Percussion Instruments Make a Resounding Impact on Student Learning!
My students need small percussion instruments so they can have hands-on learning experiences including creating accompaniments to songs and stories—and so they can compose and perform their own music.
With a student population of roughly 680 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, my students attend a large elementary school. In this sizeable school setting, my students are hungry for opportunities to show their individual creativity through hands-on learning.
In short, my students are eager to create music!
They're ready to try their hand at many aspects of music; they want to be composers, arrangers, and performers. This is my first year at this school and in this classroom. It lacks most small instruments, which is something I'm hoping to change to create more opportunities for my students. They want to sing as they have been, but they also want to play!
My Project
It's vital that even my youngest learners be performers each time they enter the music classroom! Small hand-percussion instruments (jingle bells, sand blocks, egg shakers, and the like) meet our youngest learners' developmental needs, and allow them to be instrumentalists as they play along with the songs we sing in class. Through their playing, students are practicing keeping a steady beat, experiencing (and making!) music with accompaniment, and learning to perform as an ensemble.
As students progress in their music education, instruments provide a multitude of ways for them to creatively apply what they have learned.
With a variety of instruments at hand, students can create accompaniments that are truly their own. They have the opportunity to apply their knowledge of rhythms, musical form, and musical texture. From accompaniments that highlight certain words or phrases in a song to original percussion compositions that practice new rhythms, the options for student application are endless.
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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 Ms. Kwasny and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
