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.
I teach elementary music in a Title I school in an urban setting in Arkansas. I teach all the children in the building- Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade. I have no chairs or desks to make the most of the room I have.
We learn about music through movement, singing, playing and creating. Yes, my children learn to write music. My children are needy - 74% of my students receive free or reduced lunch. Mostly, they are the children of the working poor. Mom & Dad may both work two jobs just trying to make ends meet. The parents of my students are very supportive and encourage them to participate in all music activities; even those which meet after school.
My fellow staff members and administration are also supportive of the music program and they recognize that our students learn a lot of skills in my class that they use in math and literacy classes.
Because my classroom must accommodate all sizes of students - from those cute little four-year-olds to the "big kids" in the fifth grade, I stopped using chairs years ago. Sitting on the floor allows for a more versatile classroom. However, it's hard to have a specific place to sit on the floor. When they first arrive in my room, students need a place to call their own. However, this "place" needs to be stable. If we have to move it (like carpet squares) to have movement with the music, it takes up too much of our precious time.
Many of my students need tactile learning tools. They need to be able to feel what it's like to be on the second line of the staff or in a space. Like the kindergarten child needs the alphabet surrounding them constantly, all my students need to see and become comfortable with the alphabet of music notation.
A large rug (remember those fifth graders) with a music staff in the center and music symbols in squares around the edge would provide a great and visually appealing solution to this situation. The Note Worthy Rug is exactly what I've been looking for. Students can have a special place to sit around the edge of the rug and they will really learn those music symbols and will be able to use the staff to truly understand how music is written on the staff. They can be the notes and take their places on the staff! They will have constant reminders of what the tools of music writing are. They may not even realize they are learning.
Using the rug to teach will seem more like a game to my students which will help them remember what they've learned even more. We won't have to move anything for movement either - a great time-saver!
You will make it possible for my students to have a truly special place to learn more about creating music. With your help our music room will be a place where we can learn and make music with the music at our feet!
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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. Buehling and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.