"I teach instrumental music for grade 6. 7 & 8. We are a high needs Title I School. Our students come from a low-income urban area. 85% of our students qualify for free lunch. Our music program is growing and we need more instruments to service the students who want and deserve to take music classes.
We are experiencing huge budget cuts, especially in our Arts programs. We do not have the funds to replace instruments supplies such as bows, shoulder rests, strings, etc. When students have worn out bows, their efforts to learn the instrument are sorely hampered. A poor-quality bow produces a poor-quality sound. This in turn discourages the student, because no matter how much he or she practices, the sound production is poor. We need more quality cello bows in order to accommodate our students so that students will enjoy playing, progress in music and our music program will continue to grow.
Since more students will be enrolling in music classes and will be signing up for cello next year, getting more quality cello bows will help to grow our program and keep it vital. Although cellists currently share instruments, each student can be assigned his or her own bow. Students take pride in knowing that they are the only one using a particular bow -- they know that it is the most important part of the instrument -- the piece that produces the sound! And when they have their own they tend to be more conscientious about practicing and taking care of it. We need good quality bows so that our equipment will last for the future generations of music students.
We had a success performance by our Orchestra this year, and more kids want to learn the cello next year! Your donation will make a huge difference in our program by helping us to continue the good work that we are doing in our music program. As more and more students enroll in the program, we need to provide those students with quality equipment. It has been my experience that when students know that there are people out there who care enough to make donations to the music program, they find a new vitality and enthusiasm for what they are doing. You will help make it possible for us to accept all students who have a desire to learn the cello.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. S. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
