Past projects 31
Bass Players Need Love, Too!
Funded Dec 3, 2024It is difficult to express how valuable it has been to have three acoustic/electric basses available to my Modern Band students. The ability for them to bring an instrument home that resembles the traditional electric basses we utilize in class has increased their musical aptitude exponentially. Not only are they able to practice at home, but everyone is able to play along when we rehearse in class, instead of having to take turns.
I was also very impressed with the quality of the instruments we received. They are well made and have great features, like built in tuners, which have helped my 4th and 5th grade bass players understand how to tune their own instruments. Trust me, it's a lot of work for one teacher to tune all instruments before we play, so I'm relieved of that stress and my students are so much the better for having that skill!
Thank you so much for making this generous and valuable addition to our music arsenal. Your generosity will affect students for many years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon and 9 other donors.Mindfulness with Puppets
Funded Sep 17, 2023Teaching mindfulness is a cornerstone of my classroom. I utilize trauma-informed SEL concepts throughout the various curriculums I teach. This year, my school has partnered with MindUP to use a curriculum specific to mindfulness. We have been using this curriculum with all 2nd and 4th grade students (approximately 300) every week.
One of the first lessons in MindUP involves teaching children about the parts of their brain and how they work, helping kids to see where their emotional and behavioral responses are coming from. MindUP teaches that the three main parts of the brain: the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) govern our actions. They make the science of the brain easy to digest by giving each brain part a representative animal. This project provided us puppets for each of the animals in order to bring the lessons to life and get the children excited to learn about their brains. Our Guard Dog (amygdala), Elephant (Hippocampus) and Wise Owl (PFC), painted a visual for the students that made understanding difficult concepts very simple. To this day, they remember the lessons well and I wish you could hear the articulate and self-aware answers they give as we go further in depth on these important social-emotional concepts.
Please accept my infinite thanks for the gift you have given not only my current students, but those in my classes for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
Make Our Class Piano Useable
Funded Jul 7, 2023Your generosity has made it possible for us to utilize our new digital piano in so many ways! When most of my students learn piano in my classroom, they use smaller sized keyboards. Now we have a full 88-key electric piano with touch sensitive keys so that they can understand the feel of a real piano.
Our school has a partnership with Ensemble Connect (via Carnegie Hall), which pairs me with a professional musician for the next two years. She will be co-teaching with me and working closely with my students. In a serendipitous stroke of luck, she is a pianist! Earlier this week, she demonstrated the digital piano in our classroom and then we took a group of 3rd graders on a "field trip" to our auditorium, to see the difference with our baby grand piano. Without a stand for the digital piano, she would not be able to perform for our students so freely. I wish you could hear her beautiful rendition of Clair De Lune!
In the coming months, students will begin utilizing this piano themselves, as they learn how to play. I look forward to having them do in classroom "concerts" on the big piano after practicing on the smaller keyboards. It may seem like a small thing, but it is having a tremendous impact in our school and will for years to come. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
Can You Hear the Music?
Funded May 8, 2023I can't thank you enough for your donation of new headphones for our keyboard lab. They might be the most useful item in my classroom! My first grade students work in pairs at the keyboard, and these headphones allow them to hear one another without distraction from other students or activities happening in the room. I wish you could see just how magical it can be when they don those headphones and begin collaborating. They are so engaged in learning!
Not only do these headphones allow this level of participation from my first grade, but other grades as well. All students who enter my room are in awe of the keyboards and want to use them, so sometimes other classes who are learning different instruments earn some "free time" at the keyboard. They work hard to have the opportunity to explore music on their own terms using headphones at the keyboard.
Your gift will continue to give to thousands of students for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors Corporation and 5 other donors.Teach Us How to Breathe!
Funded Jan 12, 2023Thank you so much for your help in obtaining our new lung demonstrator and meditation rugs.
The students (and adults as well) are always in awe of the lung demonstrator. When you pull the bottom knob down it stretches the elastic bottom (representing the diaphragm muscle) and the balloons (lungs) inflate. When you release the bottom knob upwards, the balloons (lungs) deflate. It is a visual demonstration of how diaphragmatic breathing works and is very helpful when training young singers.
We also like to do a lot of mindfulness exercises, including meditation. These vibrant rugs have been a great addition to our mindfulness work.
Thank you again for your generosity. Your gift will touch the lives of our students for many years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by A New York City Parent and 3 other donors.Lift Us Up with Drum Circles
Funded Aug 29, 2022We can't thank you enough for the addition of bucket drums to our music classroom. This has made an impact on students throughout the school by making it possible to carry a large number of instruments to different locations so that more students have access.
Your gift is particularly valuable to the students in our 4th & 5th grade Modern Band. This performance-based group normally uses a drum kit, electric guitars & bass, keyboard and vocals. However, it's often very difficult to transport all of those instruments to performances. Having the bucket drums allows us some flexibility so that we can still perform when carrying other more cumbersome instruments is not possible.
The drums are amazing! We just pop the drum heads on or off of the buckets, grab a pair of drumsticks and start making rhythms. The students love them, I love them and the entire school will benefit for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 15 other donors.Let's Sing in the Garden!
Funded Oct 26, 2021This pandemic has stretched teaching and learning to the limit and the usual cabin fever that happens in classrooms during the winter months is magnified for that reason. Students and staff alike are hungry for Spring and the promise of a new season. This project was funded just before colder temperatures set in, so I was only able to take a few classes out into our garden before it was too cold. But let me tell you, those few sessions were a gift that is difficult to describe. Being able to sing together is something that has been limited indoors, but in our garden, we can sing our heads off! I did a lesson using the song "Don't Laugh at Me" that is part of an anti-bullying program spearheaded by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. My students were beaming as we sang in the school's beautiful new garden. Thank you for that gift of joy that had both students and staff smiling from ear to ear. Your generosity will allow for hundreds of children to have a similar experience this Spring, as we find community singing together in our lovely garden once again.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
Guitar Picks for Remote Lessons
Funded Oct 12, 20202020 was certainly a year for the history books and nothing in my nearly two decades of teaching experience could've prepared me for the unique challenges I faced this year as a music educator. How do you teach musical instruments remotely? The methods I've used for years with large classes, sharing instruments, singing together and crowding into a small space have all gone out the window. As a result, I found myself feeling like a first year teacher again.
The silver lining is, as usual, my students. They have always been hungry for the outlet that music class provides, as they are so eager to express themselves and share in the love of making music. Delivering the guitars, picks and tuners to each student's family was like playing Santa. The joy in their faces was a welcome tonic.
Teaching guitar remotely has its challenges; we can't really play together as an ensemble and keep the beat. Technology is not ready for that yet. But we are able to learn skills and practice, taking turns at being "on mic". We can learn songs and write our own. It is a wonderful communal experience in a time when we are all so isolated.
Learning an instrument is hard work and requires grit and perseverance. There is an arc that happens year after year in instrumental music groups. They are always so anxious to get their instrument and then when they do, they're surprised that it doesn't just play itself and requires some effort. That leads to a bit of frustration and disappointment, but once we get past that initial shock, it is a pleasure to watch each student's love of playing blossom, as they find their way to success.
Thank you for facilitating this ray of hope in a weary world. The gift of music that you have given my students and their families is one that will last a lifetime. I hold your generosity close to my heart and wish you peace and joy in 2021.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 3 other donors.Keep Us In Tune Remotely
Funded Sep 16, 20202020 was certainly a year for the history books and nothing in my nearly two decades of teaching experience could've prepared me for the unique challenges I faced this year as a music educator. How do you teach musical instruments remotely? The methods I've used for years with large classes, sharing instruments, singing together and crowding into a small space have all gone out the window. As a result, I found myself feeling like a first year teacher again.
The silver lining is, as usual, my students. They have always been hungry for the outlet that music class provides, as they are so eager to express themselves and share in the love of making music. Delivering the guitars, picks and tuners to each student's family was like playing Santa. The joy in their faces was a welcome tonic.
Teaching guitar remotely has its challenges; we can't really play together as an ensemble and keep the beat. Technology is not ready for that yet. But we are able to learn skills and practice, taking turns at being "on mic". We can learn songs and write our own. It is a wonderful communal experience in a time when we are all so isolated.
Tuning guitars needs to happen frequently, and in ordinary times I would tune all the guitars for the students before every class. In the past, I didn't invest the time in teaching them to tune because it is not an easy prospect as it requires a strong musical ear and adept eye/hand coordination. This has proved challenging with this age of student and even more of a challenge remotely. Having the tuners has helped a great deal with helping students to understand the concept of being in tune.
Thank you for facilitating this ray of hope in a weary world. The gift of music that you have given my students and their families is one that will last a lifetime. I hold your generosity close to my heart and wish you peace and joy in 2021.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 12 other donors.Remote Guitar Lessons for Families
Funded Aug 11, 20202020 was certainly a year for the history books and nothing in my nearly two decades of teaching experience could've prepared me for the unique challenges I faced this year as a music educator. How do you teach musical instruments remotely? The methods I've used for years with large classes, sharing instruments, singing together and crowding into a small space have all gone out the window. As a result, I found myself feeling like a first year teacher again.
The silver lining is, as usual, my students. They have always been hungry for the outlet that music class provides, as they are so eager to express themselves and share in the love of making music. Delivering the guitars, picks and tuners to each student's family was like playing Santa. The joy in their faces was a welcome tonic.
Teaching guitar remotely has its challenges; we can't really play together as an ensemble and keep the beat. Technology is not ready for that yet. But we are able to learn skills and practice, taking turns at being "on mic". We can learn songs and write our own. It is a wonderful communal experience in a time when we are all so isolated.
Learning an instrument is hard work and requires grit and perseverance. There is an arc that happens year after year in instrumental music groups. They are always so anxious to get their instrument and then when they do, they're surprised that it doesn't just play itself and requires some effort. That leads to a bit of frustration and disappointment, but once we get past that initial shock, it is a pleasure to watch each student's love of playing blossom, as they find their way to success.
Thank you for facilitating this ray of hope in a weary world. The gift of music that you have given my students and their families is one that will last a lifetime. I hold your generosity close to my heart and wish you peace and joy in 2021.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.