This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My students are always excited by the World Drumming Kit that comes to our school for five weeks each year. We are currently working to build our own set of drums so that we can infuse drumming into our curriculum throughout the year.
Some of our students face barriers to learning, very often barriers related to living in poverty, and it is important to have opportunities for these students to feel successful.
Many of our students are working on building social skills, and the World Music Drumming curriculum is specifically designed to help students build these skills and connect them to music making experiences. Some of the main ideas the curriculum addresses are respect, focus, teamwork, communication, and community. The staff members in our building work hard to meet both the academic and social needs of our students, and it is good for these skills to be reinforced in both the general classroom and in special areas such as music.
My Project
Drumming is an incredible way for students to build rhythmic skills and help students understand what it means to be part of an ensemble. We will be able to use these instruments to engage in a variety of rhythm activities and to gain an understanding of musical concepts such as Call and Response and Improvisation. In addition, drumming can serve as an accompaniment to many folk songs from both America and other cultures. Drumming adds excitement to student performances and gives students a chance to shine. Right now our school has access to a drumming kit that visits for five weeks during the year, and students love having the opportunity to drum. This year we have added 7 drums to our classroom through the support of donations to Donors Choose, the ICCSD Foundation and West Music. My ultimate goal is to build a collection of 15 drums, enough for each student to share, maximizing student learning and engagement in class.
Donations to this project will improve my classroom by providing students opportunities to use drums throughout the year, rather than as a special unit that comes and goes only once each school year.
These drums are motivating, and a fantastic tool for building rhythmic skills and creating community in the music room. Because the majority of our families have limited incomes, your financial support is essential in helping us to get more instruments into our classrooms.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Mrs. Ross and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
