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.
Imagine a room filled with 28 energetic high school students, all blasting away on plastic recorders. To some it might sound like chaos, but to me it's beautiful music. My students come from a challenging urban neighborhood and deal with violence, death and a general lack of resources. When they enter my general music class in September, many of them haven't had consistent music education throughout elementary school due to lack of funding. So while they're playing stringed instruments in the suburbs, we start from square one.
This year, I asked my students to purchase a recorder of their own to use in class. We use recorders to learn how to read music notation and also to gain the experience of practicing, perfecting and performing music. Only about half of my students were able to pay, so I covered the remainder of the bill.
Next year, I want each student to have his own recorder free of charge. I don't want any of them to feel like he can't afford this experience. The idea of high school students playing recorders may raise some educators' eyebrows, but for my students it is a chance to practice the art of focus and an excellent metacognative exercise in which students think about HOW to learn more efficiently.
Daily, we discuss how this kind of focus and intensive rehearsal can help them in math or English class. In rehearsals, we recognize that planning ahead and preparing before we practice often yields better results. I even tell my students that this is the kind of thinking you have to do in college: strategic, intensive and reflective. We encourage our students to consider continuing their education after high school, but without practicing focus and dedication now, many risk losing momentum after graduation.
I hope you will consider funding this project in my general music classroom. Your donation will directly impact my students, empowering them to explore the world of musical expression and to achieve a sense of accomplishment and pride.
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. Kendall and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
