LEBANON, MO – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated a new Series 1600 Orff Xylophone to the music program at Maplecrest Elementary School in Lebanon, Missouri!

“I teach 2nd and 3rd grade music in the town of Lebanon, Missouri,” says Mrs. Askew. “My building is full of about 700 kids that fill my classroom every week. Many of my students have very few musical opportunities at home, so the thought of playing real instruments in music class causes them to burst with excitement every week!

I teach some of the kindest and most creative souls I’ve ever met, and they make me proud every single day. I hope to be able to use this project to give my students the quality of instruments that they deserve to play, and to foster the intense creativity and passion for learning that already exists inside of them.”

At this age in the students’ lives, freedom of self-expression is crucial to their development. In addition to the standard difficulties surrounding today’s music programs in schools, more than half of the students come from low-income households.

“Using better quality instruments, I can teach students how to create their own music. Higher quality Orff instruments (a xylophone) will allow my students to feel proud of their musical accomplishments. They can explore creative music composition, learn to read music, and learn to play/perform together as a team.  Using these instruments, I hope to give each student musical memories that will last a lifetime.
I want them to know that ANYBODY can be a good musician, and I’ll teach them that creativity is just about taking risks and being willing to try. Music class is so much more than a break for the normal teachers – it’s about developing the gifts and talents that are in every student and showing them that they can be creative, too,” she adds.

Thanks to the generosity of music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive successfully funded their project and the xylophone will be delivered soon!

Mrs. Askew expresses her gratitude:

Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc.,

I am so excited to be the recipient of this generous donation, and I can’t wait to show my students what your organization has given us! I know that they will be just as excited as I am!

What you’re doing is making a huge difference in the lives of kids all over the nation. Many of the kids at my school live in such deep poverty that their stories would break your heart. Your funding for this instrument helps show them that they are worthy of having nice things. I know that this will give them musical memories to last a lifetime!

Also – we have just begun our jazz and blues unit. What an awesome coincidence!

With gratitude,
Mrs. Askew

Keeping the Blues Alive is a 501c3 organization that makes a donation to a school in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more every week! Your donations help us keep music in schools, while preserving blues heritage.

In order to keep the ball rolling, we appreciate your donations to keep music education funding alive in schools across the country. If you would like to help us to continue to make an impact on music education in America, click here to make a donation! All donations are fully tax-deductible and go to a GREAT cause!

You can also check out our SUBMISSIONS page; make sure to send it to your local music teachers if you have a specific project in mind.

Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!