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
Imagine trying to read a book that was above your reading level. It is just as confusing and frustrating to try and read band music that is above your playing level. This is a challenge that my students face every day with an outdated band library full of materials that are too difficult for them.
As odd as it may sound I teach beginning band at the high school level.
My students live in a high poverty community that has seen many changes over the years, and unfortunately not all of those changes have been positive.
Over the last few decades involvement in our band program has diminished, and a high turnover rate of directors has created inconsistency in the education of the band students. As the new band director I am committed to working with my students to try and turn our program around. We have many students interested in joining the band (35 beginners this semester)!
Since most students start band in 6th grade they have a lot to overcome to try and play at a high school level. Even though my students are older they still must learn all of the fundamentals to establish a good foundation on their instruments, and in their ability to read music. My students want to play high quality music, but they must develop their skills before they can accomplish their goals.
My Project
Most of the music in our band library was purchased years ago when the band program was stronger. All of our music is way too difficult for my beginning band students. In the past my students have relied heavily on their previous directors to 'spoon feed' them the music and/or they wrote in the letter names under their music notes.
Eventually after enough repetition they learned the music well enough to perform a concert. However the students weren't learning the essential skills in reading music to be able to apply to future pieces. I don't want the same future for my current beginners. I want to provide them with band music that is at their instructional level so they can learn how to read music, and apply these skills to eventually learning more difficult pieces down the road.
The pieces I am requesting are at my students' instructional levels.
These pieces will complement the skills that they are learning in their methods book, and prepare my students to play more difficult music down the road. We are in the process of rebuilding our band, and we need to rebuild our library to contain pieces with a wide range of ability levels.
The materials that I have requested are just the first step to helping my students become independent and strong musicians.
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. D. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.