My students are very resilient and over the years have learned to go without a wide variety of necessary tools needed for optimum success in our classroom. I would love to see my students prepared for a 21st century college education possessing the experience of using current musical technology.
Well over 50% of our student body is on our free or reduced lunch program.
Many come from single parent homes and over the years some of our students even went home each day to a homeless shelter. Our school is a very diverse school in terms of racial and religious makeup and students travel from all over the city to attend school here. Despite many setbacks usually caused by dwindling or vanishing budgets, our students are great. They tend not to let anything stand in their way and will be the first to help someone in need. While they all see and are aware of our shortcomings, they are always trying their best to help raise a little extra money to compensate for a zero budget this year. The general feel in the school is a welcoming and nurturing one and one in which our students claim as their 2nd home.
My Project
My students need 4 iPads in our classroom to incorporate mandated technology into band in which we were given no budget to do. Our students are in the middle of a catch 22. The school system has required all teachers to incorporate new technology in the class room for all classes yet nothing was given to us in terms of money for technology. In fact our sound system in the band room is one we bought for thirty dollars online. The technology we would love to introduce to our students is how to use and read sheet music off an iPad system in which thousands of sheets can be scanned in and then set on a stand like a piece of sheet music. By use of a pedal students can turn pages back and forth. Not only will this help incorporate technology into the band room, it saves on paper, ink, copy machine usage and time.
For years we have worked on getting small chamber groups together and have done so to perform at smaller events in the school, outside the school at hospitals, children's homes, charity events and graduations. These iPads would help us greatly incorporate technology while saving paper, ink and time.
By acquiring these iPads, we will not only meet the technology requirement that our system has required us to do, but it will introduce our students to new musical technology and software that they will encounter in college but have yet to experience in high school.
It will enable our students to enter college feeling more prepared as well as more confident for the rigorous challenges they will be facing.
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