My students need more music stands in the classroom so that we aren't sharing 3 students per stand.
$551 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My students' joy in composing, performing, and living music shines daily as they make this band room their home away from home. They learn from interacting with each other, and this couldn't have been more clearly demonstrated than during their concert April 26th, which included a majority of student-chosen works, student-composed transitions, student emcees, and student conductors.
Giving my students more autonomy over the classroom, content, and performances has created a special oasis in the school.
Students are welcome anytime, including before and after school and lunchtime to practice and collaborate. Pop-up ensembles not directed by me have included jazz combos, freshmen rock bands, and many students who are not enrolled in any music classes but wish to learn some piano skills from their friends.
The social importance of creating a welcoming space during high school years cannot be understated. I have received notes on my desk including 'you are the reason I came to class' and 'this band room is the reason I did not drop out of high school.' My students are not only beautiful musicians, but tough and resilient humans who know the power of the arts and the power of having a supportive team.
My Project
Can you imagine a classroom for 40 children with only 15 desks? Our band has grown in numbers every year, but we are still working with 15 music stands! This year, the band has over 40 students who must double and triple up on every stand during rehearsal and performances. Even with sharing, some students are left out and have to put their music on chairs, in open instrument cases, or other spaces, none of which are conducive to good posture.
With your help, we'll get closer to the goal of every student having their own music stand in class and on stage - and no one going without!
There is nothing wrong with sharing 2 per stand, as long as those two students are playing similar parts or are reading music that only takes up half the stand. But at KAPPA, much of our music is multiple pages long - making sharing a stand very difficult as music goes flying when one student needs to quickly flip to the next page! Also, when they have to stop playing to turn their music over, they lose valuable playing time and don't experience the piece of music as it was written.
Having these additional music stands will allow our percussion section to use stands instead of balancing their music on a drum. It will allow me to have a stand to conduct from, as I have been going without so that the students can have one extra stand. It will allow all the students to see their music clearly in rehearsal and performance without feeling so very far away from what they need to read.
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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. Malin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
