Past projects 5
All the Stuff
Funded Mar 5, 2024We have benefitted from having the ukulele stands and the extra strings in the obvious ways. As strings get broken we are able to quickly and easily replace them. This allows more students to be playing on good quality instruments with all strings intact. The stands have allowed us to have the ukuleles out and available for clubs and classes without having to stack them on chairs or countertops. The ukuleles are safer and stay better in tune by being hung on the racks.
I used the ukuleles mainly in clubs this year. Next year I plan to expand that into the classes. Having the extra materials – strings and racks - will make that easier on everyone. I can tune ukuleles and leave them on the rack overnight. This will save time during the day. Students can more easily get their own instrument without having to worry about others falling off of the countertop. We won't have to share when a strings breaks; we will be able to easily and quickly replace it. More students will benefit from having ukuleles in the building. I'm excited!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Riebeling
Club Ukulele
Funded Nov 27, 2023My students' eyes went WIDE when they first saw the ukuleles! They were SO excited! Some thought they were guitars. Others had no clue what they were. And then they held one for the first time! They could hardly contain their excitement! Some immediately tried to be like the characters in CoCo. It was so cute!
We started with open strings (for their best success). Most club groups can now navigate all four strings with acceptable accuracy. They are working together as a team, reading music from the staff, and building skills in perseverance.
We will continue playing the ukulele in clubs and later I will have a ukulele unit in the regular classes where my club members will take the lead in teaching their classmates, further expanding their soft skills.
Thank you for providing this opportunity for my students. It is somethingn that they will remember forever and something that will benefit them today and into the future.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Riebeling
Literature for Our Library
Funded Jun 20, 2022Thank you so much for your generous donation! I’m thrilled that on my first day of summer break my project is fully funded! You all are AMAZING, and have made my summer start phenomenally! My students will LOVE having these new books in our music classroom library and the library center during rotation days. I appreciate your kindness! Happy summer! 😃”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Riebeling
Sounds in Centers Just Makes Everything Better
Funded Aug 10, 2021Thank you again for your donation which made buying these books possible. The students LOVE them! They have voice and choice as they listen to sounds within the stories. It is a very popular center during center rotations.
Some of my special needs students particularly enjoy these books. The students can take learning at their pace. The like to repeat sounds that they enjoy. And I can see/hear their music vocabulary building as they engage in the activities in the centers with the books again and again.
Hearing the sounds of instruments and symphonies isn't something the kids experience every day. I do what I can within each class period to introduce the students to instrument sounds and quality music, but it's always what I want or need for my lessons. These books allow the students to listen to what the what when they want during the center time. That voice and choice means so much to the kids.
THANK YOU! :-)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Riebeling
Movin' and Groovin'!
Funded Jan 8, 2021You've changed the life of a child. You've made music a little more normal in a year that has been anything but normal. You've made a child want to be a musician. You've made a child BE musician in my music class.
I have not taught a single child/class in-person all year. All of my classes have been virtual zoom sessions. EVERY. LAST. ONE. I see my students once a week. While we were 100% virtual, my classes were only 30 minutes long. Since we now have a hybrid option, my classes are 45 minutes long. Having the instrument kits has given my students the opportunity to have a more traditional music class. They have a scarf for movement activities, an egg shaker, jingle bells (metal sound), and rhythm sticks (wood sound). I added a paper plate and plastic cups for additional sound and activity options. Everything is in a gallon zip bag. The instrument kits are valued by the families and students. Most student still have all of the pieces and keep them safely in the original zip bag. The students have their materials when we start each zoom session. It's fantastic! I thank you; and my students thank you. 😊
Positive outcomes:
1. Students have everything they need in one location
2. Students have musical instruments and movement props
3. Students ASK/BEG to keep doing activities with the instruments and scarves
4. Students brought their instrument kits on trips and to zoom sessions attended in cars, at airports, in stores, at daycares, etc.
5. Parents messaged me about their child's love of the instruments and how they appreciate the effort to make my class a truly musical experience
6. Students value instruments and bring/make more to add to their collection
7. Over 200 families made the trip to school just to receive the instrument kits for their child
8. Students invite siblings, parents, babysitters, and other family members to participate as they share their instrument kit
9. I feel that having these kits helped build relationships with the families and community within my classes
Fun moments
1. When a fifth grader begged to have extra time using the scarf and instruments
2. When younger students have a scarf over their head the entire zoom session because it's fun to look through a scarf
3. When students love one instrument SO much that they play it EVERY week on EVERY song
4. The look of pure joy as they move with scarves.
5. The excitement students have when they play instruments
6. The students who have used the instruments in unique ways to create new sounds
7. The students who have had their family members join in with their more traditional instruments
8. The students who have their baby siblings, pets, and toys play the instruments
9. The conversations I've had with kids because of the instrument kits
10. The relationships I built with family members because of the instrument kits”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Riebeling