The David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation has announced the School's Out initiative, to give remote one-on-one mentoring sessions and music lessons via Skype, with legendary rock and metal artists, to students displaced from school activities by COVID-19 Restrictions.

Your instructors, with more to be announced, will be:

David Ellefson (Megadeth)
Chris Kael (Five Finger Death Punch)
Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth)
Jimmy DeGrasso (ex-Megadeth, Alice Cooper)
Chad Szeliga (Black Star Riders, Walking With Lions)
Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, ex-Machine Head)
Bumblefoot (Sons Of Apollo, ex-Guns N’ Roses)
Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth)

The application can be found here.

Says Foundation co-chair Thöm Häzäert, also Ellefson’s partner, and vocalist in his eponymous solo band, “David and I were brainstorming on ways to give back during the COVID epidemic, and put some positivity out in a time of some pretty unparalleled crisis and uncertainty. The mission of our foundation is to try and help keep music in schools, but what happens when kids can’t go to school? As I’m sitting home with my 2 restless kids, in basically forced exile, it kinda hit me.”

He adds, “We started talking about David doing a few online lessons with kids, via the foundation, and then got around to the idea of recruiting some of our other friends as well.”

Adds Ellefson, “When one person suffers, we all suffer, and this is an unprecedented moment in history when all of us around the world are united for a common cause. Music and the arts have always been some of our greatest healers in a way none other can. As we reach into each other’s souls with resounding hope, I’m forever thankful to our friends in the creative community who have kindly offered their expertise to put a smile on the faces of so many people in need right now. Let this be a time when we can all unite under the banner of Music and let our creativity lead the way.”

(Graphic - Melody Myers | Designed By Melody)