My students need drums and percussion instruments to participate in an artist residency we were awarded through one of the State of Illinois Neighborhood Arts Programs.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. B.'s classroom raised $967
This project is fully funded
My Students
Hooray! We received a music residency grant that will bring a renowned percussionist to our school to teach over 150 3rd graders the art of drumming and its rhythms! Oh, no! That grant will not pay for the drums and percussion instruments our children need so they can learn as he teaches them!
Our school is PK-3rd, serving over 700 children and their families, and recognized as a port of entry for many diverse immigrant groups.
96.4% of our children are from low-income families with the free or reduced lunch program. Many members of our families speak English as a second language, with over 46 different languages spoken by our children. Our school provides ESL, Bilingual, Inclusion, Early Childhood Autism, Special Education, and General Education classrooms. This Project would include students from each of these groups. The mission of our school is "to create a nurturing environment and embrace the unique learning needs of all students ... to work collaboratively as a school community as we celebrate and respect one another's similarities and differences. We hope to inspire and empower all students to reach their full academic, creative, physical, and social-emotional potential." Our primary-aged children learn best through active engagement and hands-on learning.
My Project
My students need drums and percussion instruments to participate in an artist residency we were awarded through one of the State of Illinois Neighborhood Arts Programs. This Project will serve to reflect our children's cultures through their exploration of the art of drumming and percussive instruments. Music, and more specifically, drum rhythms, is a profoundly important element in all the cultures reflected within the students at our school. This Project will encourage our students to understand, appreciate, and celebrate the deeper relationships of their diversities and similarities. Students will be divided into groups, and each group will engage in pre-planned lessons, 40 minutes each week, with the artist. To integrate social studies with music, maps and curricular information will help students visualize as they travel to different countries and explore the various instruments, rhythms, drum patterns and beats. The residency continues for 12 weeks. At its conclusion, a percussion orchestra will perform for our families and community.
With these instruments you may provide, our students will be given opportunity to fully participate in activated learning -- what joy for them to give expression of their knowledge through rhythm and music!
Cultures they will represent through music are their cultures, their backgrounds, all important components of who they are! To play together, to understand each other, to respect differences -- this is our school mission, and with these instruments, we can continue to make music in the future!
This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.