My middle school students are rockstars. They are leaders. World-changers. Rap writers. Kindness Givers. Fortnight Players. Idea Generators. They rise above challenges that hit them on a day to day basis such as moving to a different foster family, enduring financial hardships, and overcoming negative self-images about themselves.
These kids are innovative and creative problem solvers.
They taught me this: to never see money as an obstacle but to look for opportunities to make the world a better place. For example, just this past year alone, our kids helped lead fundraising efforts to support soldiers overseas, raised money to support special needs students in our CDC classroom, and wrote encouraging letters to our custodians, teachers, and staff for appreciation week.
These kids are other's focused and an HONOR to teach.
My Project
According to Hill and Schupp (2013), findings from a study on learning to play a musical instrument over the long term suggests music training may enhance cognitive skills and academic success as well as an effective learning such as conscientiousness, openness, and agreeability.
Because ukuleles are an easy to learn instrument, students will be able to experience success through playing instruments, playing and singing, performing as an ensemble, performing solo for a group, and enjoying a hands-on learning experience rather than just learning the music foundations abstractly.
These are all integral parts of an engaging and exciting music curriculum.
In seventh and eighth grade, students have the opportunity to take general music class in which we explore many different topics such as world music, rhythm, rock and roll, and others. Many of my students love playing the ukulele and when we borrowed some last year from an elementary school, some told me they wanted to teach themselves more on their own. I hope you will consider donating to help these students play an instrument as many could not afford an instrument on their own.
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 Ms. Rainer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
