Past projects 9
Help Us Secure Our Percussion Equipment!
Funded Dec 31, 2024What an AMAZING way to kick off 2025! Because of you, our campaign has been funded and we’re able to store our musical equipment at Vare-Washington. This will help us protect the music instruments used by students of V-W in music class, lessons, concerts, pep rally’s, and parades.
We hope you all have a happy and healthy new year, and look forward to seeing you at a Vare-Washington performance soon!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
Help Us Create a Digital Drum Set Lab!
Funded Sep 18, 2024Thank you all for your generous contributions to our program. Because of you, we were funded in UNDER 24 HOURS! This allowed us to prepare the classroom before lessons even started, and we're already seeing the results because of it.
We were able to setup the standing desk and monitor at the teacher station, which allows us to view and share PDFs of the various drum grooves they are working on. The headphone amp and power conditioner were setup on the desk, allowing us to send audio of the tracks students are playing along to, to each electronic drum kit. Finally, the isolation headphones are connected to each electronic drum kit so students can hear the music they're playing along to, as well as the e-kit they're playing.
The School District of Philadelphia was able to provide 4 electronic drum kits for the space right away. This allowed us to outfit the room with 1/2 of the electronic drum kits we would like to have in the space. This is a great start, because every student now has a drum kit (2 acoustic, 4 e-kits) to play for the duration of the lesson. There's no need to share kits like previous years.
Students were estatic to see they can play the drums for the duration of the lesson. This allows them extra time to practice and improve their knowledge of the drum set. We even have a Google Form for students to submit songs they want to learn, which provides us with a list of songs to learn during the lesson.
Thank you again for your generous donation - none of this would be possible without all of you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.Help us Continue our Drum Studies!
Funded Oct 11, 2023Thank you, THANK YOU, for another successful campaign. We were able to outfit our drumlines with new heads after several years of playing on hand me downs. We also were able to get a complete set of drum hardware and cymbals for a drum kit that will live in the auditorium at FLC - making it easier than moving equipment back and forth from the 4th floor rehearsal spaces. The students were able to perform at various events for the school, community, and city because of you! The drum studio at FLC received the missing pieces to make sure every student has headphones at their station - making it easier for them to play along to songs without disturbing the classes next to them.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.Help Our Students Practice Anytime!
Funded Sep 20, 2022Where to start? You helped us reach our goal in RECORD time - allowing us to supply our students with low volume cymbals, and sound off pads to reduce the volume of the drum kits at FLC. Because of this, the classrooms surrounding the drum room can be occupied, and no one is disrupted! The students are able to practice anytime, and we no longer have other classes knocking on the door to ask for us to stop playing.
The students were excited when they walked into the class and saw the pile of boxes. They mentioned how they preferred this over playing on practice pads, and how it's the closest thing to playing on real drums. The touch and feel are very similar!
Students are continuing with their drum/percussion studies by focusing on drum set. Throughout the year they've worked on learning various drum grooves, and applying them to songs they enjoy listening to. This included:
- Say It Ain't So by the Outfield
- About Damn Time by Lizzo
- Broke by Samm Henshaw
- Kill Bill by Sza
Additionally, they're learning how to reduce any tension held in their body as well as some holistic practices including breathing exercises to calm their nervous system while playing. This not only helps them reduce tension in their body, but also reduces any performance anxiety they may have.
Thanks to your generous donation the students are improving greatly, as they prove why they're the next generation of great Philly drummers!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.My Students Need to Get Back on Beat!
Funded Sep 16, 2021We cannot thank you enough for your generosity to help us refurbish our drum equipment at FLC. We were able to replace all the drum heads, as well as repair or replace any missing components! Your donations have helped us get right back to where we were pre-pandemic, with a classroom outfitted with complete drum kits for the students to learn off of.
The students were ecstatic to see the equipment arrive. Some of them have never been in our drum studio before, and were slightly disappointed when they saw the conditions of the kits at the beginning of the year (missing parts, dented drum heads, etc). Seeing the boxes stacked up in the middle of the classroom showed them that people do care about their education, and that they have all the resources needed to succeed.
Throughout the entire year, students have been learning drum grooves to songs that they have selected. Some songs they have learned this year vary from artists including Drake, The Isley Brothers, Holly Humberstone, Silk Sonic, and Gnarles Barkley (just to name a few). Because of your contribution, students are learning on complete drum sets, allowing them to progress without any setbacks.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
We Want to Record Our Music!
Funded Oct 10, 2018Thank you for your generous donations towards music production and drum lessons at FLC. Because of you, we were able to get new cymbals for our modern bands - who have been constantly performing around the city. We also received equipment that is helping our students learn about music production by recording, editing, and sharing both original and covered music. With two music production courses and four separate drum lesson groups, we have over 50 students using the equipment we have received from you! We cannot thank you enough for your generosity, and look forward to seeing you at a concert, musical, or community event!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
Our Drums Need an Overhaul!
Funded Dec 15, 2017The change in our drum studio is night and day. Since receiving the materials from your contributions, we have been able to setup two complete drum sets equipped with brand new drum heads top and bottom along with a ride and crash cymbal , and a pair of hi-hats. Students were so excited to see the drum sets looking complete, that they ran to them to look and be the first to play them! The students now walk into a classroom that is more like a drum studio - they're playing on some of the best equipment in the district now because of you.
Along with the equipment additions, we have also been able to watch drum videos of some of their favorite drummers with the projector and stand setup. This is a great way to get the class started and helps the students transition into class. Finally, with the addition of the studio speakers, students can continue to play along to the songs they're learning, and actually hear the music over the drums.
Your contribution has made drum/percussion studies at FLC the flagship program of the School District of Philadelphia. I cannot thank you enough for your contribution, and I hope to see you at a FLC concert in the near future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
We Want To Hold Our Own!
Funded Nov 29, 2016Thank you all for your generous donations. Because of you we were able to get three drum thrones, various accessories including cymbal felts, wing nuts, and washers for the cymbal stands, a set of crash cymbals for the concert band, and stick bags for all the marching equipment. Our students now can sit at the correct position which is improving their playing, and with the use of felts, wing nuts, and washers, the cymbals on drum set are protected so they don't get cracked. Finally, the stick soldiers on the marching equipment allows our students to not worry about holding the sticks when traveling.
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
We Want To March To The Beat Of Their Drums!
Funded Sep 12, 2016Dear Donors:
Thank you for your support in our students education! Because of you, we were able to fund the project in 4 short hours! Not only were the students excited to hear our project was funded, but they could not believe it happened in such a short time. It was news that solidified that people besides their teachers and family actually care about their future and education.
The marching sticks arrived on Tuesday September 20th, 2016 - which was opened by some of the students who will use them during drum lessons. As you can see in the photos, the students were excited, happy, and surprised to see all the sticks that were received from this project. They cheered, and could not contain their smiles - something we rarely see.
Since we received the sticks, we now have have a weekly lesson devoted to the drumline. Students in that particular lesson use the sticks to play all the marching equipment we have. Since marching sticks are slightly larger than regular drum sticks, students are adjusting to the difference and soon will be ready to play at various school events, including basketball games, fundraisers, concerts, and their food truck festival.
Next steps are to solidify a couple drumline cadences. Once the students are confident and memorize their parts - we will introduce the drumline to the school by having them play as students are entering the building in the morning, as well as performing at lunch, and a concert. All of this is possible because of your contributions that helped us get the sticks we need to play the instruments.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Costa
This classroom project was brought to life by the estate of Dorothea Lutz and 6 other donors.