Past projects 7
Books for Beginning Band
Funded Aug 13, 2023These books are an essential part of the beginning band class. Students who start in my band program have to learn a musical instrument from scratch and this book provides a comprehensive and effective method for them to learn the fundamentals of how to play their specific instrument.
Every few years the books get worn out and destroyed due to normal wear and tear. This summer we had to get rid of many of the books as they were no longer in suitable condition to be used in class. We decided to create a project on Donors Choose to raise funds to restock our book inventory in preparation for this school year. Thanks to your donations and support we are now ready for a new beginning band and students will have new books to work with. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
Mute the Brass, Not the Music
Funded Mar 6, 2023Thank you for your continued support for the band program at Rockway Middle School. Thanks to your donations we were able to purchase mutes for the trumpet players and trombone players. These mutes were used at our last spring concert for one of the songs we performed which called for mutes.
Moving forward we will now be able to play songs that call for mutes thanks to the mutes you donated towards. We continue to grow our band program thanks to your support. On behalf of the music students at Rockway Middle and myself, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
Must-Have Supplies for Band Students!
Funded Sep 21, 2022On behalf of my music students at Rockway Middle School, I'd like to thank you for your financial support and for helping us achieve this project on Donors Choose. With your help, we were able to purchase new mouthpieces for multiple instruments in the band program.
Our school is a Title I school, a classification given to schools that have low-income populations and little resources. Our band program consists of two beginning bands and a concert band. All groups perform in numerous performances and events throughout the year and students are provided with instruments and all the supplies they need to be able to perform.
Every year we have to renew and restock supplies such as mouthpieces, reeds, neck straps, etc. because they wear off, break, or get lost. This year we were running short on mouthpieces for clarinets and saxophones. You and your contributions played a role in helping the school provide the equipment necessary for my band students. We are very grateful for your help.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 13 other donors.[Don't] Drop The Bass!
Funded Oct 16, 2019THANK YOU so much for your donations that allowed us to purchase a new bass and a new amp. These new instruments and equipment are being used in our jazz band and pep band.
The students loved opening the boxes when they arrived and tuning the bass for the first time. We also used it as a mini lesson to learn how to set up an amp and we learned about different cables and what they are used for.
This year we have 3 bass players and we were in serious need of this new bass so all the students could play. Now we are preparing for a few upcoming performances including our holiday concert and it helps us a lot for our music preparation to have a brand new bass thanks to you all.
On behalf of the music students at Rockway we appreciate your continued support.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School and 4 other donors.WANTED! Mouthpieces to Continue the Buzz.
Funded Jan 25, 2018Thank you so much for helping my students and donating towards the purchase of mouthpieces for the saxophones and brass instruments.
Our music program has grown this year and our inventory was lacking. I did not have enough mouthpieces to provide my trumpet and horn players but now thanks to you that problem is solved.
My students are blessed to have donors like you who support the arts and help them continue playing and enjoying music. They were immensely happy when they found out that this project was fully funded and when they received the mouthpieces.
Once again, thank you for your support and we hope to continue growing our program with your help.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 4 other donors.Smooth Sounds!
Funded Sep 7, 2017Thank you SO much for your contribution toward my keyboard classes. We were able to get new headphones which helps me teach my keyboard classes more efficiently. The kids love their headphones; they come to class eager to practice individually and in small groups. They were also very excited when they received the news that our project was fully funded.
Currently, we are preparing for our holiday concert. My class has a variety of skills and levels mixed and the headphones help me focus on specific students at a time working toward the same goal. There was also the problem of headphones breaking and adapters getting lost. I have changed the method of distributing supplies and now I have no problems getting all the adapters and headphones.
On behalf of my students and myself, we thank you again for helping my music classes and we hope you can continue supporting in the future as we build up our music program.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by Yamaha Corporation of America and 7 other donors.Our Instruments are Screaming for a Clean!
Funded Nov 15, 2016My students at Rockway Middle School are very grateful for your donations. For this project, we received multiple boxes of cleaning materials and supplies for the band. These included valve oil, neck straps, cleaning swabs, cleaning rods, cleaning brushes for mouthpieces, and reeds.
The instruments in the band program had not been properly cleaned or maintained in years and some of them are very old. This being my first year teaching at this school, I wanted to make sure my students in beginning band were given an instrument in good enough condition to be able to thrive. When they saw the boxes delivered during rehearsal they wanted to stop playing and just open the boxes to see everything you had donated.
Thanks to your contributions, I can now provide a neck strap to every saxophone student and a ligature to every clarinetist. My clarinetists and flutists can clean the moisture after they play, and my brass students have well-oiled instruments. We also had a cleaning day where students learned how to properly clean their instruments, and the brass students were able to clean the inside of their instrument's tubing. All of this are essentials when teaching beginning band students.
Since your donation, we have been able to purchase a complete band method that we are currently using to teach instrumental techniques and musicianship. We are hoping to perform in the spring concert this coming May and the beginning band students are excited to move up to the advanced band next year.
On behalf of the music students at Rockway Middle School, we thank you again for your support to the program and the arts.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by Yamaha Corporation of America – Band & Orchestral and 14 other donors.