My elementary music students are a great group of kids. They are very excited to learn something new or practice something we have already learned every day. They especially love it when they get to play instruments. We are a small K-12 school in a rural area, so my students do not get much exposure to music other than what they hear online, on the radio, or in the music classroom.
My students have the opportunity to express themselves in ways they cannot in the general classroom when they come to music class.
Students that struggle to do math facts can still feel successful when they learn the words to a new song or can participate in a circle game. They have the opportunity to break up the routine of the general classroom and attempt new things in a safe environment.
My Project
My students thoroughly enjoy playing musical instruments in class, and they were all extremely excited about our school's addition of ukuleles about two years ago. They were just beginning to get comfortable with their instruments and felt like they were making some real progress when our school was shut down for quarantine. Fortunately, we were able to return to in-person learning this year, but there are many new guidelines we must follow. With the changes COVID has brought to my classroom, only a fraction of my classes are able to play the ukuleles. Instruments must be thoroughly sanitized between students, so there is only enough time in one of my music classes for two students to play each ukulele. In some of my classrooms, this means students would have to wait three days to play the ukulele making it not feasible to use them with the current restrictions.
COVID has taken so many opportunities away from my students; please help me give them the opportunity to play ukuleles again!
While students have been very patient with me, it has been very frustrating for them to wait until a ukulele is available or not be able to play them at all. I have also noticed that students are retaining less than they did the previous year because of the increased wait time. This can often lead to management problems that can take more time away from learning even when I incorporate other instruments for waiting students. Six additional ukuleles will help decrease the wait time in my classes that are small enough to play the ukuleles we have now. I will also be able to allow at least two more classes to play ukuleles.
More than a third 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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