"My family has supported Music in Schools Today since its early days. I am honored to have been chosen as a role model for our youth today.

"My advice to young people aspiring to be musicians is: do everything you do with heart."

When Music in Schools Today (MuST) began its Adopt an Instrument campaign in 1990, one of the first gifts we received was a trumpet from Carlos Santana. He and members of the band have been donating instruments ever since, and that is only one of the many ways that Carlos has helped MuST. He and his wife have founded the Milagro Foundation, dedicated to meeting the educational, medical and housing needs of children all over the world.

He's a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Award winner, and a global icon. We are privileged to pay tribute to one of the most innovative and inspiring musicians in the world today. And we are grateful for Carlos' energy and role in supporting the creative education and growth of our children.

Fans love his messages -- the gentle urgings toward peace, compassion, joy and understanding -- that have been consistently delivered in a personal, heartfelt manner at performances in more than 50 countries. And, they love his guitar playing which today remains among the most distinct and recognizable in all the world. Carlos Santana belongs to the San Francisco Bay Area, but he has earned the love and admiration of the world.

Long before anyone heard of the concept of World Music, Carlos Santana was playing it. At a time when the world of traditional, guitar-based rock 'n roll was emerging from the "British invasion" and reaching new levels of popularity in the English and U.S. markets, Santana infused it with a fresh energy and profound emotional depth that stirred the hearts and souls of millions of new fans around the entire globe. Skillfully blending elements of 12-bar blues, fiery rock riffs and sensuous Afro-Cuban rhythms, and featuring his passionate, instantly-recognizable guitar style, Carlos Santana created a unique, magical sound. It is a sound that remains -- like the long, sustained notes that mark his distinctive guitar solos -- as powerful, as moving and as meaningful as ever, nearly 30 years after Carlos first shared it with the world. And, it is a sound that earned Carlos and the other original members of the Santana Band their rightful place among the legends of contemporary music with their 1998 induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Carlos Santana's story begins in the village of Autlan, Mexico, where, at age five, Carlos was introduced to "traditional music" by his father, Jose. An accomplished mariachi violinist and experienced musician, he taught Carlos the basics of music theory and gave him an understanding of the value of a note. Although Carlos' excitement for music would be sparked by this first experience, he quickly discovered the limits of its traditional form and wanted more. Carlos wanted to play what he heard on the radio: rock 'n roll.

In 1966, that music exploded on the streets of San Francisco with the debut performance of the Cantata Blues Band. For the next two years, the group was caught up in a wave of popularity that took them from the stage of San Francisco's Fillmore West to their historic appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. With that electrifying performance, Carlos Santana had arrived; and with him came both a powerful new Latin-flavored rock sound and an uncompromising dedication to his music -- two factors that would influence people's lives for well over a quarter century.

The world has embraced Carlos with a passion. We are captivated by his music -- always changing, always exploring, always growing -- yet always consistently and clearly Carlos. Every new release -- including eight gold and seven platinum albums before last year's sweep of the Grammies -- has become a reflection of Carlos' personal growth and evolution.

Read this online interview with Carlos Santana on CNN.com.