This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I am a high school math teacher of grades 9-12 in a school that is a low income based, high need community.
During this school year I noticed that I had a lot of students who were very passionate for music but had no where to express it due to increasing budget cuts in schools and especially the arts. Yes they have some band classes, but most students do not want to play clarinet or trumpet, etc...because they see no point in it. The people they see making a living out of music sing, rap, or play more popular musical instruments such as the guitar, bass, keyboard, or drums. The major problem is that they have no money or resources to get the necessary equipment or a place to practice and learn. I give them a place to practice and learn, but even by allowing them to use all of my own personal equipment, I cannot come close to supplying all of my students with what they need.
The solution to this problem has many parts: The first part has already been supplied because I am giving them a healthy encouraging environment in which to learn, practice, and network. The second part is that these students need equipment that they cannot afford. These students who were nothing but excited about the idea of having an opportunity to express themselves musically, start to get discouraged from coming when there are no supplies to be had. We are trying to practice live sound and vocals. If they ever want to be professional musicians, work with professional musicians, or just have a general knowledge of electronics and amplification systems to get them ready for college, then having a better working PA and setup is key. This equipment will be everything we need. With these PA speaker stands we can finally start to record and begin these young students’ musical careers or inspire them to keep working with electronics and engineering!
Your help will ensure that my students get the full potential to make the best of this opportunity to learn how to really use music once they graduate high school. Your contribution could lead to the forming of the next great recording artist who might have never been had it not been for the donated music equipment that kept them motivated to keep going. Things like this give students a sense of purpose, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging that many have never experienced before. If we can teach the students something real that they can use in life, is that not as worthwhile, if not possibly more worthwhile, than their regular academics? There are trade schools for many different vocations, but very few to make better professional musicians for tomorrow. You could help change that. Your donation could help make mold today’s students into what could be your favorite group in the future!
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 Mr. Chambless and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.