Middle School Students Receive Percussion Equipment
*** Update from Mr. Tyler Harper***
Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc.,
Thank you so much for these percussion kits! For so long I’ve tried to find a way for all my students to have their own sticks and mallets so they wouldn’t have to share, which is especially not ideal in these times with Covid-19. Now, I put numbers on these and add to the other percussion kits (which are starting to fall apart and these will help alleviate that problem as well) that are already here. These students will be so happy because there will now be more percussion spots available in the band program. The main problem here is that every student (except one trumpet player) is playing on a school instrument. That means I can only give out what I have and I have to ration certain instruments so they are available across all four grades I teach band to. So, thank you again for giving more students the chance to find a passion for music through percussion!
With gratitude,
Mr. Tyler Harper
MAXTON, NC – Thanks to the donations from supporters like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated four (4) Vic-Firth EP-1 percussion mallet kits to the 6-8 grade students at R. B. Dean-Townsend Middle School in Maxton, NC!
About the Teacher and his Students
“I teach music at a very small K-8 school in North Carolina,” Mr. Harper says. “We have about 500 students altogether. The families are stricken with poverty down here. For some of these students, school is the safest place for them. My students often come to school just because it’s the only place they receive a positive influence. Help me help them.”
“I’ve dedicated the past several years of my life to these kids and I’m not done yet.”
About the Project
“The band has grown in size! Yay! We’re so glad that it has. But now we need more materials to fill the need of those joining. I’m all out of snare drum sticks and keyboard mallets. There just aren’t enough supplies to go around. I was not prepared for the band to grow so much so fast… With Covid being around, every student needs their own equipment. There can’t be any sharing going on. Unfortunately, I don’t have the sticks for them to use if they are to remain as safe as possible in these times.”
Attitude of Gratitude
Thanks to the support of music lovers and donors like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to fund Mr. Harper’s project and the packages were delivered to an enthusiastic bunch of middle schoolers!
Mr. Harper expresses his gratitude:
Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc.,
Thank you so much for your generous donation! These percussion kits are sorely needed. As my bands continue to grow in size, there is a need for more percussionists. These kits help to ensure that each percussion student has their own sticks and mallets to use every day in class and to use at home while they are practicing. Especially now with all the covid protocols, it is very important that students don’t share sticks and mallets.
With gratitude,
Mr. Harper
Support our Weekly Donation Program
Every week, Keeping the Blues Alive makes a donation to schools in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more. Beginning as far back as 2015 (and pausing in 2020), we had been increasing the amount of weekly allocations. Now, we’re getting back on track with our weekly contributions but we do need help to keep this program afloat!
If you enjoy seeing these weekly donations to classrooms across the country, please consider becoming a monthly donor to support this mission.
Thank you for keeping music alive in schools!
