Past projects 91
Swab and Support
Funded Apr 17, 2023Thank you again for your generous support of another project to help maintain our instruments. These swabs, if used correctly, will help extend the life of our clarinets and saxophones for many years. Moisture is the enemy of any instrument in the case - removing the moisture prior to storage is key to the longevity of the pads on saxophones and clarinets. These are the top rated swabs in the industry, so hopefully they will stand up to their reputation and do a stellar job on our inventory.
The Tuba/Euphonium stand is a wonderful addition to our ensemble rehearsals - now I have the tools to help a tall or short player to properly hold their instrument. This is a great piece of equipment!
Thanks again for all of your help.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Solos and Trios
Funded Dec 16, 2022Thank you as always for funding my crazy requests! The sheet music provided by this grant will last for many generations at our school. It is literally impossible to measure the effectiveness of a music library - you never know when or who a specific piece of music is going to inspire. I firmly believe that giving our students choices when it comes to literature is the best way to help them grow as players. Having resources like these on hand makes that possible. Whether it is a group of incoming freshmen featured with our high school band or a group of Junior trombonists wanting a greater challenge, we strive to meet every level of difficulty and every level of playing ability.
Sheet music does not go bad, so this music might just be here for 100 years...who knows? We do have some music from the 1920's...time will tell!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Hoops and Hats
Funded Dec 16, 2022Thanks again for funding this project so quickly! The equipment showed up today and I was able to install the hoops on the drum and get the hi-hat set up for use. The kids who play percussion were very excited to see new gear! It is not that often that we get brand-new shiny pieces of equipment to play with - they love it.
Seeing how long the previous pieces lasted, I'm sure the investment in this upgrade will last for many years to come. We could not do this without the support of donors such as yourself.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Beautiful Bass Bags
Funded Nov 29, 2022These new travel cases for our string basses are exactly what we needed! They are well built and will hold up to the abuse that energetic high school students sometimes exhibit when loading and unloading a bus...if you've ever travelled with an ensemble you know what I mean.
These two bags will replace a couple that I got 22 years ago that are now in various stages of falling apart. Since they are so large, if something goes wrong with a zipper, it involves a trip to the seamstress or upholstery shop and an extra long sleeping bag zipper. I've done that. And lots of sewing on my part. Time to retire the old bags.
Thanks again for your generosity and support of our students and our program!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 4 other donors.Time For Upgrades
Funded Nov 4, 2022Thanks as always for funding all of our crazy projects. Sometimes the things we need may not be the most exciting, but they are completely necessary for the correct functioning of our musical equipment and instruments. I am constantly humbled by the generosity of the members of our community who give so freely of their hard-earned money to support the students in these basic ways. If more folks would take the time and make the effort to support the arts like you do, we would not have to come asking so often. Our deepest and warmest thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Magnetic Music Staff
Funded Oct 26, 2022Thank you for your generous donation to this project. Having this pre-existing set of music staves ready to go on my white board will save a lot of time in rehearsals. I write rhythms and musical notation on the board all the time. Not having to write the staff lines will make it MUCH easier to read my atrocious handwriting. I have seen these in other music classrooms and I realize that I've been working harder not smarter. Now that we have one in my room, I hope to become even more efficient in rehearsals.
Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Music Awards
Funded Sep 30, 2022Thank you so much for your generosity in helping fund this project. Recognition for hard work is extremely important - and these varsity letters and pins will help our program do just that. As the program grows, more students will earn their letters and now I will be able to honor their achievements at the end of this school year. Without your help, I would be forced to use fund-raising money or basically beg my school administration to help with this - and they don't have the money to give me. These letters should last a few years, then I will find another way to keep the shelves stocked for the next wave of great kids!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 10 other donors.String 'Em Up!
Funded Oct 6, 2022Thank you for supporting this project. Cello and Bass strings wear out. Just like anything else - through normal wear and tear. To be able to replace them before they break is a wonderful feeling. Usually, I have to wait until a student tells me that they can't get a note to sound correctly or they feel like they may cut their finger on a frayed string before I change one. This will help me stay ahead of that curve for a long time. Many of these strings were on these instruments well before I began teaching here 24 years ago...Your donations have helped us keep making great music - for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Binding Ties
Funded Jun 30, 2022Thank you so much for the generous donation of a comb-binding machine to our program. This will be used multiple times a week - I use this machine a LOT. For years, I have had to use the one in our school media center, but having one in my own classroom will save time and energy. I use it whenever I need to print out parts with multiple pages or print out scores from which I conduct. Having this resource at my fingertips is a huge help, and this particular model is extremely easy to use. I will put it to use today, in fact!!!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips
Terrific Trumpet Trios
Funded May 27, 2022Thank you for supporting this project. Having access to the appropriate literature is of paramount importance to our students as they prepare to compete on the state level. These trumpet trios are all state qualifying level pieces and will give our players enough depth to choose a piece that is suitable for them. As the idea catches on, I hope to expand the selections further, but for now, this is a great start.
The flute trill chart was a last minute addition, but as you can see from the photo, it is a great resource for our flute players.
Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Phillips