Past projects 13
Two Piccolos
Funded Apr 15, 2025Thanks to your generous donations, our DonorsChoose project for "Two Piccolos" has been fully funded—and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this news with you!
Your support means that our students will now have access to high-quality instruments that allow them to shine during outdoor performances and beyond. These piccolos will open new musical possibilities and help our band sound its very best.
Thank you for believing in the power of music education and for investing in our students’ growth. We are so grateful!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
New Music Stands
Funded Dec 4, 2024Thank you for your incredible generosity in supporting our music stand project! The impact of your contribution has already been transformational for our students, and we couldn't be more grateful.
The new music stands have elevated our rehearsals and performances in ways that go beyond just convenience—they've created a sense of pride and professionalism among our young musicians. Many commented on how "clean" and "new" the new music stands looked.
We recently used the stands for our most recent Winter Concert and we had the stands front and center on the stage. Having sturdy, adjustable stands allowed them to focus entirely on their music rather than struggling with old, wobbly ones. The performances were outstanding, and the students' confidence was through the roof.
Looking ahead, these stands will be a cornerstone of our program. Next semester, we're embarking on a community outreach project, where our students will perform at local senior centers and elementary schools. Your support has directly enabled this opportunity by providing the reliable equipment we need to transport and set up for these performances.
Your generosity has truly made a difference, and we're excited to share updates on the incredible things your support is helping us achieve. Thank you for being part of our musical journey!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 32 other donors.New Bass Clarinet
Funded May 27, 2024I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support of our band program. Thanks to your contributions, we were able to purchase new clarinet reeds, sanitation sprays, oboe reeds, low saxophone reeds, 2 new piccolos, and more. The impact on our students has been truly remarkable.
Having new clarinet reeds, oboe reeds, bassoon reeds, and sanitation sprays for beginning band tryouts is crucial for the health and safety of our new band students who enter the program. These items allow us to have enough opportunities for the students to try the instruments without having to share unclean mouthpieces and reeds.
The piccolos have been particularly transformative for our higher level flute students and band. Not only have they added a bright, vibrant layer to our ensemble's sound, but they have also opened up new opportunities for students to take on leadership roles within the group and learn that next level of technique. Our piccolo players are learning to master a unique instrument, and their progress is inspiring their peers to reach new heights.
Because of your generosity, our students are more engaged, more motivated, and more excited about their music education than ever before. They see the value of hard work, and they feel proud to be part of a program that is committed to excellence.
Your support has not just provided instruments and reeds; it has provided our students with the tools they need to pursue their passion for music and develop their skills. It has also shown them that there are people in the community who believe in their potential and are willing to invest in their future.
Thank you again for your generosity and for believing in the power of music education. We are so grateful for your support, and we look forward to sharing more successes with you in the future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 70 other donors.Everyday Band Supplies Needed!
Funded Dec 31, 2023I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my gratitude for your generous donation of new percussion equipment, new chimes, and woodwind mouthpieces/reeds to our classroom. Your contribution has made a significant impact on our music program, and I cannot thank you enough.
The new equipment has allowed us to expand our musical repertoire and explore new genres. The percussion instruments have added a new dimension to our performances, and the woodwind reeds have helped us achieve a richer and more nuanced sound for the tenor and bari saxes. The students are thrilled with the new additions, and their enthusiasm is palpable.
Your donation has also helped us create a more inclusive and equitable learning environment. With the new equipment, we can now accommodate more students and provide them with the resources they need to succeed. The students who previously struggled with the old equipment now have access to high-quality instruments that allow them to showcase their talents.
Once again, thank you for your generosity and support. Your donation has made a tangible difference in the lives of our students, and we are grateful for your continued partnership.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 36 other donors.New Professional Xylophone!
Funded Apr 20, 2023Thank you for your wonderful contributions to what should have been our new xylophone but instead turned into our new tuba due to limited availability of xylophones. The tuba is so great and the kids love it!
The new tuba is already being used in the class as you can see from the attached pictures.
The students are very happy to have such a wonderful new instrument in the classroom and all the students - whether they play the tuba or not- do understand and appreciate the major improvement in sound and overall quality of an ensemble that can happen with the addition of a high-quality tuba.
It means so much to have wonderful support from the community for our program. This donorschoose item and future items will continue to make our program successful, enjoyable, and continually progressing.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
New Tuba for District Competitions
Funded Nov 30, 2022The new tuba was received, and quite quickly to my surprise! DonorsChoose did a fantastic job at getting it ordered and delivered in record time!
The students are already using it in the classroom and have commented on how good it sounds, how easy it plays, and how much they like it compared to the older tubas that are a little smaller and make a slightly quieter sound. Although unsaid, I can tell that the students have a sense of pride for the type of instruments we have in the classroom and are very aware of the opportunities we are afforded by having better instruments in the classroom.
When we first opened the package, the first observations made were about how big the box was and big the case was when we opened it. The tuba looked very nice sitting inside the case with the shiny metal parts and lovely gold brass color.
We are still deciding on what our next project will be, but we will definitely start a new one in January!
Thank you so much for all the support and for giving my students materials to enrich their musical learning environment!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 77 other donors.Replacement Band Items
Funded May 29, 2019Thank you so much for making this project another success on the books! Our school has really benefited greatly from the DonorsChoose.org platform and we keep coming back with more projects to help support our music program! All your efforts mean the world to the kids and for this project, it means better quality equipment for their performances.
The trumpets and tubas were very happy with their mutes and mouthpieces and look forward to getting even more mouthpieces for better practice and performance. Having mutes and better mouthpieces in the classroom mean that the students will not only save their parents money from having to buy these items, but as they stay in the classroom, the items are less likely to go missing or get stolen, so they are kept safe by staying in the band room.
Bassoon reeds can be costly and the bassoon players are happy to have new reeds to play on. With limited resources, it's hard to supply initial reeds for double-reed players like we do when we rent out the single-reeds, but with these extra bassoon reeds, it gives us the opportunity to provide them with an equal available starting item for their class.
Our next steps with our new orchestra program is to get some replacement strings, better rosin, more music, and some good quality tuners. So stay tuned to our upcoming projects, and thank you again for your wonderful contributions!!!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
New Bassoon for my Amazing Band Kids!
Funded Jan 25, 2019This wonderful Donors Choose site has done it again! This social media online platform has proven again to be one of the best ways to get support from the global community for my music classroom! Please keep doing what you are doing to help support music education around the world because it really does make a major impact on the lives of our kids!
As the world becomes more technological and the job force requires different sets of skills, music education will always play a vital role in the well-rounded cognitive and emotional growth of our kids. Music does for the kids what most other classes cannot do! Music is fun and makes kids happy when they look forward to performing in class and on the stage, and at the same time, music also challenges their minds and bodies while teaching them skills that are used in all subjects and will be worthwhile in any career path they choose to take after high school.
When my students received the delivery earlier this week and couldn't wait to get the box opened so that they can see their new instrument. Having the more rare instruments like the bassoon that the students usually won't be able to rent from the store gives them pride and satisfaction in the band program that they play with. It makes them feel like they are in a more prestigious program.
Our plans for this bassoon are to allow more students to start learning the basic skills of the bassoon techniques and to excel to the Intermediate and Advanced levels on this instrument. With hopes, we will soon have students graduating from our high school with the intent on pursuing a music degree in college for the bassoon, and hopefully receive bassoon scholarships.
Our next project goals will be to increase our music library so that the students have more music to practice their reading skills and play for concerts, but to also have a better variety of repertoire that the kids will enjoy from different genres, cultures, and the movies and video games that they already love.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 41 other donors.Orchestra & Band Method Books
Funded Jun 2, 2018Thank you so much for your gracious support of my program! Having band method books and orchestra method books is essential to the students and their growth as musicians. Now that we have a new set of orchestra books, we can start an orchestra program that will have the materials they need to learn. My students are already getting started in the new method books learning their first notes which are the first steps to their musical journey while in my class. Our first sight-reading quiz from the examples from the book will be next week, and we hope that they will perform great!
My students were very surprised and happy to receive their new books when they were delivered. Having new books that are right out of the packaging gives them the feeling of support, an encouragement to do well and keep trying when they make mistakes, and also a sense of ownership for the materials that they will have to take care of in the classroom.
Our next project will be for more instruments for our students to play on in class. Having a minimal inventory of instruments at the school requires some of our students to rent or purchase their own instruments. Some families are not able to do that. Even though we are able to rent out school instruments for a much cheaper price, some families aren't able to afford instruments, and we don't have enough instruments to equip every student with a free one. Having more instruments in our inventory is our top priority, most likely for the first 5-10 years of our program.
Everything helps, and having books to learn from make a huge difference!
Thank you so much for your gracious donation!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 15 other donors.Double French Horn Needed!
Funded Jun 7, 2018It is with great pleasure that I am able to write this impact letter after our materials were delivered and have already made available more opportunities for my new and experienced students to learn musical instruments. Each new instrument received is put into the hands of a child who is eager to learn music, and will start their journey towards loving the art form as well.
Musical instruments are expensive and too often seen as a privilege only for the students and families who can afford them. We are slowly changing that attitude with teacher and sponsor efforts, and the opportunities that advancements in technology can afford our musical culture are helping us move ahead.
Our society is expecting more and more from it's professional workers by demanding individuals to be highly-trained in multiple skills, no longer just one. Music and learning musical instruments is one of the most fun and exciting ways to get our students of this modern world to learn how to use their brains and hands to multi-task as well as solve complex problems, scaffold their thinking for higher-level concepts, and maintain a focused attention on achievable perfectionism. Music give our kids all of these are more!
With these donations, my program is one step further to changing the world, and changing my students lives one student at a time. I hope this letter explains the magnitude of your donation, and how your donation continues to fuel my passion as a music teacher to strive for the highest!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Saenz
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 20 other donors.