Rhythm and Fun with Xylophones I

Funded Dec 28, 2021

And one day the xylophones arrived! All thirteen of them.

Every class in turn opened the little boxes as if they were treasure chests. Inside they found a colorful keyboard and two yellow mallets that seemed to get lost against the cover of the same color. Many of us were happy that day. The challenge came when it was time to extract beautiful sounds out of them. It has taken a lot of artistic restraint to accomplish this task. Since the instruments are so small you have to strike them very gently.

A girl in a first-grade class looking at the xylophones asked "How did you get them, Mr. Gonzalez?"

And that's when I told my students the story of beautiful people who do what they can to help others in need. I told them that people who we didn't know had put together funds to give us the xylophones as a present. They were elated! They were shocked and the happiest as I've ever seen them. We spoke about how someday we could also help others in need.

My students are learning about sound production and comparing the skills needed to play the big xylophones with the skills they need to play the smaller xylophone you donated.

Our next step with first and second grade is to start connecting keys on the xylophone to written notes on the page and to their sounds.

The impact your gift has had in my class has propelled my younger classes to play melodies with precision and feeling. They are also inventing their own group of note that they like. My 4th grade songwriting club used the xylophones to find a few notes they like to use a the basis for musical and lyrical composition. I am convinced that the impact your gift will have in my class will be tremendous touching every student throughout the years providing a window into a bit of music and dreaming to which children can latch on and grow.

Thanks a million!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Gonzalez