others who can support Rawkstars to the degree that feels satisfying. Bringing on contractors for operational support has shown me that not everyone understands our ethos and programming the way I do. It's hard to hand off tasks when you own something, and even harder when you don't feel super strongly that the people you're trying to empower have the requisite level of understanding or passion that you do.

Q: Every founder has that moment where they almost walk away. Did you ever hit a wall where you considered giving up on Rawkstars, and what pulled you through?

JJ: I honestly never felt close to giving up. That mostly came from running Rawkstars as a side hustle for many years. In that context, I didn't struggle much since I wasn't taking a salary and didn't have anyone on the payroll. The only pressure was to ensure we could pay for kids and instruments.

Doing that wasn't too difficult because we simply throttled our support up/down based on what we had to work with. I've also been fortunate enough to have grown a powerful community of supporters who surrounded us early on and have stuck with it. We're small but mighty and through the ongoing support, although generally small, we've been able to make something together that none of us could have done alone.
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Mission & Impact

Q: Music education is continuously being cut from school programs across the country. How does Rawkstars approach this gap differently?

JJ: To be frank, we don't partner with public schools. We consciously made that choice as a result of the approach you described. Why would we want to collaborate with a partner who doesn't value music education enough to fund it?

I realize that's the way to reach the maximum number of kids, but we're happier connecting with partners who see music as critical and not a 'nice to have' feature. It limits us in scope but as a result, we connect with kids, parents and partners who love what we do.

Q: Can you share a story about a particular kid whose experience with Rawkstars stands out to you, maybe someone who represents why this work matters?

JJ: There are too many to count, honestly, but I'll share the most recent one I can think of.

One of our students came to us, as a result of his mom looking for music therapy. Her son is on the autism spectrum and on an IEP at school. She saw that he was drawn to music, but as a single parent, couldn't afford to support him at the level she wanted. Rawkstars got him started with individual music lessons through a local instructor, who has become a mentor and friend to his family, He is now thriving emotionally, has become a skilled guitarist and has come out of his shell on stage so much that he's even started singing.

These stories are what keeps Rawkstars going and why I continue to work so hard. It's important and changes lives.

Q: Beyond teaching music skills, what do you hope stays with the kids who go through your programs?

JJ: The benefits of music education are well documented. For me, it's the idea of seeing something that's hard and having the passion to push through the hurdles required to get better. I'd also point to the confidence and agency that comes along with music, especially for young people.

Most kids don't have much control over their daily lives and aren't generally allowed to make their own choices. Music gives them something that's theirs alone. They can express themselves in whatever way they want, and that's a powerful ally for any kid.
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The Brave Decisions

Q: What's a decision you've made at Rawkstars that conventional business wisdom would have advised against, but you knew was right for your mission?

JJ: Keeping things small. Everyone always gave me advice about how to grow Rawkstars and I always said our superpower was being the type of organization that had a personal relationship with every kid, every parent, every teacher and every donor.

The instinct of most businesses is to maximize growth at the expense of impact. For us, it's the opposite.

Q: What's something you've stood firm on, even when it would have been easier to compromise?

JJ: Most nonprofits rely heavily on grant funding. Rawkstars has taken a different approach. Our revenue streams also include individual donations in the form of a monthly Fan Club, live events and most recently program fees from community partners.

Successfully writing and winning grants often is easier when you conform to the stated guidelines of large institutional funders. We're not going to alter the way we operate to satisfy some of those requirements and as a result, grant funding is a much smaller percentage of our revenue that similar nonprofits.

We're continuing to seek those types of partnerships, but only where we see compatible, like-minded funders that value our experience and instincts over their own.
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Looking Forward

Q: If resources were unlimited, what would be your boldest vision for Rawkstars' future?

JJ: Wow. I would like to see Rawkstars grow, but not into a behemoth, national org. Moderate growth in the form of expanding into other regions would be great so that more kids and families could benefit from access to music education.

I'd also like to see Rawkstars become an example for other entrepreneurs to build off of. It demonstrates pretty clearly that you don't need to be a highly funded startup with a business degree to have longevity and impact on the world.

Q: How do you hope Rawkstars might change how people think about music education and its importance?

JJ: We see access to music as a basic human right, akin to clean drinking water, health care and education. The benefits of music have been proven for decades, but still, access remains a hurdle.

Anyone who has played, or just loves to listen to music can testify to its impact on their personal life. It crosses all demographics, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

The language of the universe is math and music is its alphabet.
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We see access to music as a basic human right, akin to clean drinking water, health care and education. The benefits of music have been proven for decades, but still, access remains a hurdle.

Personal Insights

Q: What's something running Rawkstars has taught you about yourself that surprised you?

JJ: It's taught me that I don't need to rely on someone else for my happiness or even my financial well being. I'm only limited by my own vision and willingness to make it happen.

Q: What piece of music do you return to when you need inspiration or a reminder of why you do this work?

JJ: I love all kinds of music, but my earliest recollections are of Elvis and early 70s AM Radio. I love heavy metal, motown and really anything with a strong rhythm and where I can feel authenticity in the feeling of the players.

A big turning point for me was the first Metallica record. It was the time when I realized that you need not be a larger than life 'rock star' to have a career as a musician. The picture of them on the back cover was 4 ugly guys that looked like me and my friends. No airs, no makeup, no special clothes, no money and no frills.

It's not my favorite all time record but putting it on returns me to that vibe of the power of simply being who you are.

What Makes Rawkstars a Brave Brand?

What stands out most to me in JJ's story is the unwavering commitment to mission over conventional growth metrics. To reframing what creating “value” means to him. In a landscape where "scaling up" is often the default measure of success, Rawkstars has deliberately chosen to stay small enough to maintain the personal connections that make their impact so profound.

The decision to avoid partnerships that don't truly value music education—even when that means reaching fewer children—shows the kind of principled leadership that defines brave brands. As does the choice to diversify funding sources rather than conform to grant requirements that might dilute their approach.

Perhaps most striking is Rawkstars' focus on depth over breadth. In JJ's words: "The instinct of most businesses is to maximize growth at the expense of impact. For us, it's the opposite." This inversion of conventional business wisdom exemplifies what it means to build a brave brand—one that measures success not by size, but by the depth of transformation it creates.

Like the music it celebrates, Rawkstars reminds us that sometimes the most powerful notes are the ones played with intention rather than volume.

To learn more about Rawkstars and support their mission, visit www.rawkstars.org