Exploring Music Through Boomwhackers and Glockenspiels
My students need rhythm sticks, boomwhackers, and glockenspiels to have the opportunity to experience music in ways they wouldn't otherwise have the chance to.
$463 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
My Students
My school is a public school that serves low-income students in grades kindergarten through second grade. It currently serves 175 students and since its inception in 2014, has served over 500 students. It is not just a school, but a movement to raise the bar for education in Central Phoenix. Through a combination of rigorous academics, a college-bound culture, competitively selected teachers, and an extended school day and school year, my school aims to have all of its students to make over 1.5 years of growth in a single year. At this school, the road to college truly starts in kindergarten.
My school is unique in that it is part of the “New Schools for Phoenix” incubator program, a highly selective and competitive non-profit program devoted to expanding educational opportunities to all students throughout Arizona.
Ninety-eight percent of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch, 75% are English Language Learners and over 90% of them are students of color.
My class of 30 students is filled with children who love to learn and create. Unfortunately, many of them don't have resources to do this at home, so I try to give them those experiences while they're in my class.
My Project
Many of the students in my class may never have the opportunity to create music or experience it first hand because they come from low-income families. Students have already been exposed to some music concepts through YouTube videos we've watched in class, but haven't been able to fully grasp those concepts because they don't have a way to experience them for themselves. But with these materials, they will be able to understand these concepts and experience what it feels like to create music. The rhythm sticks will give students a chance to practice percussion techniques that they learn. The boomwhackers and glockenspiels will give them the opportunity to play different notes, where before they could only do this with their voices. I plan to use these weekly, if not more often to teach them basic songs and the basics of how to read music.
Many of my students struggle with academics, but I fully believe incorporating more arts education into their school day will help them achieve their academic goals, allowing them to go on to do whatever they dream of doing.
Michelle Obama said, "Arts education isn’t something we add on after we’ve achieved other priorities like raising test scores and getting kids into college. It’s actually critical for achieving those priorities in the first place." The materials I am requesting through this project will no doubt make a difference in my students' lives.
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