"Are we going to get instruments?" I heard this question from almost every one of my 350 students when I met them for the first time. To say they're eager to play music would be an understatement!
I teach at a large Title I elementary school in Brooklyn, NY, where every student qualifies for free lunch, and many receive services for ELL or special needs.
My colleagues and I work very hard to provide them with the best education possible, and we feel strongly that our students should have access to a quality, well-rounded education, despite the various hardships many of them face in their day-to-day life.
My Project
My students and I are really excited to get our brand new band up and running. Band programs are not cheap, and I'm really thankful to my principal for her support, and to other band directors in my district that have donated instruments and resources to help us realize our goal and bring an amazing opportunity to our very deserving students.
I'm hoping to save our school some money and keep instruments in my students' hands by taking care of minor repairs on my own.
Instrument repair costs are often a large part of band budgets, and our school has limited resources and a parent base that is supportive but also generally lower-income earners. Acquiring a band repair kit will allow me to quickly fix small problems that pop up often in student instruments. This means my students won't have to be without their instruments while they are sent out for small repairs, and my budget can be spent on things like new repertoire, acquiring more instruments so I can extend my band's reach to more students, or on more major repair work that I can't handle.
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