When I received our first DonorsChoose grant of 8 ukuleles for my elementary classroom I had no idea the impact they would make on my high school students!
I am the only music teacher for all of the students in grades K-12!
Seventy-one percent of our student body receive free or reduced lunches. Our school is small, but my students dream big! We have overcome many disadvantages to build a successful music program. My students love all kinds of music, but I really want to make sure they continue the rich tradition of bluegrass. With these additional ukuleles I would have enough not only for my elementary classes but for my high school students as well.
My Project
When we received our first set of ukuleles I thought I would have members of my high school choir help me tune them and learn the first chords. I wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing before introducing them to my elementary students. What I didn't count on was how much fun my high school kids would have with them. We spent a class period learning together and all they could talk about was how much fun they were having. Some of them even said all they could think about that night was playing the ukuleles the next day! They have decided they want to learn to play and sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for our spring concert.
I am so encouraged by the excitement the high school students showed while learning their first chords last week.
With the additional ukuleles I will be able to reach even more students and further my goal of introducing my students to stringed instruments and to their rich tradition of bluegrass music.
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
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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 Mrs. Sprague and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
