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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. McSpadden from Houston, TX is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. McSpadden is requesting

Musical Biographies Part 1

My students need biographies of famous composers to read while we study the amazing music that these composers wrote.

  • $421 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. McSpadden for her next project!

Help Ms. McSpadden

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. McSpadden for her next project!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Each time I play a piece of classical music for my students the first question they always ask is. "Is he dead?". Each time I show a portrait of a well known composer such as Beethoven, they say, "Look, it's George Washington!" My students need biographies in order to gain historical context.

My students love to listen to all types of music.

They tell me about songs they hear on the radio and in return, I share music from all over the world with them. They especially enjoy music from Asia and their most recent famous composer is Handel. My students have very few resources at their disposal. We have a low socio-economic rate of approximately 96%. Approximately 80% of my students qualify as LEP or "Limited English Proficient". At this time, our school library does not contain any biographies about composers.

My Project

Every Friday, we have what I call "Composer Friday". All students regardless of their grade level explore a work of music and study the life of the composer. Sometimes we compare multiple works and sometimes we dig deeply into one specific work. When we have access to the biographies of composers at our finger tips, the students are able to research the background for a specific piece of music or read about something that interests them specifically. Also, as a music teacher I feel that it is very important that I provide opportunities to apply their non-fiction reading skills to a subject in which they are interested. Biographies offer both candid insight into the lives of interesting people but also a unique historical perspective about the music we study.

What if the first non-fiction book a 2nd grader is interested in reading is about Beethoven because he thinks it's funny that Beethoven put his piano on the floor?

I've seen moments like that happen over and over in my classroom. Each time a little interest sparks I want to add kindling to the fire so that my students will keep learning. It is a wonderful feeling when I can hand them a book and say, "Why don't you find out more."

Ms. McSpadden Spring Shadows Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. McSpadden

Houston, TX View local requests

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

680 students impacted 7donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Life and Times of Franz Peter Schubert John Bankston • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso Susanna Reich • Barnes and Noble $8.95 1 $8.95
Life and Times of Franz Joseph Haydn Susan Zannos • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
Life and Times of George Frederic Handel Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
Life and Times of Johann Sebastian Bach Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
Life and Times of Ludwig Van Beethoven Susan Zannos • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
Life and Times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart John Bankston • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Felix Mendelssohn (Masters of Music Series) Susan Zannos • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Johannes Brahms (Masters of Music Series) Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi ( Masters of Music Series) Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Frederic Chopin ( Masters of Music Series) Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Guiseppe Verdi Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95
The Life and Times of Franz Liszt ( Masters of Music Series) Jim Whiting • Barnes and Noble $25.60 1 $25.60

Materials cost

$331.00

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.97

Fulfillment labor & materials

$9.00

Total project cost

$344.96

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$75.72

Total project goal

$420.68

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $420.68

5 Donors

-$383.66

Donations toward project cost

-$344.96

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$38.70

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$37.02

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. McSpadden and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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