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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Simonson from Spartanburg, SC is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Simonson is requesting

Help Us Afford the Chords

My students need 4 guitars and 2 tuners to replace the old, dilapidated instruments currently used in our classroom.

  • $335 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

My Students

My students all have special needs and attend a special school that serves the entire county. At this school, students have very small class sizes and received individualized attention that focuses on their disabilities and abilities.

Whether physical, mental, or emotional, they all face daily challenges not common in mainstream classrooms.

Most of my students have multiple handicaps or are moderately to severely disabled. However, they do not allow it to interfere with their passion for listening to and performing music. My students love to learn and love to play instruments. For most of them playing an instrument is very therapeutic and motivating and allows them to become more outgoing and self confident.

My Project

"Can we play guitar today?" is the question I hear every day from at least one class of students. My middle school students have an intense desire to learn to play the guitar, however, our current guitars are too small, too old, and literally falling apart. With new guitars my students will finally be able to learn something which truly interests and excites them. They find the sound of a guitar to be soothing and therapeutic and believe it is a valuable instrument to learn. Most of the students interested in learning to play the guitar have an emotional disability and sometimes have difficulty coping with the world around them. Through music, I am teaching them positive methods of dealing with overwhelming and upsetting situations. Learning to play an instrument such as the guitar is an invaluable skill for students in this situation and it is a skill that they can retain beyond the classroom.

Music helps students relax, focus, and provides a positive distraction from negative situations.

By donating to this project you will help students with special needs learn better methods of coping with the stress of everyday life. You will help them discover happiness, relaxation, and hope.

Mrs. Simonson McCarthy - Teszler School Grades 6-8

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Simonson

Spartanburg, SC View local requests

More than three‑quarters 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

25 students impacted 3donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Simonson is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Starter Acoustic Guitar • Woodwind & Brasswind $49.99 4 $199.96
FT-004 Clip-On Chromatic Tuner • Woodwind & Brasswind $14.99 2 $29.98

Materials cost

$229.94

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $16.21

3rd party payment processing fee

$3.45

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$284.60

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$50.22

Total project goal

$334.82

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $334.82

3 Donors

-$292.10

Donations toward project cost

-$284.60

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$7.50

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$42.72

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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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. Simonson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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