Past projects 4
Doubling the Music Program!
Funded Jul 20, 2016This year, our school has made a significant investment in the music program by hiring a full-time elementary school teacher, and moving my position to full-time at the high school. The school showed their support by investing in the hiring of another music teacher, but we were still faced with the problem of providing materials to the increased number of students who would have access to music.
Instruments, and the equipment needed to play and maintain them, can be expensive, which is why the donation that you made to this donor's choose project has made such a profound impact. At our school, each instrument is shared by 2 to 5 students, who each use their own mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures. Without the materials that your donations helped to provide, we would not have been able to include all of the students in the instrumental music program.
As of this week, all 5 instrumental ensembles have started our study of musical instruments. One class is beginning to play their first songs for the winter concert in January, and the other classes are showing promising progress as we move into the second quarter. The mouthpieces, reeds, drumsticks, and maintenance materials are being used every day!
I cannot thank you enough for your support of our music program. My students' success this year has been nothing short of inspirational and I am excited for the future of this program.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Gunther
Have a Seat! Hold Your Instrument Like This!
Funded Aug 13, 2016The music program here has reached an important milestone in that we have been able to provide the students with the basic instruments and materials that they need to be successful as beginning instrumentalists. This is exciting because as we move forward, it is time to invest in the materials that will help bring the student's playing to the next level.
Small tools, like proper keyboard benches, metronomes, and flute guides help players to develop technique and skills beyond a beginning level! The keyboard students are thrilled to have seats that enable them to practice good posture, without struggling in the old fold-up chairs we previously used. My flute players have a much easier time understanding how to hold the instrument now that the guides have arrived.
The other materials your donation provided are essential for the maintenance of the instrumental program. Each instrument in the room is used by 4-5 different students throughout the day, for a total of 5-6 hours daily, so the instruments see more than their fair share of use! The materials you provided through this project help me to keep our instruments functioning well, all day, everyday for our students!
I cannot thank you enough for your support of our music program. My students' success this year has been nothing short of inspirational and I am excited for the future of this program.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Gunther
This classroom project was brought to life by Yamaha Corporation of America – Band & Orchestral and 10 other donors.From Rubber Bands to Symphonies!
Funded Feb 18, 2015I cannot express in words the gratitude I have for your generosity. The materials you helped provide for our students have enhanced their musicianship exponentially.
The clarinet ligatures that you provided for our students allowed several of them to flourish as musicians. I observed some of the students' attitudes change from dissent and annoyance to commitment and perseverance. Now at the end of the year, my clarinet students are playing quite well and I am very proud of their progress.
Similarly, replacing our broken drum throne changed the attitude of several of my drum set students. Before, they were uncomfortable and irritated during class. After we replaced the drum throne, they were able to be much more content during class and they actively participated more often.
After students (particularly guitar and bass players) learned to use the chromatic tuners, I realized that I was gaining a significant amount of class time because I was no longer stopping to tune guitars for students. They became self sufficient, which meant we could move through music more efficiently! One of my greatest joys as a teacher is when students learn enough to do things themselves!
Again, I want to thank you for your contribution to our music program. The resources you helped fund provided many educational experiences for our students and will continue to do so for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Gunther
Shhh... We're Trying to Play Music in Here!
Funded Mar 1, 2015First, I would like to express my overwhelming gratitude to you, the donors who made this project possible. In less than ten days, you came together to deliver resources for our music program and provide a better learning experience for my students. When I first told my students that we were getting rugs for the classroom, and explained how they would absorb sound waves to decrease the loud volume in the room, they were skeptical at best. Not many believed that these rugs would make a significant difference.
A few weeks later, when the rugs were shipped and I rolled them out on the floor of my room, the difference was immediate. Students were able to hear themselves and each other much better. I found that my ears were significantly happier after rehearsals and students vocalized their agreement.
The drum set that you helped provide for our students was used in every class, 5 days a week. Previously we only had one drum set, so students were trading time and only playing for 15-20 minutes each class. After we received the second set of instruments, students were able to play for the full 50 minute classes. The musical growth I saw in students over the past few months was exponential in comparison to the beginning of the year. In one class, students combined different drum beats to create a complex pattern during one of the songs we played in our most recent concert.
Again, I cannot thank you enough for your support of our music program. My students' success this year has been nothing short of inspirational and I am excited to experience how the program moves forward next year.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Gunther