My students need a mandolin, a bag, a strap, strings, and music books to add a new element to our guitar ensemble.
$447 goal
This project expired on April 24, 2012.
This project expired on April 24, 2012.
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My inner city students need a positive outlet, and that outlet is music. I have the tough but rewarding, job of fostering a love for classical (and classic rock) music in my students. I enjoy teaching the classics like "Pachelbel's Canon" and classic rock songs like "Free Bird".
My students attend a medium sized high school in the largest city in our state.
Overall my students enjoy listening to popular music that's on the radio and television. I have the difficult task of exposing them to a broader range of music. I have an after school guitar ensemble program and fortunately I have about half of the ensembles members in one of my regular music classes during the school day. This group primarily plays classical music though this year we are learning a few classic rock tunes, "Free Bird" and "Crazy Train". Both pieces are very challenging but it's amazing to see how much more my students will practice their music if they like what they are practicing. I love baroque and renaissance music and the mandolin has always had a place in those genres of music. That is why I would love to add a mandolin to a few tunes in our repertoire.
My Project
This acoustic electric mandolin will be a huge asset to our growing music program. I can bet most of my students have never seen or heard a mandolin so it would be a great opportunity to expose them to a different instrument. There have been some guitar/mandolin ensembles but it is still somewhat rare and special. My principal instrument is the classical guitar and I am confident that I will be able to pick up the mandolin easily. What a fun and wonderful learning experience to learn something new along side my students. Our guitar ensemble performs in concerts throughout the school year and the mandolin will be a welcome addition to our concert repertoire. With this acoustic electric model we will be able to plug it into our school's mixer/house system to amplify the mandolin at our concerts. I am excited to learn some pieces out of the "Classic Rock Mandolin" book and from the "Beatles for Mandolin" book.
These materials will allow my students to gain a greater appreciation for classical music and supplement our flourishing classical guitar program.
The mandolin will be an integral part of our after school program and I am a supporter of positive after school outlets for teens. This donation will affect my students this school year and many school years to come. It is my hope that I can integrate the mandolin into my guitar ensemble program and possibly start a mandolin orchestra in the future.
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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 Mrs. Stegman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
