Middle school instrumental music is exciting, but the orchestra classroom is a busy place! Most of my sixth grade students have never touched an instrument until they walk into the orchestra room, so I consider it a great honor to watch their skills grow over the course of three years.
My students attend a public middle school in Montana, where we all love the wide open spaces and the beautiful big sky.
I teach sixth, seventh, and eighth graders learning to play violin, viola, cello, or bass. This is the exciting world of the string orchestra!
One of the greatest challenges facing my students is the large size of our school. With over a thousand students in one building, resources are stretched very thin and classroom space is sometimes cramped. Our staff and administration work hard to make the most of what we have, but it is sometimes an insurmountable obstacle.
I find middle school to be a fascinating time for all my students. Sixth graders are just starting to discover a world outside elementary school, while seventh and eighth grade students are wrestling with being not quite a kid and not quite an adult. It is a time of amazing discoveries and intense learning, and music offers so many unique opportunities to encourage those experiences.
My Project
Learning to play a string instrument has unique challenges, and no challenge is more complex than working with a bow. According to some teachers, the string player's bow is actually a second instrument because of the difficulties it presents for most young players.
Among the instruments of the string family, the bass presents a particular challenge when it comes to managing the bow. The instrument itself is gigantic, so the bow is proportionately heavy and cumbersome for a beginning player. One of the biggest mysteries for a bass player is what to do with this immense tool when it is not required in the music.
This is where the incredible bow quiver saves the day! A simple leather pouch that can be tied to the bass tailpiece, this fantastic invention allows beginning bass players to store their bows in an easily accessible location. It makes the process of learning to play the bass so much more manageable and enjoyable for everyone!
Learning to play an instrument can be discouraging at times, and orchestral players regularly face that challenge when it comes to the setting up their instrument and using their bow.
This project will remove one substantial obstacle for my bass players and give them the support they need to learn to use their bows well. With resources stretched thin at our crowded school, your contributions will mean so much to these budding musicians!
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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 Mr. Cleary and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.