Make Our Voices Heard: Orchestra Music By Underrepresented Composers
Help me give my students digital orchestra music resources by underrepresented composers so that my students are able to see themselves within the music!
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Zarchy's classroom raised $436
This project is fully funded
My Project
It is difficult to believe that we are the midway point of the 2023-24 school year for my 8th grade orchestra students as well as my Chamber Orchestra. We still have many exciting performance opportunities that we are lining up, leading into our 8th grade orchestra's performance at the Trills and Thrills Music Festival in May 2024. The Chamber Orchestra is planning on continuing to provide performances out in the community as well as in Albany for NYSSMA Music In Our Schools Month concert series in March 2024, and will also attend the NYSSMA Major Organization Evaluation Festival in May. Our music truly makes an impact on everybody they come in contact with.
Musicians can use their voices in unique ways to help express themselves as well as to highlight those who are historically underrepresented in the composer world.
Middle school orchestra students are the first to question injustices in their world. It is amazing to see how “in tune” they are with the fact that many of the pieces available to us to perform are predominantly composed by white cisgender male artists. Although some progress has been made recently, it is very rare to find orchestra works written by female, LGBTQ, and Black/Brown composers at the middle school level. The pieces I have listed here will give my students the opportunity to explore a wider range of composer diversity, and they will ultimately get the opportunity to perform some of these pieces, using their instrument voices to “stand out” to our community!
These digital music resources will increase my students’ musical literacy as we prepare for high school, as well as allow me to augment the OMS Orchestra music library with engaging, fresh pieces by a composers who are more representative of who my students are.
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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. Zarchy and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
