"We may not have high-quality instruments, but so what? We make music so beautiful that it touches peoples' hearts and leaves their mouths hanging wide open."
These eloquent words were spoken by a student in my band program, who realized how amazing we were in spite of lacking many resources.
The nearly 250 students in my band program define remarkable!
We are a large middle school in an urban setting. The students hail from all over the globe and bring with them unique perspectives and insights.
The students see the band room as a home away from home and take a great deal of pride in the program. It is not uncommon to see them practicing before and after school. They are devoted to their musical studies and have accomplished feats once unheard of for a middle school in our area. They have won regional competitions, garnered numerous NYSSMA medals, participated in All-County ensembles as well as other honors band festivals.
Perhaps the most important thing they learn in band is character. Sometimes I think good character speaks louder than the notes we play. My students are both energetic and enthusiastic. Their outstanding character makes them a joy to be around.
My Project
Sharing instruments has been a given in our program. Since most of the children do not have their own instruments, nor the resources with which to purchase one, they must depend on our aging school inventory. A few of our instruments are used by a single student, while most instruments are assigned to a few students.
I am requesting two flutes in order to help alleviate this situation. The wear and tear on our flutes has been significant as many of them are 20 or 30 years old. The students are often frustrated when their progress is hindered by the use of a very old, leaky instrument, or one they cannot take home. These were once my greatest concerns about instrument sharing. Perhaps it was the Swine Flu outbreak of 2009 that made me contemplate the health risks this set-up lends itself to. As students began to fall ill, I noticed a high percentage of them were in band. When our school was closed, I came to understand that it was time to limit sharing of instruments.
Our music program continues to grow in size and stature with the passing of each year.
Many of my former students have gone on to arts-intensive high schools and have won both summer camp and college scholarships. In order to protect the longevity of our music program, we need to build up our instrument inventory. This way I can share the gift of music with future generations of determined students.
More than half 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
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 Ms. Schecter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NY","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":3,"name":"Middle School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/fabulous-flutes-avoiding-ailments/422984/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":6,"isEquityFocusV1":false,"teacherScreenName":"Ms. Schecter","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"823107189","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Bayside","teachersOnPage":[197150],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":422984,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":1,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":952,"schoolName":"Middle School 158 Marie Curie","authorIds":{"197150":{"owner":"Ms. Schecter","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[422984],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp197150_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1537901990315","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":40026,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":{"completingDonationAmount":3077,"proposalURL":"project/more-band-essentials/9819870/","proposalTitle":"More Band Essentials!","proposalId":9819870},"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["NDkxMjEx","NTcyOTU2"],"teacherId":197150,"schoolCounty":"Queens","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NY","name":"New York"}}
