{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Mount Vernon Community School","outOfStateSupporters":34.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":10146394,"letterContent":"The addition of story books and song books will greatly enrich our music classroom and the way students experience music learning. These resources will help bring lessons to life by connecting music with storytelling, movement, and imagination. Students will be able to see how music can tell stories, express emotions, and connect with cultures from around the world.\r\n\r\nStory books will allow us to introduce musical concepts in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Through characters, rhythm in language, and interactive reading, students will develop a deeper understanding of beat, tempo, expression, and listening skills. These books will also encourage participation as students sing along, move to the music, and help act out parts of the story.\r\n\r\nSong books will provide a valuable resource for teaching a variety of songs that support vocal development, rhythm practice, and musical literacy. Having these books readily available will help with lesson planning and allow students to revisit favorite songs throughout the year.\r\n\r\nAs these books become a regular part of our lessons, their impact will quickly become clear. Students will show increased engagement, stronger musical understanding, and greater enthusiasm for participating in music activities. The success of these resources will also demonstrate the growing need for an expanded classroom music library so that even more stories and songs can continue to inspire our students' musical learning.","fullyFundedDate":1773843619470,"projectUrl":"project/building-a-music-library-stories-and-so/10146394/","projectTitle":"Building a Music Library: Stories and Songs for Young Musicians","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":10134237,"letterContent":"The new xylophone stand will have a meaningful impact on our music classroom. By placing the instrument at the proper height, the stand will allow students to play with better posture and technique. It will also make it easier for students of different heights to approach the instrument comfortably and participate with confidence.\r\n\r\nBecause our music room is small and our instruments often need to be moved, the stand will also help us position the xylophone more efficiently during lessons and activities. Students will be able to gather around the instrument more easily, which will encourage collaboration and allow more students to take turns playing.\r\n\r\nAs students begin using the stand regularly, it will become clear how helpful this type of equipment is for both instruction and student access. Having the instrument properly supported and easily movable will show just how valuable additional stands would be. With more stands, multiple xylophones could be set up at once, allowing more students to practice simultaneously and increasing hands-on learning during class.\r\n\r\nThis project will not only improve how our current instrument is used, but it will also highlight the growing need for additional stands so that even more students can experience playing classroom instruments in an accessible and engaging way.","fullyFundedDate":1773599897417,"projectUrl":"project/rolling-into-music-a-xylophone-stand/10134237/","projectTitle":"Rolling Into Music: A Xylophone Stand","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":10116483,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our music classroom now has a snare drum and practice pads that are already transforming how students experience music. These instruments have added a new layer of excitement and structure to our lessons, allowing students to explore rhythm in a hands-on and meaningful way. The practice pads give multiple students the opportunity to build coordination and confidence while learning proper technique, ensuring that everyone can participate and grow.\r\n\r\nThe snare drum has made a powerful impact on our recorder ensemble as we prepare for our upcoming spring concert. What was once a simple recorder group is now evolving into a more complete musical experience. The addition of percussion helps students understand balance, tempo, and ensemble teamwork, bringing our performances closer to the feel of a full orchestra.\r\n\r\nBeyond the concert, these instruments will continue to support rhythm instruction, creativity, and collaboration in our music class. Your support is not only enhancing our performances — it is helping students develop musical skills, confidence, and a deeper love for making music together.","fullyFundedDate":1772405905304,"projectUrl":"project/building-our-beat-a-snare-drum-for-our/10116483/","projectTitle":"Building Our Beat: a Snare Drum for Our Spring Concert","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":10096188,"letterContent":"The gathering drum has already made a powerful impact in our music classroom. It brought students together around a shared steady beat, helping them build rhythm skills, teamwork, and confidence. Sitting around the drum created a sense of community where every child could participate and feel connected through music.\r\n\r\nAs we look ahead to our spring concert, the gathering drum will continue to anchor our performances with a strong rhythmic foundation. Students will carry the confidence they have built into the concert, using the steady pulse of the drum to support their singing and playing. This instrument will remain the heartbeat of our classroom, bringing students together through rhythm, collaboration, and shared musical experiences.","fullyFundedDate":1771799431919,"projectUrl":"project/one-drum-one-community-a-gathering-dru/10096188/","projectTitle":"One Drum, One Community: A Gathering Drum","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":10283221,"projectId":9912189,"letterContent":"I am so excited to share how the letter tiles you provided have made a remarkable impact on my students' reading skills. These tiles have become an essential resource in our classroom, allowing my students to physically engage with letters and words in ways that foster a deeper understanding of language. We use the tiles for activities like word building, decoding, and spelling, which have really helped to strengthen their phonemic awareness. \r\n\r\nWhen my students first saw the letter tiles, their faces lit up with excitement. The tactile nature of the tiles made them feel more connected to the material and helped them feel more confident in their ability to manipulate language. Many of them, especially my struggling readers, have gained a sense of accomplishment from seeing their words come together, which has translated into a more positive attitude toward reading. The new materials have opened up countless opportunities for exploration and learning, making our lessons more engaging and interactive.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, the next step for my students is to apply these skills in more complex reading and writing activities. I am excited to see how they take ownership of their learning and further develop their reading skills. Your generous donation has truly transformed our classroom, and I look forward to watching my students continue to grow and succeed with these invaluable resources.","fullyFundedDate":1764088732748,"projectUrl":"project/multisensory-phonics-instruction/9912189/","projectTitle":"Multisensory Phonics Instruction","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Avelar","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10283221"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":9784265,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our DonorsChoose project. Because of you, our music classroom now has a wonderful collection of new song books that are already making a meaningful impact on student learning.\r\n\r\nThe song books you provided include a rich variety of music rooted in Kodály and Orff pedagogies. These approaches emphasize active music-making, listening, movement, and creativity, allowing students to truly experience music rather than just learn about it. With these new resources, students are building foundational skills such as steady beat, rhythm, pitch, and musical expression through engaging, developmentally appropriate songs and activities.\r\n\r\nIn addition to instructional materials, the collection also includes fun and silly songs that bring joy and laughter into our classroom. These songs help create a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable participating, singing confidently, and taking creative risks. The excitement these songs generate has increased student engagement and enthusiasm for music class.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has expanded our curriculum, refreshed our lesson plans, and given students access to high-quality musical experiences they may not otherwise have had. Most importantly, you have helped foster a love of music that will stay with them beyond the classroom.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and supporting arts education. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and investment in our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1768483821355,"projectUrl":"project/songs-for-learning-building-musical-lit/9784265/","projectTitle":"Songs for Learning: Building Musical Literacy with Orff & Kodály","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":10180258,"projectId":9757957,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support in providing my students and me with essential orchestra materials. Because of your help, we were able to purchase additional strings and bows, which are incredibly important for beginner musicians. These items do break from time to time, and having replacements readily available allows our students to continue learning and performing without interruption.\r\n\r\nHaving extra materials on hand ensures that every student can stay engaged and focused on learning, without the added stress of purchasing or maintaining equipment on their own. Your support not only benefits our students but also makes a meaningful difference in my work as an educator. I truly appreciate your kindness and commitment to music education.","fullyFundedDate":1764699560755,"projectUrl":"project/strings-and-bows/9757957/","projectTitle":"Strings and Bows!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Anderson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10180258_orig.jpg?crop=432,432,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755542183334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10180258"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":9554066,"letterContent":"Thank you for your incredible generosity in supporting our DonorsChoose project for music classroom materials, including colored resonator bells, hand bells, a library cart for music books, and more. Because of you, our music room has become a more engaging, organized, and inspiring place for students to learn and grow.\r\n\r\nThe colored resonator bells and hand bells have made a tremendous difference in helping students understand pitch, melody, and teamwork. The color-coding allows students of all learning levels to participate confidently, and they love working together to create music that sounds and feels successful. These instruments have encouraged cooperation, active listening, and a deeper appreciation for music-making.\r\n\r\nThe new library cart has also been a game changer. Our music books are now easily accessible, inviting students to explore composers, cultures, and musical styles from around the world. Having a dedicated space for these materials has increased student curiosity and allowed for smoother transitions during lessons, giving us more time to focus on learning and creativity.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, students are more engaged, more confident, and more excited to come to music class. You have helped create meaningful experiences that nurture creativity, self-expression, and a lifelong love of music.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and for making such a positive impact on our classroom. Your generosity truly makes a difference every single day.","fullyFundedDate":1764710887898,"projectUrl":"project/building-on-success-meeting-new-needs-i/9554066/","projectTitle":"Building on Success: Meeting New Needs in Music","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":9943539,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our DonorsChoose project for LED light-up drum sticks. Because of you, my students were beyond excited to see their new sticks arrive, and the impact was immediate and powerful.\r\n\r\nWhen the students first turned off the lights and began playing, the room filled with glowing colors and huge smiles. The LED drum sticks instantly increased student engagement, focus, and enthusiasm. Even students who are usually hesitant to participate were eager to join in, practice rhythms, and perform with confidence. The visual element helped students better understand timing, dynamics, and coordination while making learning music feel fun and accessible.\r\n\r\nThese drum sticks have transformed our music class into an interactive, high-energy learning environment where creativity and collaboration thrive. Students are now more motivated to practice, more willing to take risks, and more excited about music as a form of expression. For many of them, this was a brand-new experience that made them feel like real performers.\r\n\r\nYour kindness and generosity have made a lasting difference in our classroom. Thank you for believing in our students and for helping us create joyful, memorable learning experiences they will carry with them long after the music stops.","fullyFundedDate":1767221039453,"projectUrl":"project/light-up-the-beat-making-music-magical/9943539/","projectTitle":"Light Up the Beat: Making Music Magical!","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"},{"teacherId":10180258,"projectId":9602845,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our project. Because of you, our orchestra now has enough instruments and extra strings for the school year. Every student will be able to take an instrument home to practice. This opportunity will make a tremendous difference in their growth and confidence.\r\n\r\nWhen I shared the news of this project with my students, their excitement was overwhelming. They asked me every day when the materials would arrive. Knowing that people in our community believe in them and value their musical journey means more than you can imagine.\r\n\r\nThank you for your continued support and for helping us build a vibrant, inspiring music program. I am truly grateful to work in a community that understands how essential the arts are to a student's education and development.","fullyFundedDate":1757608775695,"projectUrl":"project/orchestra-instruments-needed-for-my-amaz/9602845/","projectTitle":"Orchestra Instruments Needed for My Amazing Students!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Anderson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10180258_orig.jpg?crop=432,432,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755542183334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10180258"},{"teacherId":8932337,"projectId":9302769,"letterContent":"The implementation of the Counting Collections project has profoundly enhanced my students' number sense skills. \r\nThey got very excited when they saw the new materials. They were so motivated to start using them. This is thanks to the variety of engaging, manipulable items (such as unique beads, small toys, and diverse nature items) allowed students to practice counting large sets in meaningful ways that go far beyond rote memorization. Students weren't just reciting numbers; they were actively making strategic decisions about how to group, organize, and keep track of their counts. This hands-on, self-directed exploration fostered a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts like cardinality (the total number in a set) and unitizing (grouping items into tens or fives), which are crucial foundational skills.\r\n\r\nThis project was recently implemented and having already a positive impact, and I am looking forward to use this to enhance my students' mathematical communication and problem-solving abilities. This materials will allow me to do so because when working collaboratively, students have to clearly articulate their counting strategies — whether it is counting by ones, twos, fives, or tens— and justify their reasoning to their partners and the class. This peer-to-peer interaction not only solidified their own understanding but also exposed them to multiple efficient ways of counting, naturally leading to discussions about the relationship between addition and multiplication. The project transformed counting from a solitary, mechanical task into a rich, collaborative mathematical investigation, demonstrating a clear, positive trajectory in their numerical fluency and confidence that wouldn't have been possible with standard, limited classroom resources.","fullyFundedDate":1746660800889,"projectUrl":"project/counting-is-fun-developing-number-sense/9302769/","projectTitle":"Counting Is Fun: Developing Number Sense Skills","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Vega","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8932337"},{"teacherId":9216120,"projectId":9624965,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous donation, our music classroom is now filled with even more joyful sound! The addition of alto and soprano recorders has greatly expanded our ability to engage students in hands-on, meaningful music-making experiences.\r\n\r\nWith these new instruments, we've been able to deepen our recorder curriculum and introduce students to a wider range of musical concepts. The soprano recorders continue to build foundational skills, while the alto recorders allow us to explore harmony, tone color, and ensemble playing in exciting new ways. Students are developing not just technical skills, but also musical expression, confidence, and a stronger sense of collaboration.\r\n\r\nYour support has truly enriched our classroom, making it possible for students to explore music more fully and creatively. Thank you for investing in their growth and for helping us create a vibrant and inspiring learning environment where every child can discover the joy of making music.","fullyFundedDate":1755733930129,"projectUrl":"project/harmonies-in-the-classroom-expanding-ou/9624965/","projectTitle":"Harmonies in the Classroom: Expanding Our Recorder Program","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Gonzalez's Music Class","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9216120_orig.jpg?crop=2047,2047,x0,y272&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692827311360","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9216120"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_34664","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":933,"numTeachers":59,"percentFrplEligible":48,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":3,"percentWhite":37,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":53,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"15.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":65.8,"schoolId":34664,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Mount Vernon Community School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Mount Vernon Community School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/virginia/alexandria-city-public-school-district/mt-vernon-community-school/34664"}