Ms. Smith's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 36

• Mini Musicians: Playing Position Shoulder Rests Needed

  Funded Dec 20, 2021

  Thank you so much for donating to "Mini Musicians: Playing Position Shoulder Rests Needed." I received our Everest shoulder rests last week and have begun the process of labeling and assigning the shoulder rests to students.

  Today, I had several of the fifth grade students try holding their instrument with the help of their new shoulder rests. My students were so excited to use them and were so happy that the shoulder rest made their violin so much easier to play properly. These materials are going to be a game-changer with helping my fourth and fifth graders hold their instrument successfully.

  Thank you as well for the strings and foam sponges. I've had to change several strings this past week and having the new strings was very helpful. I can't wait to post pictures of the students in action using their new materials. Thank you again for all your help; you are truly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

• And the Bass Rack Was Loaded!

  Funded Dec 3, 2019

  Thank you so much for contributing to my project "And the Bass Rack was Loaded." I was so excited when we received our three bass Wenger rack. I had a bass sitting in my office because we had ran out of space on the current bass rack. Now, it is sitting on a rack of its own :)

  Several of the high schoolers I teach helped me put this rack together. I will post some pictures of them in progress soon! Due to Covid-19 it has been difficult to complete this project, but I will get pictures of the completed bass rack as soon as I can. Thank you again for all of your support and stay safe!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 3 other donors.

• I Want To Be Popular: Sheet Music for All

  Funded May 6, 2020

  Thank you so much for contributing to our project "I Want To Be Popular: Sheet Music for All." My students are so excited about using these materials when we (fingers crossed) return to school in August. Several of these books were specifically requested by students and I am looking forward to the material being utilized.

  One student in particular, has requested Harry Potter music for months. I emailed her during quarantine while teaching online to let her know about the new materials. She is very excited about playing from the Harry Potter book in the fall.

  Thank you again for your support. During this uncertain time it is especially meaningful to know that I have the support of the Donors Choose community. Thank you for continuing to support teachers through this time! We will get through this together, and in the meantime, my students will be making beautiful music.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 38 other donors.

• In Search of Beethoven: Building a Music Library

  Funded Feb 14, 2019

  Thank you so much for funding my project "In Search of Beethoven: Building a Music Library." All of my students have been learning pieces by Beethoven that you funded for our classroom! My junior high students are currently playing "Shepherd's Hymn" from Symphony No. 6, the high schoolers are playing "Contra-Danse No. 1" and "Bagatelle" and the junior high and high schoolers are all performing the Finale to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

  Next week, I will be passing out a new Beethoven musical history packet I created for students. Part of this will explain how bowing technique changed significantly in the Romantic Era as the orchestra grew larger in number. My students will also be performing several of the pieces you purchased for our orchestra on September 30th at our first orchestra concert of the school year.

  Thank you again for your support. You fully funded my project on February 13th last school year, and when I checked my email on Valentine's Day, it was like receiving a Valentine's Day gift!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

• Once Upon a Musical Melody: Discovering Great Composers

  Funded May 27, 2019

  Thank you so much for donating to my project "Once Upon a Musical Melody: Discovering Great Composers." Last Thursday was our first day back at school and I am already using these resources in my classroom.

  All of my fourth and fifth graders are learning the story of Joshua Bell's first competition by reading "The Dance of the Violin." This book tells the story of twelve-year old Joshua Bell being nervous and blundering his solo during his first competition. We were able to talk about how it is okay for students to be nervous when playing their instruments, but that we must remember that our love of music is more important!

  In December, I will be using the Nutcracker books to teach my students the story of the Nutcracker and how the ballet became a holiday tradition in the United States. I'm looking forward to using these books in my classroom this year and for years to come.

  Thank you for your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 7 other donors.

• Hello Dolly, Well Hello (Piano) Dolly!

  Funded Jun 17, 2019

  Thank you so much to contributing to our new piano dolly and piano tuning. Last week, I was able to get the dolly installed underneath the piano and our piano is now able to roll nicely along the floor! As I type this, our piano technician, Rick Bazemore is tuning the Yamaha piano in the orchestra room.

  I have been using the piano daily since school began for students on August 1st. It has been extremely out of tune for the first six weeks of school, so I am so very thankful for your support. It gives my students a much better musical experience when they are making music accompanied by an in-tune instrument.

  Next period, I have two violin students who will be playing Vivald Concerto in a minor for Two Violins. I'm looking forward to accompanying them on a properly tuned instrument! Thank you again for your support! This project would not have been possible without you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

• Let's Have a Cellobration: Cello Lessons for the Violinist Teacher!!

  Funded May 10, 2019

  Thank you so much for supporting my cello lessons this summer! I bought myself a cello from Ronald Sachs Violin Shop on Facebook Marketplace and have been practicing and taking lessons faithfully all summer.

  Some of the method books I have worked through include Rick Mooney's Thumb Position for Cello, Stephen Deak's Modern Method for Violincello Volume 1, and the first three Suzuki cello books. I am also very close to using vibrato effectively while playing! I am so excited that soon I will be able to effectively demonstrate cello vibrato for my students. My teacher Sarah was also able to give me good feedback regarding cello bowing technique that I can share with my students next month.

  This past week during my cello lesson, my teacher and I went through fingerings and bowings on some of the Beethoven pieces I have chosen for my students to play this fall. I was able to apply the concepts I have been learning this summer to our pieces. As a result, my cello students will have better fingerings that I ever would have been able to give them without these lessons. Fingerings and bowings are incredibly important on stringed instruments. (What fingers you use for what notes.) I am thankful for this opportunity to become a better teacher. Thank you again for your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 7 other donors.

• Solo and Ensemble: Essential Books for Good Musicianship

  Funded May 14, 2019

  Thank you so much for contributing to my project "Solo and Ensemble: Essential Books for Good Musicianship." This Thursday was our first day back to school and I have used many of these books already with students this week.

  The Beautiful Music for Two Stringed Instruments books have been especially valuable. These duets allow any combination of two stringed instruments to play together. So a violin and play a duet with our bass player and they are both learning and playing melody and harmony.

  I am also really happy with the purchase of Progressive Repertoire for the Double Bass. This book allows the basses to play in thumb position much earlier than our traditional method books, which is great for advanced learning. I've also found a bass professor who videoed himself playing every piece in the book on Youtube so now my bass students can play with a professional bass player while learning their solos!

  Thank you again for helping my students, I'm looking forward to a wonderful school year.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 7 other donors.

• Snap, Crackle and Pop: Play the Modern Hits on Violin!

  Funded May 13, 2019

  Thank you so much for donating to my project "Snap, Crackle, and Pop: Play the Modern Hits on Violin!" Because of your help, my students are now playing Disney music, Star Wars themes, and other modern classics.

  When we received the materials, my students were so excited that they were going to be able to play songs that they knew on their instruments. Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Here Comes the Sun, Duel of the Fates, and the Star Wars Theme, have already been chosen by students in my fifth period class as summer learning pieces.

  Thank you again for supporting my students and have a wonderful summer!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 6 other donors.

• Dry Erase Boards: Fraction Fun With Music Notation

  Funded Oct 20, 2018

  Thank you so much for supporting my project "Dry Erase Boards: Fraction Fun With Music Notation." My students have enjoyed being able to use the music dry erase boards in our classroom and were very excited to open the boxes. Last month, about 300 children were able to use these dry erase boards because of your support. Every child in fourth and fifth grade here at ACE learned how to notate quarter notes and quarter rests, half notes and rests, whole notes and rests, and eighth notes while writing rhythms on the dry erase boards. We learned about how a quarter note is one quarter of a measure in 4/4 time. The quarter rest in particular is difficult to learn to draw, but I just tell my students to write the letter z and the letter c together.

  I am confident that these resources helped my students understand the mathematical relationships in writing musical rhythms. I hope that many of these beginning learners will continue to study music in junior high and high school. These music dry erase boards are a great tool to help give them a strong foundation. Thank you for your support, you are appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Yamaha Corporation of America and 5 other donors.