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
Do you remember the first time you learned to play a song? And how every time you had your instrument in front of you, you'd proudly play it again? There's something very real about feeling that beat that inspires kids to want to try out their own, even if they've never been taught.
My students are inner city youths who all receive free lunch.
Their opportunities to get out of their environment happen at school. It is at this same school that students can be free from outside pressures or home life in which they can finally let their guard down to be themselves. I write this request during midterms at a time when student schedules are different than normal. When I told them I wasn't going to hold our club that day, one of the kids responded, "You can't cancel Hip-Hop Club! It's the only time I have therapy all day!"
My Project
It's one thing to click on the mouse. It's an entirely different reality to feel the beat. One of the coolest things my students relate to is "making beats" after school. So many of them tap out a rhythm on their desk (often a sign of post traumatic stress syndrome found in kids from violent surroundings). But what if the students could turn this energy exuding from something they had no control over into a positive action? Previously, I ordered one of these keyboards and an amp so kids could get started using only an iPhone, but imagine how enticing it would be if the students could use 5 computers to share their beats or inspire others to work at school and stay after for Hip-Hop Club? I selected controllers with small keys and drum pads to affect the greatest number of beat writers or music creators. Our club is open to all students, and numbers are already growing. Imagine how many students can be served with 5 working stations!
I started a Hip-Hop Club this year.
My goal was to give my students a safe place to go after school; some place where they could create something that expressed what they were going through, could help them work out stress, and still work on something creative they could be proud of. I also wanted to provide a space where they could let their guard down and feel safe. My door is open to all.
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
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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 Coach Hansen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
