Past projects 2
Are We Going to Play the Big Drum Today?
Funded Dec 30, 2015Thank you so much for your help in making this project happen! All the students react with excitement when they see the "big drum" for the first time. They can't wait for their chance to play it.
I have used the gathering drum in several classes already and it has been quite a hit. I used it in a first grade class in a lesson on steady beat. I had half of the class sit around it at a time and try to play together on a simple quarter note pattern. A couple students commented that "This is hard", but most just thought that it was a lot of fun.
I also used it several times in a special education class with mostly non-verbal students. One student was clearly wanting to take charge and was trying to get the others to copy his rhythms or styles (loud, fast, soft, etc.) until another student put her small, plastic animal on the drum. That is when they discovered vibrations as they watched the lion "dance" on the drum as they hit it with the mallets. By the end of class, they were putting their hands and heads on the drum to feel the vibrations themselves. This is just one example of the students giving me ideas on how to use the drum in class. Very fun!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Abbiati
Cymbals For a New Band Program
Funded Dec 29, 2013This project has been a real eye-opener for me. I was amazed at the generosity, not just from the people who were close to the school or the project, but also from people I don't know from all parts of the country. Wow! I am very grateful for the help we received through these donations.
At first, the students' reactions was less enthusiastic than I had expected when I told them about the project and that it had been fully funded. I don't think it was real to them at that point. When the cymbal and stand arrived and they saw the items in all their glory, things changed. They were all excited and wanted to play it and hear how it sounded.
The percussionists are learning the techniques for proper cymbal playing in their lessons along side the other skills that they are working on. This adds another tool to their musical bags and brings them a little closer to being complete percussionists. Until we had a real cymbal, the percussionists would play the cymbal parts on the rims of their snare drums or on the side of the music stands. This was as close as they could get to the metallic sound of a cymbal. They would groan when they were asked to play the cymbal part, because it was not a real instrument. The snare drums and bass drums got to sound right, but the cymbal players just had a disappointing "click-click" sound. This was no fun. Now they all want to have the cymbal part so they can play on the real thing. It has boosted their interest in the parts and raised their excitement for percussion in general, not to mention their pride in the section that now sounds "right."
Again, thank you so much for making this possible for our school!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Abbiati