My students need a class set of 30 ukuleles to promote a diverse, hands-on musical learning experience and advance their music making to the next level!
Each day this upper elementary music room is filled with students who are hard-working, respectful, charismatic, and eager to learn. Many of these 330 students are faced with difficult home situations and barriers that limit their exposure to the world outside of Salem, Ohio. We are a Title I school, with approximately 60% of the students in our building (grades 5 and 6) receiving free or reduced lunches. Additionally, the population among our school is very diverse and a large number of students are English Language Learners, meaning they do not speak English as their first language.
Creative, optimistic, talented, and passionate to succeed; my students have personalities full of spunk that leave me amazed each day.
As a music educator I work closely with every student in our school, and I am committed to provide each one with a well-rounded, inclusive, engaging, and impactful music education. I love my job because regardless of the difficulties many of our students face outside of school I have the ability to ensure that these awesome kids enter my room and experience a really interesting, fun, and successful lesson.
My Project
Upper Elementary students desire and thrive from music making opportunities that are challenging, and in their minds, “cooler” than the activities they encountered in their younger school days. Implementing ukuleles will foster a highly engaging and exciting learning experience for each student while they actively experience music-making at a greater level.
Ukuleles will create a fun, higher-level learning environment promoting 100% student involvement through hands-on activities to create, improvise, explore, question, and investigate music.
Students at this critical age will be introduced to higher-level music concepts, perform rhythm patterns, apply techniques learned for string instruments, create their own song arrangements, develop performance skills, and collaborate with peers and work as a team! Music is a universal language. Our diverse English Language Learning students will succeed regardless of any language barrier because a ukulele is a fantastic visual connector for music making. Regardless of skill level, a ukulele is designed to accommodate varying stages of difficulty, so this offers all students the ability to advance at their own pace and experience success.
With the ukulele becoming very common in pop culture of today’s generation, kids will instantly be drawn to this “cool” instrument. In a structured and safe environment these older elementary learners will “jam out” while being challenged, building their confidence, and most importantly having fun while learning! I hope to enrich the opportunities for each student entering my classroom, to enhance the quality of our music program, and to educate these awesome students to the very best of my ability!
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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 Ms. Saltsman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
