"Where words fail, music speaks," said Hans Christian Andersen. My students learn volumes each year in their core classes, but with no music program K-12, their education is inadequate. They have immense creative passion, but no outlet for it...yet.
My students are American Indian students living on a reservation in one of the poorest counties in the country, and attend one of the lowest performing schools in the country.
Many are two or more years below grade level in their math and reading levels.
In the context of frequent frustration and low expectations, the moments of pure learning are exhilarating to them. Even so, the diversity of their learning in school, even on the most successful day, is limited to their core classes - Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts.
I have seen their artistic expression in projects in their Lakota classes, but their passion is larger than that. The absence of music in their education is stark. Many of my students sing in Lakota, rap in English, mimic pop singers, and even ask to borrow my guitar or keyboard. They dream of learning music, not just as a way to develop talent and pursue their goals, but also to help their intellectual development and to live a fuller life.
My Project
I am designing an after-school music program to compensate for its absence in their school day. My first project, "Mustangs Making Music!" funded recorders and glockenspiels for my students to develop melodic and harmonic skills as well as the performance skills of air support and expression.
Another essential piece of their music education is the opportunity to explore and improvise textured, rhythmic music as an ensemble. I am requesting a library of diverse world instruments that are technically simple to use, but come together to create a dynamic environment for learning about expression, improvisation, and composition, as well as understanding how one's part fits in an ensemble.
Our staff and administration is working as hard as they can for student achievement and to raise our test scores.
The Arts are considered extra to successful testing, so they are the first casualties of a struggling school.
However, without a music education, my students cannot close the achievement gap. They deserve every opportunity their higher-performing peers have, and with the generous support from donors like you, they can get it. Help them realize their creative potential.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Katz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.