Adam Lambert's GlamNation Tour 2010

Edit title

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The art supplies you purchased for our classroom have been well used this year. We did several projects with the watercolor pencils, including learning how to use the pencils, some cross-curricular reading projects, learning about famous artists and their work, and recreating artwork by the masters.

All of the supplies you sent were completely new to my students. We do not have art class at our school and resources from home are limited, so using color wheels, transfer paper, and watercolor pencils was an education in and of itself! My students were amazed the first time they used the watercolor pencils and saw the colored pencil drawing turn into a watercolor painting! They quickly learned art skills such as shading, layering color, mixing colors, adjusting the amount of water they applied, and using appropriate brushstrokes for detail work.

Their artwork turned out beautifully and they are so proud of themselves and their accomplishments! The principal is very supportive of our efforts and plans to frame and hang several of their pieces in the school building.

You made art experiences a reality for my students. Thank you so much for caring about my students and for our little school in the rural South. You truly made a difference in my classroom and in the lives of my students. The materials you sent will be used every year in my classroom, so your impact will continue as long as these supplies last - which will be a long time because we are all very careful with them! This letter does not, and cannot, adequately express my appreciation and gratitude for what you have given my class - yet "thank you" is the only thing to say. So, again, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. White

These canvases have been, in the words of one of my students "splendidly divine!" Their self-portraits came out wonderful and I am sure they will be cherished and saved for many years to come. It was a great way to build their sense of self-worth and explore who they are and who they want to be and it was such a nice feeling for the students to know that their work is worthy of of a genuine canvas.

It was a challenge too! Since my students had never painted on anything other than paper, they had to be heartily encouraged to use MORE paint. Finally they got the idea of layering and building up to add detail and texture. It blew them away that they could have bumpy textures, and that they could completely paint over what they had previously painted. They learned so much about art and paint from having these canvases. Thank you for giving my students this opportunity.

I guarantee you they would not have been able to have this rich learning experience without your generosity. Thank you!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Pippin

Thank you, donors, for your interest and assistance in my students' education! My class has truly been enjoying working with the many new art materials we received from this grant.

Student interest in our learning centers has been rejuvenated. We have been painting with the watercolors and paint markers, creating collages, coloring pictures, stenciling pictures, and stamping numbers, shapes and the alphabet. New learning is taking place each day! It's so exciting to see all of this in action!

You made this possible with your willingness to help and your generous spirit. I thank you, and my students thank you!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Brown

I would humbly like to thank all that chose to donate to my effort. It is very difficult teaching in urban settings. Some of the challenges of teaching are almost insurmountable. Art gives the students an outlet to express themselves in ways they cannot in other classrooms. I would like to thank you again for your support. Please continue to support educational efforts. Your contributions go along way in the attempts to enrich children's lives. Hopefully one day we will live in an environment that fully understands the importance of holistic/quality education.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Shaw

This is just a small token of my gratitude for the generous gift of an IPOD. The children love listening to music and working on their assignments. Many times the kiddos ask for the music, it seems to calm them down or energize them while working. Often times they are just having fun and enjoying the great sound of the IPOD. I even had a little guy ask if he could take it home and well that might be arranged for a night. They take care of it and know that it is extra special to have an IPOD to listen to at school. I can't thank you enough for caring about my students and offering them the gift of technology. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Schulte

The instruments arrived, preparations occurred to start the residency with our drumming artist, and, at long last, the children began to learn about their world through rhythm and beat! We decided to include both the first-graders and third-grade classrooms to give this opportunity to more of our students, while additionally engaging more classroom teachers and teacher aides in this learning process. Because of your generosity, we have enough percussion instruments for each child and adult in a classroom to hold and play an instrument as they learn to make music!

Already, signs that this project has benefited our school are evident. One teacher incorporated the instruments as part of teaching a science unit on the States of Matter, with the children using the drums, claves and maracas to create the sounds of rain and thunder. Another teacher told me she has observed a strengthening of community support within her classroom, because playing music requires teamwork and listening to each other. When the artist would ask questions to review the previous week's work, the students were able to remember and relate several of the stories of how certain instruments were created and what their purpose was in different countries (regions of Africa, India, Cuba, Mexico, and Philippines). I believe the knowledge was retained because these countries are representative of our students' heritage, giving our children a direct and personal connection to their required social studies curriculum.

After our Principal observed several of the drumming classes, as well as some other arts partnerships in our school, she wrote these words: "The fine arts provide an avenue for children to be creative and to express their ideas and their learning...The work we are now doing will benefit our kids and teachers and we can be a model of best practice for other schools...We really should be collaborating to create amazing learning environments."

Because of you, learning can now be shared at our school through drumming and percussive sound. Because of you, we now have instruments to continue this arts practice for many years. Our future is bright indeed!

”

With gratitude,

Ms. B.