Carl Orff, a pioneer in the field of instrumental music education once said, "Tell me, I forget...show me, I remember...Involve me, I understand." My students can watch and listen to other people drum all day long, but they won't really understand until they get their own hands on the drum and play!
I'm fortunate to work with about 500 brilliant, elementary students on a daily basis.
We go to a large urban school, in a fairly low-income neighborhood. The vast majority of my students come from families where English is not their main medium for communication,and yet they strive to excel in math and reading. Many students are fluent in both languages. Though my students come from a low socioeconomic background, they are innovative and creative, not letting boundaries stop them.
My Project
Drums are amazingly versatile instruments that allow students to use them in a variety of settings. In other DonorsChoose projects I've asked for "tubano drums" which are a standard in the elementary music classroom. Those drums are shaped just like a cylinder or "tube" and were created specifically for classroom use. This time I'm asking for a djembe, because it would give my students a different experience and force them to stretch themselves a bit. This djembe is made by the same company that makes the sturdy classroom tubanos (so it will sound great and last) but mimics the shape and sound of real djembes (an actual world drum). We could add the drums to echo games, orchestrated songs, singing games, folk dancing, and so many other areas. Djembes are big drums that are awkward for little bodies to both hold and play at the same time. The requested djembe stand allows all students regardless of their size to sit comfortably and play the drum with ease.
Experience is everything.
Cheesecake is just the name of a dessert until you try it and realize what exactly the implications are. A puppy is just a small dog until you see one, play with one, or (even more influential) take one home. A drum might seem like a commonplace thing, but the impact of hearing and playing a drum is incalculable. This resource would greatly add to our music program and would create avenues for improvisation and understanding.
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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 Mr. Row and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
