Every student deserves the opportunity to explore their talents and passions through music. Music helps enhance a students life and often times especially in middle school and high school, music is the reason the student goes to school at all. The students at this middle school are hard working, dedicated and skilled. With a music program of 187 students this school's ensembles are among the top performing in district and even the state. However with a free and reduced lunch rate of 50% many of the students don't have the access to the equipment that many other students would have.
The students at this school persevere through every challenge that they are encountered with, but much of the musical equipment is old and in disrepair.
With donations of newer musical instruments such as Marimbas, Tubas, Bass clarinets and Baritone saxophones the students would have opportunities to sound even better in performance and achieve higher academically.
My Project
Most of the equipment that is included in this cart are consumables, such as reeds and sanitizing spray. These are pieces of equipment that the students need to play music but often can be a burden for a family. These are things that most families, it is hoped would be able to purchase on their own. At the school I teach, nearly half of the students are on free and reduced lunch meaning that their family as a whole makes less than $40,000 a year.
It is the saddest thing for me as a music teacher when a student wants to play a musical instrument to become part of the community and explore music making with the class but they think they can not simply because their family does not have enough money.
I do everything I can for these students to get them the equipment they need, but I need to have the equipment in the first place to give them. If a student doesn't have a reed or pair of mallets the options are for me to give them one or for them not to play, I will do everything I can to provide the equipment for the students who may not have it them selves. Especially in these trying times, music is the thing the students can fall back on and know that they are part of a safe community.
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