Shawn Gonzalez, Author at Keeping the Blues Alive

Shawn Gonzalez

KTBA Donates Bongos for “Invincible Warrior” Performance

Middle School Students in Montgomery Hit That Beat! MONTGOMERY, AL – Thanks to the donations from supporters like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated brand new Aspire Oak Congos to the music students at McKee Middle School in Montgomery, Alabama! About the Students According to Mrs. Phillips, “the McKee Middle 6-8 band room is a safe place. It is almost separate from the school because it becomes a safe haven for its students to come and feel at home. We use music as a relationship builder in our band room. The students and parents look forward to entering our room to see what good it is we are coming up with at the time. Our program has been superior-rated for the last five years because we work hard and we stay focused on the task at hand.” That task is to excel, to compete, and ultimately WIN! “Once they enter my classroom they know it is a safe place but also a very serious place where we learn to be competitive and rise above the competition,” Mrs. Phillips says. Under her leadership, Mrs. Phillips has had students who have won the Alabama State Spelling Bee Competition, the state Hear Our Voices competition, multiple Beta Club competitions, and have been accepted to various District Honor Bands. About the Teacher and their School “Our band is a breath of fresh air to our school building,” she says. “Our school mainly focuses on athletics so we do our part to receive just as much publicity. We perform anywhere we get a chance.” Mrs. Phillips has been a fierce advocate for music education projects at her school and has been crowdfunding for at least the past 4 years. Nearly all students come from low-income households which makes this gift even more uplifting to those students and families. Approximately 95% of students receive free or reduced price lunches and the school receives significantly less state and local support than similar districts with less diverse student populations. About the Project Approximately 100 students will be affected by this project, placing it in the upper tiers of our impactful donations. The bongos will be used for the performance of The Invincible Warrior. “The Invincible Warrior is a piece we are playing for our Music Performance Assessment [or MPA’s],” Mrs. Phillips explains. “Full of energy and lively percussion, the students are excited to play it. We have all the parts covered except the Bongos. I have one scholar playing the part and the scholar has been practicing on drum pads until we get a set of Bongos. It is important that we have all the proper instruments for the pieces so the adjudicators can be impressed with our group. Superiors [top ratings/marks at MPA’s] are what we are seeking! Help us get them!” Attitude of Gratitude Thanks to the support of music lovers and donors like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to fund Mrs. Phillips’ project and the bongos were delivered to the school promptly! She expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you for finding our project so quickly! We will have these in time for our assessments! We are so thankful for your generosity and thoughtfulness to our program. Our students have been practicing very hard and are very motivated to do a great job. McKee has not competed in many years so I am hoping to go and prove that we are a different band. Thank you!! With gratitude, Mrs. Phillips Affiliates In addition to KTBA funds, Mrs. Phillips also received additional support from the Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF). For over 35 years, the Central Alabama Community Foundation has been a valued community partner and resource for nonprofits and students in the River Region and Wiregrass. Through the generous support of individual and corporate donors, the foundation provides over $5 million in grants and scholarships each year that meet diverse community needs, supporting programs and projects in education, human services, health, cultural arts and other civic concerns. Our mission is to create a better quality of life for those who live and work in the River Region. CACF serves several counties including Autauga, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Macon, and Montgomery. Click on the logos above for information about our affiliates in Autauga, Elmore and the Wiregrass Region. Support the 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! To donate click here.

April 20, 2022

KTBA Foundation Drums Up Support for Drum Circle

Crawford Elementary Students Receive New Drums ARCADIA, LA – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation raised $422 to purchase brand new REMO drums for elementary students at Crawford Elementary in Arcadia, Louisiana! “At my elementary school, I teach Pre-K through 5th-grade general music,” says Mrs. Katelyn Vining. Katelyn teaches music at Crawford Elementary School. Click here to visit Crawford Elementary on Facebook “My students come from low-income households and deserve the best music education that I can provide to them. In my classroom we usually sing but [singing in groups together] has been put off due to Covid restrictions. However, we study music history, music around the world, and famous composers. [In addition,] we also make music with body percussion and bucket drums. My students are my passion. They are so excited to be back at school because students really enjoy music class in addition to the new activities with drums we are doing this year.” Making a Difference In drum circles, participants bring any form of percussion they can find. This includes bongos, objects that chime, things that shake, and anything that makes a sound. If there aren’t any solid objects available, one can clap or use their bodies as drums, too! Mrs. Vining’s elementary class has their own way of forming drum circles. “In a drum circle students choose their instrument and have an opportunity to explore. Students learn to keep a steady beat, match, mirror, and echo rhythms played by others, and have fun. Building social skills is an important part of school’s unwritten curriculum. Children often learn through modeling skills and behaviors. Some examples are sharing toys or crayons to accepting and appreciating the differences in other students. Drumming provides a hands-on demonstration of how to work as a group, interact on an equal level and become a full part of the cooperative illustration that the myriad of drums can provide as students each add a unique voice to a collective song. These social skills help build self-confidence and a feeling of belonging among peers. What’s the big deal? Music and drumming give the player the ability to interpret joy into upbeat rhythms or anger into the heavy and rapid pounding of the drums. Drumming can be especially beneficial for students facing depression, emotional crisis or trauma. In addition, music provides a healthy way to process difficult emotional responses. Those emotions can otherwise erupt into destructive behaviors.” By funding Mrs. Vining’s project, KTBA proudly steps in to provide her and her classroom much needed support as they manage to produce eager young musicians using a very limited school budget for music and arts programs. Not only do we support the bottom (green) line but we also provide emotional support as students look forward to participating in this group setting with their peers. Attitude of Gratitude Thanks to music lovers like you, Mrs. Vining and her students are able to enjoy these drums together. Your donation made approximately 300 students happier and fulfilled! Mrs. Vining expresses her gratitude: “Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for your generosity and support of my classroom! The drums you have helped us receive are going to add so much value to our music room for years and years to come! Percussion instruments have been a lifesaver in our classroom due to covid restrictions on singing. We appreciate this gift so much. With gratitude, Mrs. Vining” Every week, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donates to a school in need of music supplies, instruments, sheet music and more! To help us fund next week’s project, please click here to make a donation: CLICK HERE

February 14, 2022

KTBA Foundation Donates New Violin to Wynnton Arts Academy

Bonamassa’s Nonprofit Donates to Wynnton Arts Academy COLUMBUS, GA – Thanks to your donations, students at the Wynnton Arts Academy are receiving another boost in their music department! You help them receive a new violin! About the School Wynnton Arts Academy is a public fine arts magnet school. All students receive daily instruction in drama, art, music, and dance. Arts integration and STEAM activities are integral components of their program. In addition, the activities support student achievement across the curriculum. Content and skills from the fine arts are integrated with core subject curriculum. As a result, it provides students additional avenues through which they can enhance their academic, emotional, physical, and social skills. The Arts promote self-discipline, creativity, and the confidence to succeed in life. Click here to watch Wynnton’s Welcome Video About the Project Mrs. Moody’s students needed a new, quality-made violin, that was the right size for beginning students. “My students are a very talented and diverse group who are energized by learning how to play their instruments,” she says. “I teach at a Title I school in Georgia where many students would like to be in the orchestra but cannot always afford to purchase an instrument. Being offered the opportunity to join an orchestra opens up so many doors for them.” Wynnton Arts Academy places the performing arts high on its priority list because of the positive impact they can have on students’ academic and social lives. “My students want to grow as musicians and attain a high level of performance,” she adds. “Many of them will go on to earn college scholarships.” Why Wynnton Academy? “Anyone that has ever been to an orchestra concert has surely been mesmerized by the violin section. The largest section of the orchestra, the violins often treat our ears to lush melodies impassioned with vibrato. The violin is also one of the most popular instruments with students. It all begins with fitting the student with the right sized instrument so they can be successful in their musical journey. Since our school starts violinists in 5th grade, many of them are not ready to start on a full-size violin. We need[ed] a quality 1/2 size violin so students aren’t struggling to learn on an instrument that is too big for them.” Thanks to music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive was able to provide Mrs. Moody’s class with a brand new 1/2 size violin for their orchestra. Attitude of Gratitude Mrs. Moody expresses her sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the successful funding of this project: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., I can’t fully express my joy, excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. It is great to see that you share my vision for reaching children through music. For some students, orchestra is the reason they are excited to get up and come to school each morning. The violin that you have funded is a quality instrument that will be easy to tune and will produce a beautiful tone. In addition, this violin is the right size for young students. It will enable students to reach their potential and have the opportunity to perform with a group of their peers. I can’t wait for my students to be able to play on this instrument. Thank you again. I couldn’t do my job without support from donors like you! With gratitude, Mrs. Moody Let’s Keep it Going! Every week, KTBA donates to a school in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more. Please consider donating to this cause by clicking HERE. Thank you for keeping the blues alive! ___ Meet the Teacher Mrs. Gina Moody currently teaches Orchestra at Columbus High School and Wynnton Arts Academy. Mrs. Moody has served as the District 3 Orchestra Chair, District Honors Orchestra organizer, All State Orchestra auditions organizer, and as a mentor to new orchestra teachers. Prior to teaching in Muscogee County, she held the 2nd clarinet position in the Midland-Odessa Symphony in Midland, Texas. In addition, she maintained a private teaching studio. Mrs. Moody received degrees in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas and Music Education from Columbus State University. Mrs. Moody balances her teaching duties while remaining an active performer. She performs with several local groups. As a member of those various groups, Mrs. Moody has been invited to perform at GMEA, ClarinetFest, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

February 11, 2022

KTBA Donates Percussion Equipment for Film Scoring

Live Film Scoring with Percussion Instruments AUGUSTA, GA – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated percussion instruments to students at Gracewood Elementary School in August, GA! This included table gongs, cymbals, an array of hand percussion, and classroom sets of equipment fit to help almost 500 students! This variety of percussion instruments will bring their project to life as they use the sounds for film scoring and sound effects for books! Background Augusta’s First Cheese Wagon? “Since 1893, when the principal drove his students to school with horse, buggy ‘n’ all, our elementary music students have been eager to learn!” says Ms. Nancy Davis, music teacher at Gracewood. “Our music program was recently reinstated in the 2019-2020 school year. While off to a great start with an Orff, ukulele, and drum collection that continues to grow through grant-funded projects, any additional instruments or resources allow students the opportunity for further musical exploration!” What is one of their biggest needs? “Room to play!” Ms. Davis says. “Many of my students do not have the immediate funds at home to casually explore music or their preference for a particular instrument; additional instruments and resources help a great deal!” About the Project Hey! A Movie! “This music, history and technology lesson, and its many variations, has been featured in my music classroom since my first year of teaching. Having an equal love for films, foley effects, and musical scoring, I was eager to bring this unique study of percussion and film to students. Typically featured around Halloween, music students not only compare and contrast Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre to Disney’s 1929 “Skeleton Dance”, but also use common classroom percussion instruments to recreate their own foley effects along with the cartoon. Music students not only learn about early films but also apply relevant examples of important musical concepts, like steady beat.” Don’t Steal My Thunder! “Did you know a thin plastic sheet of metal was originally used to simulate the rumble of thunder on the radio? When the idea was “borrowed” from one studio to another, the popular phrase “stealing my thunder” was born! In addition to the improvisational skills of a silent film pianist, the silent films 1920s brought many percussion instruments or “toys”. With this unique project, I hope to not only build our percussion collection but explore past traditional classroom percussion instruments and celebrate its diversity within the history of film and beyond!” Attitude of Gratitude Thanks to the donations from generous people like YOU, KTBA was able to purchase the percussion instruments they needed to perform the foley clips they needed. Ms. Davis expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for your contribution to our classroom! With these instruments, our Gracewood students will experience a range of percussive sounds, their history and how they can play an important “roll” in stories, both on screen or on the page. Our students are so curious about everything and will absolutely enjoy engaging and exploring with these new sounds. With gratitude, Ms. Nancy Davis Let’s keep it going! Every week, KTBA donates to a school in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more. Please consider donating to this cause by clicking HERE. Thank you for keeping the blues alive! ____ About Ms. Davis My name is Ms. Nancy Davis, I am from Thomasville, GA and I am starting my 9th year teaching elementary music. I earned my BA in Music Education and my MA in Percussion Performance from Valdosta State University. Over the past year, I earned my Specialists in Advanced Education from Augusta University in addition to receiving a STEAM Certification. I love to sing, draw, play piano, drums, and travel. From 2013 – 2018 I traveled with a youth orchestra from Michigan and had the opportunity to perform in towns and cities all across Europe! From this experience, I have been to cities in France, Luxembourg, and over 25 different places in Germany. I love food and traveling very much and I try to see as much as I can! During the year, I take time for Professional Development! I am a member of the Kodaly and Orff Organizations and have attended both National Conferences. I am also a member of the Kodaly Atlanta chapter and attend regional Orff and Kodaly workshops in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina at least 2-3 per semester. Our collection of musical instruments has grown over the past two years and our Gracewood Elementary Music Program can now boast 20 ukuleles, 15 xylophones, 30 bucket drums, 9 large drums, and an assortment of smaller percussion instruments. With over $10,000 awarded in grant money, our music students at Gracewood are playing and learning with quality instruments! While COVID remains a determining factor for the possibilities of traditional in-person concerts, we hope to bring back the music to our families through digital means! For more information visit her teacher page at: https://www.rcboe.org/gracewood

January 21, 2022

KTBA Updates Music Library at Rahway High School

RAHWAY, NJ – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to donate new music literature to the music program at Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey! Every music program needs variety in their repertoire to keep students engaged. The musical compositions give students a real-life, applicable opportunity to exercise different technical aspects of their playing. They also expose students to new composers and musical styles. However, it can be difficult to keep up with purchasing new compositions on such small or non-existent budgets for music programs. Fortunately, it only takes one ambitious and passionate music teacher to to bring music to life for those students. The Music Teacher at Rahway High School, Mr. Robert Van Wyk tells us more about his particular music classroom: “My students create a family at our school. We are a performing arts family (bands, choirs, strings, theatre, and dance) that support each other on the stage, in the classroom, and beyond. We are a NJ high school, just outside NYC, servicing a multicultural population of students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. We strongly believe that the arts can instill positive change, transform, inspire, and change lives.” At Rahway High School, the music program serves as a powerful unifying activity for the students of the school. “We are going to build this program over a strong foundation and proud history and generations of art students,” Mr. Van Wyk explains. “My students are extremely motivated. They are eager and love creating music together. As a department, nine of our seniors have gone on to major in music/performance/musical theatre over the past two years. This collection of music books [would] provide much-needed resources for our classroom library as our students prepare for auditions and develop into achieving, well-rounded performers. These tools [would] support our mission to increase student achievement, spread the importance of arts education in our community, and highlight our student performers as the diverse and dynamic young people that they are.” Thanks to the generous donations from music lovers and Blues fans, KTBA was able to complete the fundraising for Mr. Van Wyk’s music library project. Mr. Van Wyk expresses his gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for providing these books for our students. It will be an awesome resource as we continue to grow through this school year and beyond. We are so appreciative of your generosity and kindness towards our Rahway kids. Please follow us @wearerahwayarts so that you can see these tools in action. Thank you! With gratitude, Mr. Van Wyk Stay tuned for our next Donation of the Week coming up on Friday December 10th, 2021! Thank you for helping us keep the blues alive and keep music education in schools! ____ About Mr. Robert Van Wyk Robert M. Van Wyk has been a music teacher at Rahway High School for the past 25 years. A graduate of the Ithaca College School of Music (BM) and Northwestern University (MM), Mr. Van Wyk has dedicated his professional career to the advancement of the arts and building a quality arts education within the Rahway Public Schools. Mr. Van Wyk is a two time Rahway High School Teacher of the Year. As past Director of the award winning Rahway High School Bands program, Mr. Van Wyk has guided ensembles to numerous awards including two NJ State Championships, students achieving participation in Region and All State level ensembles and selected for numerous performances in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. As musical director for the award winning, Rahway High School Musical Theater, Mr. Van Wyk and his ensembles have been nominated for Best Overall Music Direction, Best Chorus, Best Pit Orchestra and Best Overall Musical by the Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Awards. As a professional musician, Mr. Van Wyk has performed with jazz artists such as Phil Woods, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bucky and John Pizzarelli. He has performed and recorded with Joseph Alessi and Phillip Smith of the New York Philharmonic. Check out Mr. Van Wyk’s last recording with Imperial Brass here. Mr. Van Wyk is a devoted husband of 20 years to Amara Van Wyk (Band Director at the Rahway 7th/8th Grade Academy) and a proud father of two.

December 1, 2021

KTBA Fosters Hispanic Culture Through Guitar Donations

HOUSTON, TX – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated six (6) Full Size Beginner Guitars to middle school students at Edison Middle School in Houston, TX. Edison Middle is a Title I school located in Houston’s East End. Ms. Ronda Pohner teaches band; however, she wanted to bridge the gap for students who took up interest in guitar in elementary school, but didn’t have a guitar program between elementary and high school. “My students are from a Title I school in the heart of Houston, Texas,” Ms. Pohner said. “They are enthusiastic about learning how to play musical instruments. [They] are curious learners and ready to take on new and exciting experiences that expand their musical abilities. This project will bring the learning experience to middle school students who often come to me from their elementary schools with guitar experience. The feeder high school offers a guitar program. Unfortunately, there isn’t a guitar program at the middle school level. Students are often forced to choose to either give up the guitar or learn how to play a wind instrument. My goal is to bridge that gap between elementary and high school guitar programs by offering a classical guitar program to middle schoolers after school at first and then eventually as an ensemble class, in lieu of one of my band classes. Students can take them home to practice.” With six new guitars, it will become easier to have group sessions with the students and although guitar strings and accessories aren’t cheap, there are bulk deals that can be worked out so that they can continue learning how to switch out strings and tune the guitars regularly. “We are definitely ready to learn and explore the vibrant genres and cultures of classical guitar!” she exclaims. Thanks to the re-instatement of the Weekly Donation Program at KTBA, we were able to complete the fundraising cycle for Ms. Pohner’s classroom. Her guitars arrived safely and the students are already digging into their lessons! Ms. Ronda expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., I would like to sincerely thank everyone who donated to my project. I have an incredible amount of students who asked to learn how to play guitar. With this project, I can help students achieve their dreams! My dream was to bridge that gap between elementary and high school guitar programs at the middle school level! You helped me do just that! With gratitude, Ms. Pohner COVID-19 completely decimated the donation program but, ladies and gentlemen, we’re back! If you’d like to make a donation, please consider using this donation form to send us a small gift to keep it going! It’s music lovers and blues fans like yourselves which keep the flames of music education burning in schools across the country. Sincerely, SH

November 2, 2021

Joe Bonamassa Reaches $500k Goal for Musicians In Need

In just over one year, Joe Bonamassa and the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation have exceeded expectations for their fundraising goals, by bringing in $500,000 to benefit their Fueling Musicians Program. The initiative provides immediate $1,500 cash payments to musicians to help them get back on the road after being sidelined for over a year following the COVID-19 touring halt. In addition to Joe’s philanthropic endeavors, Bonamassa recently performed a critically acclaimed Blues Rock Trio concert from “music’s best address”, ACL Live, on April 1 to a socially distanced crowd and a global audience via livestream. This incredible performance is ONLY available on-demand thru the end of the week (May 2). Each ticket includes a donation to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians program. Head here to watch and support the show. Keeping The Blues Alive Records released a very special collaboration digital album created by the legendary Jimmy Vivino (music director, Conan), to help Joe raise money for musicians in need. The Blue Quarantinos is made up of Jimmy on guitar/vocals together with Jesse Williams on bass and Rob Paparozzi on harp. The aptly named album Phoning It In was recorded quarantine-style via Zoom, Skype and studio tracking. 20 special guests including Dion, Joe Bonamassa, North Mississippi All Stars, Shemekia Copeland and many more donated their talents on 12 amazing tracks. 100% of the proceeds will go to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians Program. Download / Stream HERE Read full article on Brave Words here.

May 10, 2021

BLUES ROCK REVIEW – Bonamassa, Keeping the Blues Alive, Raise 500k for Musicians

May 10, 2021

2nd Annual Stream-a-Thon Raises $500,000 for Fueling Musicians Program

Over a year into the COVID-19 touring halt, blues-rock artist and philanthropist Joe Bonamassa stepped in with the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation to host the second annual Stream-A-Thon. The event exceeded its fundraising goal of $500,000 to benefit sidelined musicians in a time of dire need. In order to get them back on the road, the initiative provides immediate $1,500 cash payments directly to the musicians. Fans from 42 countries tuned into the three-and-a-half-hour event which featured performances from over 35 acts ranging from legendary friends to emerging artists. Highlights included Toto, Dion, Ana Popovic, Warren Haynes, Bobby Rush, Joanna Connor, and Jared James Nichols. To read the full article by Madeline Crone of American Songwriter, click here!

May 10, 2021

Shawn Gonzalez

KTBA Donates Bongos for “Invincible Warrior” Performance

KTBA Foundation Drums Up Support for Drum Circle

KTBA Foundation Donates New Violin to Wynnton Arts Academy

KTBA Donates Percussion Equipment for Film Scoring

KTBA Updates Music Library at Rahway High School

KTBA Fosters Hispanic Culture Through Guitar Donations

Joe Bonamassa Reaches $500k Goal for Musicians In Need

BLUES ROCK REVIEW – Bonamassa, Keeping the Blues Alive, Raise 500k for Musicians

2nd Annual Stream-a-Thon Raises $500,000 for Fueling Musicians Program

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