"Students at the small, urban, public school where I teach are required to take one year of general music. Therefore, I work with students who have a wide variety of musical experiences and skills, but it also means that they each come to this class with VERY different ideas of what music is and with...
"
MORE
"Students at the small, urban, public school where I teach are required to take one year of general music. Therefore, I work with students who have a wide variety of musical experiences and skills, but it also means that they each come to this class with VERY different ideas of what music is and with wide-ranging levels of confidence in what they can do musically.
In order to give my students the opportunity to experience and create their own music collectively, I am developing a world drumming program at our school. As is common everywhere, our school is poorly funded and in our school district, the arts are a low funding priority. So I am asking that you donate towards this proposal to purchase four drums to add to my growing classroom collection. I currently only have enough to work with a few students at a time, but I am completely confident that entire classrooms of students (as many as 30 in each class) will benefit from the cooperative, collaborative, community-building experience of a drum circle. In other words, the more drums, the better!
In the time spent daily in a drum circle, students with previous musical experience will become leaders and those with learning or developmental differences will contribute fully at whatever level of performance possible. Transforming my classes into performance groups will make the common teacher-centered classroom model seem obsolete as students realize that they have the power to lead and organize. And working towards public performance will offer students the chance at working towards a goal and being proud of their accomplishment--an experience far too uncommon for many of the students at our school.
As our students prepare for post-secondary education, whether it be college or otherwise, I continue to deliver my mantra: "It's not always important WHAT you're learning, but you should never turn down the EXPERIENCE of learning. It makes your brain stronger, faster and more agile." When they ask "why do we have to learn this?", I sometimes tell them that we're learning this now so that you can learn faster later. I've found that practicing a musical instrument is an exercise in the art of focus and an excellent metacognative exercise in which students think about HOW to learn more efficiently. And ultimately, that is the kind of experience I want to offer my college-bound students.
Daily, we discuss how this kind of focus and intensive rehearsal can help them in math or English class. In rehearsals, we recognize that planning ahead and preparing before we practice often yields better results. I even tell my students that this is the kind of thinking you have to do in college: strategic, intensive and reflective. We encourage our students to consider continuing their education after high school, but without practicing focus and dedication now, many risk losing momentum after graduation. Furthermore, this experience will help my student continue developing important personal and interpersonal skills such as confidence, self-control, respect, communication, empathy, and trust.
Donating toward this proposal will make it possible to purchase an additional four 12" (mid-tone) tubano hand drums to add to our growing classroom set of instruments. We will begin class next fall using whatever instruments we've collected at that point, but funding this proposal now will put three high-quality drums into my students' hands which will be used for years to come.
My students need four 12-inch tunable tubano drums.
HIDE
Oct 28, 2009
Dear Fred and Rosalyn, Karen, Vic & Nancy, Myron, Kevin, Sarah from London, England, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Anonymous Donor,
As school started this fall, it was so exciting to receive a call from the main office alerting me to shipments of "big boxes" with my name on them. We've used the drums purchased with your donations nearly every day in my classroom for the last three weeks as we've dived into exploring rhythm. Students love when we just "make our own beats," improvising and imitating the rhythmic patterns they know from music they listen to. But we're also using drumming as an opportunity to explore the rhythmic traditions of cultures around the world. As we learn to perform complex traditional rhythms from cultures including Guinea, Ghana, and Cuba, we also take the opportunity to learn about the history, geography and culture of the people who still use these rhythms today.
Drumming as a class is an authentic experience in making music that many of my students might never have had without these instruments. The focus necessary to play well as a class is a skill that many students are still learning. Students don't always feel positive about their experiences at our school and this chance at simple enjoyment, creativity and relaxation is so important.
As a music teacher, I count music as the most life-giving, ongoing learning experience in my life. Your donation has increased my ability to give my students a taste of music-making and will no doubt inspire at least a few to become life-long musicians.With gratitude,
Mr. K.
Mr. K. sent this note after the project was fully funded:
Jun 12, 2009
Dear Fred and Rosalyn, Karen, Vic & Nancy, Myron, Kevin, Sarah from London, England, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Anonymous Donor,
Thank you for making this project a reality for my students in the coming school year. Today was the last day of school and as I left my classroom for the last time (actually I'll be back there tomorrow), I was so excited about another chance in September to get to know a new group of students and begin another school year. I'm particularly thankful that you've chosen to support a music classroom. I can't say enough about the importance of supporting the arts in education as funding for all kinds of programs is being cut. Please consider telling your friends and families about DonorsChoose.org and share with them how exciting it is! With gratitude,
Mr. K.
Photos coming soon!
Region:
Illinois (Chicago)
Where is the classroom located? 
Submitted:
Apr 08, 2009
| Expires:
Sep 14, 2009
Additional Details
Level:
Grades 9-12
Teacher's funded projects:
14
Thank-you punctuality:
88%
Reviewed the project essay and sent follow-up questions if needed.
Jennifer P. (volunteer)
on Apr 9, 2009
Verified the cost of the requested supplies and posted this project.
Ryan G. (associate)
on Apr 10, 2009
"I gave to this project because music lets my mind fly, even when I'm stuck in my everyday routines. "
Kevin
gave
on Apr 12, 2009
"Thanks for being the first donor to this proposal!"
The teacher Mr. K.
on Apr 13, 2009
A donor
gave
on Apr 20, 2009
"Thank you for your support! I'm actually attending a workshop after school today about implementing drum circles in after-school programs where students work with residents of nursing homes who have Alzeimer's. This is going to be an amazing opportunity for my students!"
The teacher Mr. K.
on Apr 20, 2009
"I gave to this project because...everyone needs music."
Fred and Rosalyn
from Chicago, IL
gave
on May 20, 2009
"Yes, indeed! Everyone needs music and deserves to have the chance to experience creating music!"
The teacher Mr. K.
on May 20, 2009
"I gave to this project because...music is a gift that keeps on giving."
Vic & Nancy
from Buchanan, MI
gave
on Jun 11, 2009
"Rock on! Thank you so much for your donation."
The teacher Mr. K.
on Jun 11, 2009
"I gave to this project because...I love music and it is great way to inspire passion and talent in children and adults of all ages."
Sarah from London, England
gave
on Jun 12, 2009
"I wanted to help a local school and as an artist, I believe that all of the arts are an essential part of the learning process. Good Luck!"
Karen
from Chicago, IL
gave
on Jun 12, 2009
"Thank you Sarah and Karen. I'm humbled by your generosity. You have no idea what encouragement I feel when I get an email notifying me of donations like yours. Thanks!"
The teacher Mr. K.
on Jun 12, 2009
Myron
from Baton Rouge, LA
gave
on Jun 12, 2009
"We provided DonorsChoose.org with matching funds for projects that improve college readiness. We believe that when all people in the United States have the opportunity to develop their talents, our society thrives."
gave
on Jun 12, 2009
Project fully funded!
Happy news
on Jun 12, 2009
"I'm so excited! Thank you!"
The teacher Mr. K.
on Jun 12, 2009
"Thank you for making this project happen! My students are going to love these instruments."
The teacher Mr. K.
on Jun 12, 2009
The teacher Mr. K.
on Jun 18, 2009
Purchased the supplies for Mr. K.'s classroom and notified the school principal of delivery.
Jenni D. (staff member)
on Sep 2, 2009
The teacher Mr. K.
on Oct 28, 2009
Are you a donor to this project who would like to add a message? Please first sign in!
|
Support Another Project
From Ms. Y's Classroom:
$50 Needed
From Ms. Y's Classroom:
$50 Needed
|
Email
Facebook
Twitter
