Past projects 7
Help My Students Play Safe and Go Wireless
Funded Aug 9, 2022I want to thank you so much for your generous gifts. I intend to put this to good use this coming year. We've been blessed with receiving several electric instruments over the past three years, but due to their nature - they can't really be heard.
Now that we have safe, reliable way to transmit all the wonderful playing our students can do through to the speakers, we'll be using all this equipment regularly throughout the year, except for the once or twice on special occasions like we had to in the past.
Again, thank you very much for your part in allowing this to happen. Your support of the arts and arts education is deeply appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 6 other donors.Electrified String Orchestra of the Future!
Funded Sep 21, 2021Thank you so much for your donations! With your help, we were able to purchase an electric violin for our strings classes.
Getting this instrument had a great impact on my classes during this year trying to get past this pandemic. First of all, it really helped reinvigorate those students who reenrolled from last year. I started our electric orchestra project two years ago, but getting this instrument in showed my students that this was something I was serious about starting. I spent a great deal of time this year talking about modern and indigenous musics. I also devoted a great deal of time towards teaching them how to improvise in a variety of styles, and how to read off of a lead sheet.
Other than motivating and exciting my current students, these instruments have had a great effect on getting and keeping future students interested in playing n the orchestra. We used these instruments during recruitment and retention tours to elementary and middle-school strings classes, and the younger children were wowed and amazed. One of the elementary students said, after seeing what was waiting for him at the high school level, that he made the right decision in choosing to be in the orchestra.
Again, thank you very much. My hope is that word will spread about all the interesting and cool things we were doing in the orchestra class this year that will convince those that left last year to come back and make the strings program stronger than ever.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
Help Us Amp Up our Practice Time!
Funded Jul 20, 2021I want to thank you again for so graciously donating so we can purchase the amps. You'll be happy to know that I've already put them to good use. At the beginning of the school year, I talked with the rest of the performing arts faculty at the school, and claimed one of the practice rooms as being just for orchestra students during their lunch or off periods. Previously, the room was used for extra storage space, but now I've installed the amps, most of the electric string instruments I have so far, and the effects and loop pedals in there. Orchestra students can now use that space to practice their regular acoustic instruments, but now - thanks to the amps you helped us get - can also experiment, compose and improvise on, and record on the electric instruments that are there.
When I showed the students, they were amazed by the space I set up for them. Not only does it have nice equipment for them to play on, I set the room itself up as a warm, inviting place that they can use to get away from some of the hectic environments elsewhere. One student in particular has been using it every single day since I unveiled it to them, and I think I'm going to have to start making a sharing schedule.
My next step is to set up similar spaces at the three other schools I teach at. Capital High School is the performing arts magnet in my region, and has the largest orchestra class, so it makes sense for me to set up an electric strings ensemble with them first, but I want to do the same for the other three schools too. I hope you'll consider joining me in building on and spreading this project out to the rest of my district.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective.Elevate and Electrify our Orchestra!
Funded Dec 2, 2020Thank you so much for your donations! With your help, we were able to purchase an electric violin for our strings classes.
Getting this instrument had a great impact on my classes during this pandemic year. First of all, it really helped reinvigorate those students who reenrolled from last year. I started our electric orchestra project last year, but getting this instrument in showed my students that this was something I was serious about starting. I spent a great deal of time this year talking about modern and indigenous musics. I also devoted a great deal of time towards teaching them how to improvise in a variety of styles, and how to read off of a lead sheet.
Besides the pedagogical benefits of bringing modern equipment into the strings classes, there were some practical ones too. Due to the pandemic, in-person class sizes were dramatically reduced. Typically I only had two in-person students maximum during a class period. What I ended up doing was treated the class as a series of private lessons. I'd work with one student on their regular violin, while asking the other to practice on their own on the electric with headphones on, so they couldn't disturb the other. What's more, since a solid-body electric violin is constructed a lot more sturdily than a traditional hollow-body instrument, sharing was a much easier over multiple class periods. I just had to spray it down and not worry so much if that might damage it.
Again, thank you very much. Next year will be a rebuilding year. My hope is that word will spread about all the interesting and cool things we were doing in the orchestra class this year that will convince those that left last year to come back and make the strings program stronger than ever.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 3 other donors.Bring Science and Fun into the Orchestra
Funded Dec 2, 2020Thank you so much for your donations to this project! Your contributions went towards purchasing two multi-effects pedals, and the impact on our class was greater than I imagined.
My students were genuinely shocked at the possibilities for creating new and interesting sounds from bowed string instruments. At first, all of them were overwhelmed at the choices they could take towards how they wanted to sound, but after I spent some time walking them through what reverberation, echo/delay, modulation, overdrive/distortion, and impulse responses were, and how they're used, you could see they were excited about the possibilities.
I even had one student say that they'd have to start paying attention in math class now!
What's more, I set up a couple practice stations so they could play with this equipment on their own outside of class, and much more often than I thought they would, I found students actually using those setups.
So again, thank you very much! This was a very difficult year. Over half the students from last year didn't enroll this year, but my hope is that word of the fun and interesting things we were still able to do during the pandemic times will convince students to come back and make the program stronger than ever.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 5 other donors.The 21st Century Orchestra
Funded May 6, 2020Thank you very much for donating to is so we can purchase this wonderful electric bass. Due to remote learning this year due to the pandemic, we haven't had much opportunity to use it yet (we only resumed in-person instruction just a few days ago!). Our big project with it is creating a virtual concert of contemporary music. For our bass players, I'm implementing a unit on how to build and develop bass lines in pop and rock song, while the violins and violas play the lead melody and harmonies.
The students were amazed when they first saw it. They liked how easily it could switch between being played as an upright bass and as a bass guitar. Some of my bass players expressed interest in being able to switch between the styles, and this instrument will help them with that.
Our next steps is to continue growing the number of electric instruments we have available. My goal is still to get at least one for each section of the orchestra, then continue on to get effects pedals, amps, and recording equipment for my students to use.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.The 21st Century String Orchestra
Funded Jan 23, 2020Thank you all for your incredible generosity! Because of your contributions, we met our goal. When our new electric violin arrived, all the students, even the ones who weren't violinists, were very excited about seeing it. Most of the violin players were also excited about playing it too (a few others felt intimidated at first, but after some gentle coaxing from myself and their classmates, they eventually got the self-confidence to start rocking out too.)
Even though we've had it for only a short time, I've already made a great use out of it in the classroom. After I received word that this project had been fully funded, I then got news that our orchestra was invited to perform on stage with Black Violin when they come to our town for their album tour! The kids were already excited about playing strings when they got that news, but the addition of using this instrument sent them into overdrive! Getting this violin has been a huge motivating force for them.
Besides playing music, I've also been using it to teach STEM-related topics. I've taught how electric violins are constructed differently than electric guitars (the difference between the magnetic pickups for guitars and piezo pickups for violins), the characteristics of the signal that these instruments send (signal strength and impedance, and which kind of amp is better suited for projecting that signal), and signal processing (I brought in a multi-effects pedal and a wah pedal for the kids to experiment on. They had a great time experimenting with the different sounds while also learning about compression, filtering, clipping, signal modulation, and delay lines)
Next steps for us is to get more instruments! I want to get one instrument for each section (one more violin, a viola or 5-string violin (or 2 5-string violins), cello, and an upright bass). That way all the principle (1st chair) players would have one and we can have a balanced sound (It also would give each student something to motivate them to excel even more, if it gives them a chance to play on one of those instruments.)
I am so grateful for your support. I can not possibly thank you enough for your help in allowing our orchestra to enter the 21st Century!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Lipscomb
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Arts Supporter and 10 other donors.