This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
We've got rhythm! We've got music! We need help believing in ourselves to find our voice!
My school is in its first year of implementing a K-8 music curriculum.
Music is already a big part of many of my over 450 students' lives, as many participate outside of school in church services that involve music. Some even are fortunate enough to own a drum or a keyboard at home to foster their own musical growth.
We have some instruments available for use in the classroom, but they are mostly unpitched percussion instruments. This does help with performing straight rhythm as a group, but it doesn't necessarily help with building the young voice. While my younger students are comfortable exploring their voices and singing as a group with the equipment we own, my older students are mostly self-conscious and afraid to embarrass themselves in front of their peers when it comes to singing, especially when they don't have an instrument in front of them that can help them reference pitch.
My Project
My students are great with reading, composing, and performing rhythms. With a set of guitars in addition to our percussion instruments, my students will be able to transfer their knowledge of rhythmic performance to a melodic instrument. Since guitar technique involves playing chords and chord progressions, when they sing they will have many pitches to reference as they get comfortable singing as a group. The exploration of chord progressions (especially the ones not often used in popular music) and the moods they evoke will help my students immensely when we compose our own melodies.
While percussion instruments are fun to play, instruments that can play melodies and progressions such as guitars help the voice hear musical phrasing and can be a great tool to introduce playing with musicality. Many of my students have never played a real guitar before, so this will be a unique opportunity for them.
We live in a hyper-critical society where too many negative experiences at a young age can mar a young child for life.
Seeing as the students I intend to use this project with are going through puberty and are undergoing a change in vocal register, helping them be proud of the fact that they will own no other musical instrument as unique or original as their voice is incredibly important. While famous singers may use autotune technology, the young person must learn to appreciate what they own.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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