My students need tubanitos, specially designed drums that are played like congas but fit on a desk top or lap, so that we can create a classroom drum circle.
My greatest wish is to send students out into the world with open minds and open hearts, confident in their abilities, aware that they are part of a larger community, and with the understanding that kindness and civility matter. Disagreements are natural and can and should be solved respectfully.
I have 24 second-grade students of diverse backgrounds and they are the most delightful mix of inquisitive, funny, fun-loving, thoughtful, sensitive, and adventurous children!
Their joy for learning is unbounded and infectious!
Ours is a small Title I school, with many students receiving free or reduced lunch. We place an emphasis on strong parent involvement and community-building. As one aspect of community-building, we incorporate the practice of Council into our classrooms. Students sit together in a circle and take turns passing a talking piece as they share stories, thoughts, concerns, and hopes. They are asked to listen from the heart and speak from the heart. My students love this weekly opportunity to express what's on their minds, and the way they listen to each other is beautiful to witness.
My Project
A drum circle is a natural extension of Council, and adding these drums to our existing practice will further deepen the sense of community we share, while adding all the positive elements that playing music together brings: working as a team, developing improvisatory abilities, and the opportunity for spontaneous self-expression, among others. Plus, it's really fun! Being part of a drum circle is an exhilarating experience. Working together to create synchronous or individual rhythms, students learn to listen to one another, to appreciate each others' creations, and to contribute to a larger whole.
Drumming produces many well-documented effects -- feelings of calm, well-being, and connectedness -- all of which have a restorative impact. We tap into our own internal rhythm - our heartbeat - while connecting with others in the making of joyful noise.
Drumming also provides an equalizing component.
While Council is an opportunity for all my students to share their thoughts and feelings, my shyer students sometimes pass when it's their turn due to limited language ability. In a drum circle, everyone can take part because no words are needed. Drumming truly is a universal language. Through drumming, my students will play and create together, building a joyful community, a piece of which they'll carry inside themselves forever.
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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. Watts-Lawton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
