Just as the heart pumps blood to vital organs, the percussion section is the foundation of our band, adding vibrant rhythms to everything we play. Sadly, due to budget restraints, they are learning to play on sub-par, often broken instruments.
In our school, rhythm reverberates beneath the first floor.
In an otherwise dreary basement, lies a community of young musicians with an unbreakable spirit. My 250 middle school band and orchestra students hail from all over the globe and are are united by their passion for music. Together these truly remarkable young people play at concerts, festivals, competitions and recently opened perform for a local college's band concert. While many local schools have lost their music programs, ours is continuing to grow in size and stature. Through bake sales and grants my amazing students have helped keep this program alive.
My Project
Our percussion section uses basic instruments. Many of our pieces call for timpani and/or concert toms, which we cannot afford. We often use old beat-up toms from a now defunct drum set, and substitute drumsticks for claves. We get a close approximation of the sound the composers ask for, but it is never quite right! We are asking for a set of concert toms with a stand as well as a pair of claves and a triangle clip. These instruments and equipment would enhance the sound of our performance a great deal. This year the band sounded terrific and received very high ratings at state festival. I can only imagine how much better they will sound with proper percussion equipment.
This donation will have an enormous impact on the overall sound of our band.
In the long term, I plan on starting a percussion ensemble. This grant would be a first step towards that goal. Sadly, the percussion section is all too often ignored by band directors. I see my aspiring young percussionists as the heartbeat of my band. Please help me provide them with appropriate equipment on which they can further develop their talent and love for music!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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. Schecter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NY","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":3,"name":"Middle School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/reverberating-rhythms/578901/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":30,"isEquityFocusV1":false,"teacherScreenName":"Ms. Schecter","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"-239898656","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Bayside","teachersOnPage":[197150],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":578901,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":1,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":952,"schoolName":"Middle School 158 Marie Curie","authorIds":{"197150":{"owner":"Ms. Schecter","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[578901],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp197150_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1537901990315","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":40026,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":{"completingDonationAmount":3077,"proposalURL":"project/more-band-essentials/9819870/","proposalTitle":"More Band Essentials!","proposalId":9819870},"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["MTAxMjc0NA==","NTg3NzU1","MTAwNTI0Mw==","MTAwMDExNQ==","NTQyNzky","NDQzNzcw","MTAwNjM5MA==","OTg3MTYx","MTAwNjQ1NQ==","MjExMjI5","NzY2MTM0","MzcxNDYz","Mzc2NTAz","OTg0MTUz","MTAwODUwMw==","NzYxMDQ4","OTk4NDEz","NTQ2MjY3","MTAwMDUzMw==","MTAxMjkxMQ==","NjU5MDM1","MTAwOTQxMw==","MTAwNjE0MA==","NTU4NTYy","MTAxMjYwMA=="],"teacherId":197150,"schoolCounty":"Queens","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NY","name":"New York"}}
