Taking Our Voices on the Road: Integrating Chorus Into SPED

Funded Aug 8, 2018

You have made quite a difference in the lives of my students! We are using the new keyboard daily in our temporary classroom and it continues to provide what we need every time...MUSIC! It is very portable and user-friendly. Students are able to set the classroom up for us each day by moving it to the front of the room and plugging it into the wall. The sound is beautiful and it provides a great way to accompany my choir during warmups, active teaching, and performances. We work with solfege every day, and the keyboard allows us to hear different patterns as well as provide individual students a chance to play simple solfege patterns themselves.

When the keyboard was delivered, my students were ecstatic! It made them feel so special that people (most of whom they do not even know!) donated money to help them have a real chorus class that is on the move. The students helped me open the box, set the keyboard up for the first time, and plug it in within a matter of one class period. I often mention the origination of this major gift, and my students are always very proud to know that you took care of their need.

Looking to the future, my students will be continuing to work on a composition project using MuseScore on iPads. They have chosen a non-profit organization in our area and are currently composing an 8 measure jingle that highlights what they do for others. Afterward, students will film a commercial while performing the song with hopes of submitting the finished products to our local news station to air on television. The keyboard will be a vital piece of this project in that students will be able to practice their compositions before filming as well as use the keyboard during the active filming. Thanks to you, music will continue to play on in my classroom.”

With gratitude,

Dr. Webb