We are currently in the process of stocking our music department supply. Most of our materials are over twenty years old. Our folders are falling apart, and we'd like to keep the ones we have left in good condition until we can order new ones. This shelf will help keep our folders safe and clean.
We are located in the heart of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and 98% of my students are Native American.
We are currently rebuilding our choral program, after the previous music teacher retired from 30 years in the district. My students are fun, caring, passionate, and strong-willed. They are resilient and bright, despite the constant struggles they deal with. Many of my students have difficult home lives, and singing is a breath of fresh air for them. They are always willing to try new things, and they have hearts of gold. I can always count on my students to put a smile on my face with their wonderful sense of humor. My students are athletes, scholars and artists. They are future lawyers, humanitarians, doctors, and teachers. They are the glimmering light of hope for the Blackfeet Nation, and I am proud to be their choir director.
My Project
After organizing and cataloging the BHS choral music library this summer, I discovered that the majority of our music and other materials quite literally predate the 1980's. The previous music teacher performed a lot of sacred music with the choir. While this music is beautiful and certainly has historic prevalence in the development of music, much of it is no longer appropriate for my students, nor do they find it relevant. This music folder cabinet is just the beginning of our project. The cabinet will allow us to properly store our folders to keep our music in good condition. The next step will be to purchase new choral music folders, as the current ones are falling apart, and many of them have been drawn and written on. As our program grows and we recruit more students, I would like to purchase music that interests my students and still provides quality learning opportunities about the wonder and joy of performing in a musical ensemble.
My students come from a difficult background.
We have many issues including substance abuse, poverty, domestic violence, and bullying. With the recent government shut down, funds are scarce as ever. For many of my students, music is what keeps them going. Choir is the class they look forward to; singing is what gets them up in the morning. This cabinet may be just a piece of furniture, but it's one step closer to obtaining the materials we need to make our students' dreams a reality.
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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. Montmagny and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.