Past projects 225
Beginning Band
Funded Aug 25, 2025Wow! Our band students will be so excited to hear the news! These music stands and beginning band books are items we really needed for our students to learn how to play. Thank you, Music Makes our Music Smarter family, for once again supporting myself and our Gillespie scholars. Thanks again for bringing our students the joy of band!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 32 other donors.A Ukulele in Every Hand
Funded Jul 15, 2025Thank you so much for your generous donation of four ukuleles and storage hooks to our classroom. I can't begin to tell you how excited our students were to see the bright red instruments. They are all begging to play them! They look and sound cool, and having four more instruments has helped us be able to put an instrument in more of the kids' hands. The additional instruments have helped us alleviate the need to share instruments as much. Having enough ukuleles has improved focus of the class, because now, everyone can play! Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT and 2 other donors.Brass Band Culture
Funded Jul 15, 2025I can't thank you enough for your incredibly generous donation to our school music program. Students have been learning how to play the pBuzz on the first day of school. The students are so excited to be trying something new in music class! First, we buzzed on the mouthpiece. Once the students experienced success on the mouthpiece, they felt more confident to play on the whole instrument. The PBuzz is getting our students excited to play brass instruments. I recently took an instrument repair class, and was able to fix some trumpets and trombones for student use. PBuzz has helped the whole class to get started on the brass instrument journey, and they are excited about starting a school band!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT and one other donor.Buzzing the Blues
Funded Jul 15, 2025I can't thank you enough for your incredibly generous donation to our school music program. Students have been learning how to play the pBuzz on the first day of school. The students are so excited to be trying something new in music class! First, we buzzed on the mouthpiece. Once the students experienced success on the mouthpiece, they felt more confident to play on the whole instrument. The PBuzz is getting our students excited to play brass instruments. I recently took an instrument repair class, and was able to fix some trumpets and trombones for student use. PBuzz has helped the whole class to get started on the brass instrument journey, and they are excited about starting a school band!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT.We Love Music and Art
Funded May 9, 2025Thank you so much, Ms Heather and friends, for your continued support! This colored Astrobright paper will make finding the right song in the choir folder a breeze, especially for our students with special needs. The students are so thankful for the supplies, but also for the relationship and knowing that there are caring people out there in the world. Thank you for helping my students to feel valued and good about themselves with these useful and practical art supplies. Paper, glue, and glue sticks give the kids what they need to create art projects that help them to express themselves.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 3 other donors.Creating a Student-Centered Music Curriculum
Funded Jun 6, 2025Thank you so much for helping me to attend the course, 'Student Centered Learning in the Music Classroom.' This class has prompted me to reflect upon what I am currently teaching in the music classroom, and helped me to find ways to integrate more student voice and choice during class. I have learned that being 'student-centered' doesn't neccicarily require reinventing the wheel; often the curriculum can become more student-centered when the teacher simply asks students for advice and feedback, and truly listens and is willing to give up control. Teaching for years, sometimes you get in a rut: this class is teaching me how to listen to student voices, and how to use their input and interests to create an experience which is enjoyable, equitable and educational. Thanks again for helping me attend this class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 3 other donors.Twirling Teamwork
Funded Apr 23, 2025Thank you so much for providing our students with color guard flags. The students were so delighted to go outside and learn right shoulder and other positions. We have learned six 8-counts of flag work so far, and will be accompanying our Gillespie drumline in performances during the school day. These guard flags have elevated our school dance team to new heights. I am so happy to be able to teach my students how to spin a flag. Thank you for bringing color guard and drill team activities to an at-risk population on the south side of Chicago. Your gift is greatly appreciated, and will make a positive impact for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by A Chicago Family.I Dream of Genie
Funded May 6, 2025I cannot thank you enough for your generous support of our school musical. The items arrived in time to boost our well-received production of Disney's 'Aladdin.' The performance was a great success. This dedicated cast of 3rd-5th graders had been working so hard for months to prepare for this production. Thanks to you, Genie and Magic Carpet had costumes which arrived in the nick of time. The props added a touch of humor to the play, and helped to clearly convey the story. Thanks again for bringing 'Aladdin' to life in this underresourced public school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 2 other donors.Costuming our School Musical
Funded May 8, 2025I cannot thank you enough for your generous support of our school musical. The items arrived in time to boost our well-received production of Disney's 'Aladdin.' This dedicated cast of 3rd-5th graders had been working so hard for months to prepare for this production. The costumes and props empowered our students, honoring their hard work and delighting their audience. The head wraps and scarves costumed our stage crew and chorus members and princes, and the props added a touch of humor to the play, and helped to clearly convey the story. Thanks to you, every participating student got a chance to wear a costume. This was an experience our students will remember for years to come. Thanks again for bringing 'Aladdin' to life in this underresourced public school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 5 other donors.Aladdin and Jafar
Funded May 1, 2025I cannot thank you enough for your generous support of our school musical. The costumes arrived in time to boost our well-received production of Disney's 'Aladdin.' This dedicated cast of 3rd-5th graders had been working so hard for months to prepare for this production. The costumes empowered our students, honoring their hard work and delighting their audience. A lot of the costumes we got from thrift stores, but thanks to you, Aladdin and Jafar had the official costumes from Disney, which helped to clearly convey the story. Thanks again for bringing 'Aladdin' to life in this underresourced public school. The students involved will remember this experience for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Patton