The Special Olympics are held every four years in different locations across the country, and this year, they'll be right here in Minnesota, running from June 20 to 26. Athletes from across the country will compete in 16 different events, including basketball, volleyball, bowling, tennis, swimming, and more.

And there will also be music.

The Special Olympics opening ceremonies will be held on June 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium at the U of M, and there will be performances from Demi Lovato and Jon Batiste. And music education will continue throughout the games — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is an official ambassador for the Special Olympics this year, and his Chad Smith Foundation is an official music education partner for the games. Smith joined The Current’s Morning Show to talk about his involvement; listen to the interview using the audio player above, and find a full transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Nilufer Arsala: Chad, welcome back to The Current's Morning Show.

Chad Smith: Thank you. Thanks for having me back!

Nilufer Arsala: Of course! Now the last time you were on The Current's Morning Show, that was when the Chad Smith Foundation helped launch a scholarship for music students at the U of M, and that was last year. And then you had a really awesome homecoming performance with the with the marching band at the U of M.

Chad Smith: Yeah, that was fun!

Nilufer Arsala: And the scholarship is named after your parents, so before we dive into what the Chad Smith Foundation is doing at the Special Olympics, can you talk a little bit more about your connection to Minnesota?

Chad Smith: Well, you know, but maybe not this round of listeners know, but I was born in Bloomington, lived in Richfield, used to hear them announce the baseball players' names from the outdoor baseball stadium there. I don't remember what it was called, the Met? [Metropolitan Stadium, aka “the Met”] Way back when, I don't remember. But now it's like where the Mall of America is.

Nilufer Arsala: OK, OK.

Chad Smith: And yeah, so those are my early memories. And then my grandmother on my mother's side lived there for a long time, so we would go back and visit all the time, and usually around Christmastime when the weather was nice.

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah, and so Minnesota is clearly just very dear to your heart.

Chad Smith: Yes.

Nilufer Arsala: And with the Special Olympics being in Minnesota this year—

Chad Smith: How cool is that?

Nilufer Arsala: It's so cool! And you're an official ambassador for the games. The Chad Smith Foundation is an official music education partner. So, how did it feel to be selected for this role? And how's the foundation going to be involved as an education partner?

Chad Smith: Well, I'm honored, obviously. I mean, amazing. I think it's so cool. What a wonderful opportunity for these athletes to be able to compete and be involved, and it's inspiring stuff. I know there's a lot of legends of the Minnesota area for athletes that are going to be involved as well, which is super cool for those athletes to be able to see really, like, great other athletes from Minnesota. It's inspiring. We're going to have on-site music lessons.

Nilufer Arsala: Whoa!

Chad Smith: We're bringing drums and guitars and instruments, an opportunity for them to play, pick something up, be maybe exposed to an instrument that they haven't ever done before. We're going to have instructors. It's like, it's kind of like a CSF pop-up, if you will!

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah, a Chad Smith Foundation pop-up for sure. And so, is it going to be like music education for the athletes, or is it for fans, or both?

Chad Smith: You know, mainly for the athletes, I think they get first priority, of course. But people that are involved with the Special Olympics, you know, in whatever way. So, yeah, I think it's — because music is fun; it's like the fun thing to do, you know? And competing, and I know these athletes have worked really hard to do this. This is such a great opportunity for them to do their thing and feel good about themselves, and it's such a positive message. All that stuff I love to be involved with, and my foundation is all about that: positivity, inclusiveness, community, learning, education. Who knows, one of these athletes can go on to be like, "Who's the most famous musician from Minnesota?" Bob Dylan? Robert Zimmerman? You know, that's a long time ago. Prince? They might be the next Prince!

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah, there's options.

Chad Smith: Yeah, how about that? I'm old, that's why I know Bob Dylan!

Nilufer Arsala: Well, I mean, there's options, right, when it comes to Minnesota, so...

Chad Smith: There's options. You've got the replacement, there's so many — it's rich, culturally. And so it's truly great that it's going to be there. That's like, super cool. So, yeah, we're just really happy to be involved, and we want to get our message out, and this is a great opportunity to do it, and you know, just continue building and building, and have people find out about it, and how, if they want to be involved, and just to have fun playing music, and have that exposure to instruments and teachers, like, pretty cool!

Nilufer Arsala: It's very cool, and you know, music education, it's clearly very important to you. I mean, both times you've been on the Morning Show here, we've been talking about the Chad Smith Foundation and music education. What is it that makes you want to give back in the way you do to help others find their way with music?

Chad Smith: I mean, it's a no-brainer for me, because I found my passion at a very early age, and if I didn't have the opportunity to have music in my public schools — I was there in Minnesota for three years, and I moved to outside of the Detroit area, so that's where I went to public schools there — and they had jazz band, marching band, symphonic band. We even had another jazz band after school. We had a — at my little public school in the late '70s, we had a music theory class, which, like, all that stuff in most of these places is gone. It's, you know, that's the first thing that goes. And I would have never graduated from high school — I knew what I wanted to do by then, like, "That's what I want to do, I want to be a professional musician" — if I didn't have those opportunities, pretty sure, not for nothing, I wasn't that into math, and maybe some other, all great subjects, but I was focused on music. But the statistics show when there's art and music, attendance is up, graduation rates are up, families get involved, and you do better in your other subjects. And it's the fun! Art and music, like, those are the fun things to do, so I want to have that, you know, that was in my school, so the education part I totally get. Now, those programs get cut out of schools now in the world we're in today, I think is really important for them to have that opportunity somewhere else. So, partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs, music manufacturers. And also we found the teachers; to find consistent, good teachers was really important, that show up and they monetarily get compensated, and they have opportunity for also studio time and equipment and other things as well, but to have those consistent teachers is really, that's the glue for the kids. That's really important. So we're finding that in the model in Milwaukee right now, we're kind of really working on this on the model of this after-school program, and again, we've been lucky to partner with a lot of great people. And that to me is like my version of what I had when I was growing up, to have that opportunity to play and learn. So that's kind of what we're working on right now, and helping in Minnesota with the Special Olympics, any opportunity to get kids to be able to have that opportunity — I mean, I'm all for it.

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah, put an instrument in their hands.

Chad Smith: They'll be able to pick up an instrument, and they'll be playing the drums or learning a couple chords on the guitar, and they're like, "Cool!"

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah.

Chad Smith: Then you become friends, and maybe you, like, start a band or write a song, it's just like, the best.

Nilufer Arsala: And then they're hooked!

Chad Smith: Then they're hooked! That's good. We want to hook them! Because it's, believe me, I'm still doing it, and I love it more than ever, and it's like wildest dreams, you know what I mean? It's, like, unbelievable. So, whether it's a hobby or it's what you want to do, it's like, music and art has just like fun and joy in it, you know? And it's good to have that in your life.

Nilufer Arsala: Absolutely, fun and joy is where it's at. You are listening to The Current's Morning Show. I'm Nilufer Arsala, talking with Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's an official ambassador for the Special Olympics this year, and his Chad Smith Foundation is an official music education partner for the games. Now, Chad, before I let you go, the Chad Smith Foundation's mission is empowering young musicians through education and opportunity, and I mean, you clearly have such a passion for this, and it's the second time we've seen the foundation working in Minnesota now. So, I have to ask you, like, do you have more plans in the works for Minnesota?

Chad Smith: You know, we do, because we also have a real connection to Milwaukee. My brother is there, Lewis [Smith], who is an executive director, are also in the Milwaukee area. So we're working on this model for after school with instruments and teachers and obviously students in the Boys and Girls Club, so we're gonna bring that to Minnesota. We have to. We just want to hone it and figure out the best way, so it's firing in all cylinders. And then Boys and Girls Club have like 600-and-some-odd locations across the country, so like, partnering with them and what we can bring and what they can bring can be — that's the ultimate. But like Minnesota, we're right there. It's Minnesota.and I love Minnesota. I'm a Minnesotan! Come on!

Nilufer Arsala: Yeah, you're a Minnesotan. Yeah.

Chad Smith: Yes, yes, we will definitely come to Minnesota. That'll be earlier, I'm sure, one of our next destinations. Yeah.

Nilufer Arsala: OK. Well, when that happens, you are invited to come back on the show and talk all about it, OK?

Chad Smith: Thank you so much for partnering with us and helping spread the word, and I really appreciate it. And it's all positive, it's all love. And you know, I'm honored to be an ambassador for the Special Olympics, and hopefully — I know it's going to be a lot of fun. You guys are going to be great hosts, and good luck with all that.

Nilufer Arsala: Well, the Special Olympics run from June 20 to 26, and this year they're being held in Minnesota. The opening ceremonies will be June 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium, with performances from Demi Lovato and Jon Batiste. Chad Smith is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and an official ambassador for the Special Olympics this year. His Chad Smith Foundation is an official music education partner for the games. Chad, thank you so much for joining me on The Current's Morning Show again today. We so love it when you stop by.

Chad Smith: Aww... All things about the foundation, chadsmithfoundation.org will give you all the information you need about all that stuff. Thank you for having me on. I always appreciate it. Always good to see you.

Nilufer Arsala: You, too. And you are listening to The Current.

Credits

Guest – Chad Smith
Host/Producer – Nilufer Arsala
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor

External Links

Chad Smith Foundation – official site

Special Olympics – official site