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 students love music, however with our limited equipment their options to experience music beyond the vocal song is slim to none. Instead of watching videos of children playing and performing, with a classroom set of ukuleles, my students could be the performers!
My school is one of many in a large area of underprivileged schools.
Because of the area population and socioeconomic status, we are lucky to even have music in all of our elementary schools (a new addition to our county as it is), much less programs with monetary support. The students at my school are well-behaved and enjoy music, despite having several rotating music teachers in recent years. I love my students and my school, and I am planning to teach here for many years to come! However, there is something I cannot currently give my students as their teacher- instruments to play. With the background I have, an especially important part of music education is the experience of playing and performing themselves, not just watching videos of children from other places. The difference a classroom set of instruments would provide is unspeakable. Students would have the option of learning from me, in a large group setting, or even making their own small groups and learning from each other!
My Project
My students love to sing, and with the addition of ukuleles, we could perform as a class, without a track or CD accompanying us. With a classroom set of ukuleles, the students would have the chance to play and perform on a pitched instrument, an option that is not currently available to us. We focus on all the basic musical elements, as they learn and develop steady beat, melodic and rhythmic fluency. However, as much as we work on these elements, they are left open ended because there is only so much afforded to us with our current resources. The ukulele may be originally a Polynesian instrument, but it fits perfectly into the hands of an elementary child and gleefully accompanies their still high pitched voices. I cannot wait until the day my students can prepare a program entirely of their own making, instead of accompanied by music created by a mass marketed large company!
Donations to the "U 2 Can Ukulele" project will improve my classroom morale and my student's self worth.
In a city where they are thought to be nothing, music education has already begun to change their lives. But without the instrumental element of the elementary classroom, they are seeing their dreams come to a quick and speedy end. What you provide will change and grow my student's dreams as they experience core values such as perseverance, self-confidence, and the importance of practice.
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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. Ricks and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
