My students need three student-model flutes to have enough instruments to develop a flute choir at my school. We also need materials to maintain our instruments.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Dyson's classroom raised $470
This project is fully funded
My Students
Imagine this. You are fifteen or sixteen years old and you want to learn to play an instrument. However, you cannot because the school does not own enough of the particular instrument you are interested in. How frustrating! Unfortunately, this is what my students are currently going through!
"Love, it will not betray, dismay, or enslave you.
It will set you free."
-Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons.
The images of love and perseverance displayed in this song are raw, beautiful, and powerful. Only recently have I discovered that this is the very thing I try to impart on my students on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, many of my students have been broken, beaten, and scarred throughout their lives. Many of them live with daily uncertainty and often the painful results of these scars are apparent the classroom. The demographics of our school speak very loudly: As of October 2009, 57% of the students were African-American, while 18% were Asian. 13% were Latino, 9% were Caucasian, and 2% were American Indian. Currently, over 70% of our students are on free/reduced lunch.
In order to provide much needed stability for these students, I have been building a music program for two years. It is a wonderful resource for these children to feel safe, loved, and expand their creative minds.
My Project
As you have already seen, we are raising the funds to purchase three flutes and materials to help keep our woodwind instruments in good condition. Currently, we have two flutes in our instrument inventory. That being said, we have three, soon to be five, flute players in our music program. The result of this is obvious...we do not have enough instruments for all of our students, and that is a major problem.
Obtaining these resources will allow my students to flourish in many ways. To begin with, every student will have their own instrument, without having to worry about sharing. Secondly, it will allow the music program to properly serve more students. This will be uplifting for my students because they will be able to learn in a more social setting and will have strength in numbers throughout their performances. It will allow them to learn how to perform more effectively. Most importantly, my students will have a better experience learning how to work in collaborative settings.
You now have many choices.
You can choose to build a music program at a struggling school. You can choose to create equity amongst the schools in our district. You can choose to positively affect a young person's education. Do this by donating the funds for materials these students would not be able to have otherwise. It is my belief that generosity ultimately stems from love. Like Mumford & Sons said, love will "set you free." Please help our children understand this with conviction. Thank you.
More than three‑quarters 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
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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 Mr. Dyson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
