An annual concert that brings together music legends and young students is going virtual this year.

Little Kids Rock is a nonprofit organization that buys musical instruments for students in need – instruments not commonly played in the school band.

Music icons lend their voices each year to help raise money for the group, including Darlene Love.

“To be able to do what I do, and even if you didn’t get paid for it, it’s the love of it,” Love says. “It is the gift that God has given me and the joy of it is giving it back.”

Students have been practicing at a distance over the past few months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Little Kids Rock concert fundraiser will also be held online.

“Intimate performances from their living room or backyard. Collaborative projects with our students,” says Little Kids Rock founder Dave Wish.

Wish is a former teacher. He says that Little Kids Rock is headquartered in New Jersey and now reaches schools in 43 states. He says that while the coronavirus has changed the lesson plan, it hasn’t stopped the music.

“Although we can’t be together in a safe way, we can still make music together,” he says.

The fundraiser concert will be streamed online Thursday evening and features appearances by Darlene Love, Elvis Costello, Wiz Khalifa and others. The event will raise money for instruments and digital technology. More information can be found on the Little Kids Rock website.