MONROEVILLE, PA – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated a Diatonic Metallophone to the general music classroom at Ramsey Elementary in Monroeville, Pennsylvania!
Gateway School Districts boasts some of the most diverse music curricula in western Pennsylvania. However, many of the students are unable to pay for music instrument rental costs, nor purchase fees.
Music teacher, Mrs. Dayton, says “My students are enthusiastic about music and love to sing and play musical games and do activities. Most of them do not know how to play instruments when they come to school, and looking around the room at the various instruments just amazes them. Many cannot afford to rent or buy one at home, and music class is their only opportunity to get hands-on with music!”
Currently, Mrs. Dayton has about 8 classroom instruments (Orff-style, with mallets), which means that kids are crowded in groups of 3 or 4 around each instrument.
“Most of them are old and have bars missing or pieces breaking off,” she explains. “I would love to slowly increase my collection of instruments so that someday I have enough for each kid to have his own, or at least have only two [students] at each one!
Some of the classes are large (groups of 30 or more) and it limits the amount of practice time that the students can receive. Since Orff instruments are extremely resourceful and collaborative, they are a significant addition to any music program.
Thanks to Joe Bonamassa fans, and music lovers like YOU, Keeping the Blues Alive was able to fund Mrs. Dayton’s music project!
We look forward to more updates on this project!
Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation is a 501c3 organization that makes a donation to a school in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more every week! Your donation helps us to keep music in schools, while preserving blues heritage. Without your support, we would not be able to reach as many students around the country.
We are grateful for your generosity! To date, KTBA has reached over 60,000 students.
If you would like to help us to continue to grow, click here to make a donation! All donations are fully tax-deductible! Thank you for keeping music education in schools!
