The band program here last year had eight very dedicated students. This is my first year here and we now stand strong with sixty and still counting. We sing our notes, rap about posture and high five each other when we play well. Everyone is pumped about making music.
Tell you more about my students.
What can I say? This is my first year at this school and they have made me feel so welcome and loved. Last year, we had no school instruments which meant the students had to buy or rent. However, we are listed as a Title One school and most families in our district cannot afford to do so. Over the summer, I worked another job and bought used instruments for the kids to borrow for the year. It was so overwhelming of their graciousness for the instrument they were going to be allowed to use. We listened to a Count Basie chart and the kids were mesmerized of what a jazz band sounded like. They immediately asked if we could have one, and how do you say no to that? We are right outside New Orleans and to not have a jazz program would almost be shameful. Now, as the buses pull up in the mornings, they are coming to practice, skipping recess to practice and even asking to skip PE. These kids are going to be our future and they need your help!
My Project
The saxophones are going to be used by students who are interested in the jazz band and will also be used in concert band as well. We will use them to further their knowledge on music and jazz education through learning big band charts. We will also start work on improv and learning blues scales. It's my dream to have the students perform on the spring concert and perhaps a band festival at a nearby university. The schools that they would feed into are also notable music programs who could also benefit from our students because they would be better prepared to handle junior high and high school literature and even spark a jazz interest at those schools as well. Without these instruments, it will take a lot longer to get to the next step. We are a new school without a band budget and without the help of DonorsChoose, we would not be able to get these instruments.
This will give an outlet and may even spark a bigger interest to students who maybe did not want to do band at first.
This can change their lives by giving them a creative outlet by performing a different style. Being a jazz musician is something that you take with you the rest of your life. It teaches ear training, improv, style, and it opens the opportunity for scholarships and even performing with notable musicians. Jazz education needs to start early. It needs to start now.
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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. Mayeux and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.