Past projects 49
Fantastic Floor Tiles for Music
Funded Oct 23, 2019These floor tiles are a game-changer for my classroom! Every time a new class comes into the music room I hear gasps and see wide eyes. But the honeymoon period only lasts for about 30 seconds and then students are rolling, sitting, squishing, and smiling as they land comfortably on the squares. The tiles are a welcome addition and exciting new aspect for the room.
Using these foam floor tiles has eased a lot of the procedure in my classroom. I have fairly large classes and this set of tiles allows me to expand my seating chart and give each student a bit more space. When we do circle songs everyone can fit on the squares and dance together without being pushed around or squished. What's most amazing is how comfortable these tiles are to sit and walk on. They make everything easier!
I have also already noticed a change in the volume level of the room. My music room has tile floors and cinder block walls which makes the room fairly "live" acoustically. The tiles help to dampen the sound a bit and balance out our singing and playing so that things don't get too loud. Because of these tiles, sitting or kneeling on the floor to play instruments like xylophones and drums is now comfortable and gentle on our ears.
Thank you so much for your gift and for making this flexible seating option possible. I'm so excited to see how the tiles change our classroom for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
A Bigger Voice: Classroom Microphone System For All Learners
Funded May 3, 2019This new microphone system is a complete game-changer for my classroom! The teacher microphone is small and simple to wear and use no matter if I'm dancing folk dances, sitting in a chair playing drums, or down on the floor with Kindergarten. From any location in the room I can get student attention quickly and focus the lesson right away without raising my voice. Students who have hearing losses or are English Language Learners are much more alert and able to understand. This has been especially helpful when I'm teaching students to sing, match pitch, and follow vocal inflection.
I can easily remove the microphone from the lanyard and hold it out for students to use and amplify their own voices. What a fun experience this has been! Giving students access to the microphone has encouraged the quiet kids to raise their hand for a chance at talking into the mic and has boosted their confidence when other students hear their answer and applaud them.
Finally, I can tell that my vocal health has gotten so much better. I never have to strain to be heard over the students. Because I'm not pushing for more volume I can produce a healthier and free sound that's so much better for the students to emulate. I can already hear how their singing tone quality is changing for the better just because I'm freed to sing more naturally without pressure to sing loud!
In the few weeks since this sound system has been installed in the room, my teaching has improved and student response has greatly increased. I am thrilled at the changes I'm seeing and I'm so excited to explore all the possibilities for this amazing technology. Thank you so much for making this fantastic audio system possible!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
This classroom project was brought to life by OshKosh B'gosh and 6 other donors.Ring Out and Sing Out
Funded Sep 25, 2018I'm so excited to tell you about the new and amazing sounds coming from our music room. When you walk in you can hear high, ringing tones resounding from our two new glockenspiels. The kids love the addition of these instruments and the new sounds that they produce. The soprano and alto glockenspiels give the kids a chance to adapt the skills they've learned on mid-sized instruments and allow them to play with new sounds and textures.
I plan to use these glockenspiels on a weekly basis with all of our students, Kindergarten through 5th grade. Playing mallet instruments, such as the glockenspiel, helps to improve motor skills and eye-hand coordination. When two mallets are used simultaneously, both sides of the brain are used and must communicate with each other. This skill helps students not only in music but almost all other areas of life. As students get better at playing these glockenspiels, the hope is that they will feel able to try other new instruments and create in other new ways.
Our school budget doesn't have the room for much instrument upkeep or many purchases. Your donation to this project helped to bring not one, but two new instruments to our community, significantly expanding our possibilities. Thank you so much! "”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.Mallet Madness!
Funded May 24, 2018It's truly amazing to see what some time and a little practice can do! When I first started at my school a year and half ago, my students were not able to play barred percussion instruments like the soprano xylophone that you helped to provide. They simply had not had any practice on quality xylophones or metallophones. Now they are able to play the barred percussion instruments, keep a steady beat, work together to create accompaniments, rotate through new instruments and transfer their playing skills, and so much more. I'm blown away by how quickly they've been able to learn the skills that they need. Now I'm not teaching basics but encouraging creativity and shaping more advanced skills. My students would never be where they are today without the generous donations of people like you!
The soprano xylophone that you provided is perfect in so many ways. The sound blends so nicely with other instruments when we play as an ensemble. The xylophone is just the right size to accommodate students when they sit together to play. Our young musicians are able to play with emphasis and exuberance and not once have I winced, wondering if the instrument will hold together. This is a great quality xylophone that I know can stand the excitement and force of any student, no matter how powerful they are with those mallets.
Thank you so much for providing this soprano xylophone. I look forward to using this fantastic instrument with classes for years to come!"”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 9 other donors.Fantastic Sounds in Music Class
Funded Apr 19, 2018Thank you so much for this amazing and powerful resource! The Bose speaker is completely fantastic and has such an outstanding sound quality. I can play large orchestral musical examples and hear all the instruments with absolute clarity. I can also play classroom music or backing tracks for our musical performances and not worry that the music will be too quiet. It's hard to believe that such a big sound can come from such a small speaker!
In the attached pictures you can see that I've placed the speaker up on the top of a high closet/cabinet where it seems pretty insignificant and out of the way. However, from this position I can play music and kids all throughout the room will immediately hear and respond. It's so funny to see their eyes look up to the top of the cabinet and hear them ask "Is R2D2 doing that?" Nope, it's our amazing new speaker!
The wireless playback feature through the speaker's Bluetooth capability has CHANGED my teaching. I never have to walk over to the speaker or fiddle with a remote again! If I want, I can call up songs on my school iPad or my phone and play the music wirelessly through Bluetooth technology. It's such a time saving feature and stress reducer.
I really cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift. It's surprising how this little (size) speaker can make such a huge difference! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
Blast That Sound!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you so much for this amazing and powerful resource! I got a call from the office that we had a box delivered during my lunch period and by the following class the speaker was unpacked and blasting out amazing tunes! We wasted no time in putting the speaker to good use!
The Bose speaker is completely fantastic and has such an outstanding sound quality. I can play large orchestral musical examples in class and hear all the instruments with amazing clarity. In a totally different setting the speaker can be used to play performance music or backing tracks for our public concerts and the sound will fill the gym.
The wireless playback feature through the speaker's Bluetooth capability has CHANGED my teaching. I never have to walk over to a speaker or fiddle with a remote again! If I want, I can call up songs on my teacher iPad and play it wirelessly through Bluetooth! Another fantastic function of this speaker is the ability to stream services like Spotify and Amazon music. The possibilities are endless!
I really cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift. It's surprising how this little (size) thing can make such a huge impact! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 2 other donors.Creative Children Compose!
Funded Mar 24, 2018Thank you so much for these amazing resources! Student white boards are such a wonderful instructional tool and have made my life as a teacher much easier. White boards give the students a chance to create, mimic, mess up, and fix their compositions in their very own space. These boards take away the added task of sharpening pencils, erasing pencils marks, messing up, worrying about how sharp the pencil is, etc. which makes the composition process so much smoother. If students create a note or rhythm incorrectly they can quickly wipe away and try again. A process that would take 25-30 minutes with paper and pencil becomes something that can be done in 10-15 minutes with white boards and then students are freed up with more time for advanced assignments and new creations.
All of our grades have used these white boards and will continue to use them for years to come. Kindergarten and First grades have been tracing quarter notes and eighth notes and are about to put those notes into patterns/rhythms. Second and Third grade just played a rhythm/telephone game and the groups had to work together on the white boards to figure out the patterns. Fourth and Fifth grades are composing phrases and short songs on their boards and will soon transfer those to a musical staff. These resources have already been used by multiple grades and will continue to be integrated all year long.
Thank you again, for these wonderful resources! They are a gift that we will use over and over for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
Rhythm of My Heart
Funded Feb 25, 2018I want to take just a minute to thank you so much for your generous donation to this project. The kids LOVE this new djembe. They immediately noticed the beautiful black drum with its intricate carvings and started to ask me all sorts of great questions about its origin, how it makes sound, how it's used in music making, and so much more. Kids light up with joy when they hear the djembe resonate and especially when they get the chance to sit at the instrument and make it sing.
For the first few weeks we used the djembe to explain ostinato, to help with steady beat, and to talk about Western and Non-Western sounds. These last few days the students have all been able to sit down at a drum and play in turns as we use it with other hand drums or nonpitched percussion instruments. The djembe stand has been a huge help as it allows even the smallest student to play without any issues holding the drum. I have been blown away by how quickly the drumming has helped to fix rhythm problems, illustrate concepts, and spark imagination. The kids all envy the students who get to sit at "our drum" and they ask about how we're going to use it in the future.
This djembe has opened up a world of possibilities. Thank you so much for making its purchase possible!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
Can You Hear Me? Classroom Microphone System For All Learners
Funded Dec 20, 2017This new microphone system is a complete game-changer for my classroom! First of all, the sound system makes it possible for all students to hear all the time. The teacher microphone and belt pack are simple to wear and use no matter if I'm dancing folk dances, sitting in a chair playing drums, or down on the floor with Kindergarten. From any location in the room I can get student attention quickly and focus the lesson right away without raising my voice. Students who have hearing losses or are English Language Learners are much more alert and able to understand. This has been especially helpful when I'm teaching students to sing, match pitch, and follow vocal inflection.
Students love to use the "Kid Mic," and have so much fun holding it in their own hands. This has encouraged the quiet students to raise their hand for a chance at talking into the mic and has boosted their confidence when other students hear their answer and applaud them.
Finally, I can tell that my vocal health has gotten so much better. I never have to strain to be heard over the students. Because I'm not pushing for more volume I can produce a healthier and free sound that's so much better for the students to emulate. I can already hear how their singing tone quality is changing for the better just because I'm freed to sing more naturally without pressure to sing loud!
In the few weeks since this sound system has been installed in the room, my teaching has improved and student response has greatly increased. I am thrilled at the changes I'm seeing and I'm so excited to explore all the possibilities for this amazing technology. Thank you so much for making this fantastic audio system possible!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row
Shake Out Some Learning!
Funded Nov 30, 2017Thank you so much for giving to this project. Our classroom has been transformed by the addition of these fun instruments. My older students loved learning about the caxixi, shekere, castanets, and seed rattles. These real instruments help students make a connection to other cultures from around the world and create a bridge for understanding about how world music differs from the sounds they hear every day. Younger students love the egg shakers! They fit right into a kindergartener's hand and are easy to wield and shake with any song. The sound is bright and fun but not overwhelming for a young person's ear.
These rhythm instruments have really "shaken" things up as students are now able to make different choices when they go to the instrument corner. The tambourines, cluster bells (often just called jingle bells), and vibraslaps create a familiar and vibrant texture to add to our music-making. All of these resources have been used already and will continue to amaze and delight students for years to come. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Row