Blues News Archives - Page 17 of 17 - Keeping the Blues Alive

Blues News

Let Them Read Music!

Anyone who has ever had the privilege of taking a music course in school would be familiar with standardized music instructional textbooks such as Standard of Excellence or Essential Elements. They are easily one of the most popular and time-tested curricula for music educators all over the country. In addition to describing posture, basic fingerings, and good habits, the books allow the student to progress in a graduated manner so they master the pre-requisite skills before moving on to lessons of greater difficulty. Mr. Povie, an elementary music teacher at Hesse Elementary School in Savannah, GA had been using borrowed materials and pulling together resources in spite of budget cuts, to provide a quality education for his students. “My students love music and are very dedicated. We have a good selection of Concert Band music we borrowed from other schools, and a few we have bought with our budget. Our library of good jazz music is very small, and cannot be added to because of budget cuts,” Mr. Povie reported. My students come from a wide area to our neighborhood school. Many come from poverty and single parent households, but all of them love to play good music together, and they work hard to improve their abilities. Many had never played an instrument before joining the band, and they have found that they have a natural talent and innate ability to learn to play.” Thanks to the donations of Keeping The Blues Alive Supporters, we were able to participate in a fundraiser to purchase Mr. Povie’s classroom set of music curriculum called “Essential Elements Jazz Ensemble” covering pedagogy and technique for trumpet, trombone, flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass guitar, and the accompanying conductor manual. The series also includes supplementary DVD’s and CD’s with listening examples and other useful classroom materials. “These song collections will give my students exposure to a wide variety of music styles at a fraction of what it would cost us to buy songs individually. We will be able to put on concerts showing our growing abilities in all different styles of music, and this will prepare them to continue into high school and beyond as strong musicians. Many of my former students continue into college and then into professional performance and teaching careers, and they need to play all types of music to be successful at this,” Mr. Povie adds. Your donations make a real impact in schools across the country. Thanks for helping us Keep the Blues Alive. Donate today at https://keepingthebluesalive.org/donate/

March 6, 2013

Take a Stand

Thanks to your donations, Keeping The Blues Alive was able to rescue another music program in need! Meeker Middle School, located just outside of Renton, Washington needed music stands for their band program. Band Director and recent First Investors Outstanding Educator Award Winner, Mrs. Brewster, explains: “We’ve got a great problem at our school: completely full band classes, but not enough music stands for all 90 7th and 8th graders to play together at the same time in a mass band! In our December concert, the 7th graders had to pass their music stands to the 8th graders after their performance.” To read about Mrs. Brewster and her Outstanding Educator Award click here! “My students are hard working musicians in the 7th and 8th grades that contribute greatly to our ensemble sound. Their development would be greatly aided by having no more than 2 students per music stand during performances. Because of their high caliber playing, they deserve to be seated with the best possible posture and comfort needed to play.” Your donation allowed Mrs. Brewster to purchase 12 new music stands for the band program! Now, in rehearsal and performance, each child can perform without needing to share a stand with more than one other partner in their section. The flow of the concerts will be much smoother in the sense that between performing ensembles the students are not re-staging the entire stage to accommodate the changing instrumentation. Additionally, if they want to combine the bands for a unified concert experience, they won’t have to move the stands at all! Meeker Middle School is an example of one of our principles at Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation. $50,000 grants are special and absolutely life-changing. However, so is a small donation to help students and teachers who are already making a difference. Sometimes they just need a little bit of oil so to speak, to keep the engine running smoothly. Because of assertive music teachers and donors like YOU, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation was able to step in and give them a little boost. Thank you so much for your support, and if you’d like to contribute to our Foundation, please click here to donate. Every dollar counts!

February 21, 2013

Vegas Gets Some Love, Too

Our latest success story takes us to Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas, NV! Amongst all the bad news you hear about Las Vegas and its reputation for its iconic frivolity, Vegas will be known for a better reason. It will be known for its rapidly growing band programs as a result of donated money and resources from the public community – not to mention, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation advocates, sponsors, and people like YOU who donate to our cause! Canyon Springs High School is a Title I, high risk and SIG/Turnaround Identified school. For those who do not know what that means, it is a school that received a School Improvement Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. When a school is labeled as “low-performing” the school can be granted “turnaround money” to invest in the kids, the school, and the overall facilities. To read an article about the the SIG Program as of November 2012 click here. At Canyon Springs HS the majority of the students here could not afford to own or rent instruments, leaving the school with the extra burden to keep up with demand. Students spend many hours after school and on weekends to participate in the band program, often through rehearsal, performance, and even community service hours. The school went from a band program of 30 students to almost 100 in only 2 years. We all recognize the positive influence that music can have on people, so when Canyon Springs asked for help, we knew we needed to step in. The supplies requested were mouthpieces for french horns, mellophones and trombones (all brass instruments), which would replace mouthpieces that are too damaged to play, unsafe to play, or flat-out missing from inventory. By allowing more instruments to be readily available, they would be able to continue to grow the band program over time. Students would be able to take pride in their hard work, as well as be able to take their instruments home to practice in between the days when they have music courses. Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Becca Stark, Kelli Currie, Lisa C., Dream Fund and The DonorsChoose.org Board of Directors teamed up to fund this school’s project and as a result, the school has already held their first-ever Jazz Ensemble rehearsal! This is the first Jazz group in the history of the school! Problem: Students needed mouthpieces to replace old, damaged or missing brass mouthpieces. Action: Donors gave money to Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation Result: Project funded – 85 kids and a special teacher are smiling today! Now, don’t you just feel the love in the air? Peace, Love and Music – That’s something we can invest in.

February 14, 2013

KTBA is Kickin’ It Rhythm Style in Miami, FL

Most people who read this blog are wondering, “What will these people do with my donation?” Let us take you to Miami, FL (about 35 miles south of our office) and we’ll take you to Blues Lakes Elementary School – almost 100 faculty and staff dedicated to not only providing a productive learning atmosphere and education, but also boasts an autism academy attributed to being the first “specialized choice school in Miami-Dade County.” By the next academic school year, Blue Lakes Elementary is anticipated to not only serve Pre-K and Kindergarten students, but also include 1st through 4th grade students. When Mrs. Larsen, Blue Lakes’ Music teacher expressed a need to outfit the classroom with rhythm tools and instruments, Keeping The Blues Alive decided to join the campaign. Keeping The Blues Alive spoke to Mrs. Larsen on the phone before the donation was sent. She expressed to us the concern that a music curriculum did not exist for this particular instrumental outlet at the school. When she initiated the task of creating one, she knew she needed help to get the project started, and at the time the school was not in the financial state to assist her. “Many of my students are autistic and love to communicate through rhythms they play on their bodies or their desk. With instruments, they get a chance to hear different sounds and pitches each instrument has, along with feeling the different textures. By bringing new instruments in to the classroom [the child gets an opportunity] to explore music in ways they can only imagine. As always, we greatly appreciate anything you can do to help bring the world of music to any child in the school systems.” Upon making the donation, our friends at DonorsChoose.org verified the cost of the items in question, and released funding to Mrs. Larsen and her classroom a few days ago. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, My students and I would like to express our gratitude for donating to our school for new music instruments. With these instruments many of my students cannot only express themselves through rhythm once again but they are able to show everyone around them just how creative they can be. Each instrument presents a unique opportunity to create something new for them. We are looking forward to the arrival of these instruments and once again with to express our gratitude to donors like you who support the arts in our schools. With gratitude, Mrs. L We tried to reach out to her this morning, but she surely had her hands full, so we should expect an update in the near future! And to Mrs. Larsen, we wish you all the best, and hope that you and your students continue to have fun learning and growing together in your new venture! If you would like to help us donate to another school such as this one, please take a moment to visit our Donation Page and help us revitalize and inspire music programs, their educators, and most importantly the students all over the country!

January 23, 2013

Mending Muncie, Indiana: Dozens of Instruments Repaired by KTBA Funding

This week’s success story comes from Indianapolis, Indiana where 134 middle school band students are now waiting anxiously for the return of their newly repaired music instruments. Keeping The Blues Alive: Mr. Bieda, what makes this particular group of students stand out amongst their peers? Mr. Bieda: “My students often have to worry about things outside of their education such as food, money, transportation, and the challenges of their home lives – things that any middle school students shouldn’t have to worry about. [In spite of their circumstances] they face great challenges, yet they come to school and achieve great things [at H L Harshman Middle School]. KTBA: What is the current state of the students’ environment? MB: “My students all come from low income families with 100% of students are on free and reduced lunch and are all bused to our school. Despite our extreme poverty we have some of the highest test scores in the city in both math and language arts. The band is there to help provide support to the students and give them a well rounded education. The success is because these students have a strong desire to further themselves and do great things with their lives.” KTBA: How will funds from Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation help these kids in a direct way? MB: “These donations will drastically change the course of the band. Currently we only have about 90 instruments for the 134 students in band to use, so the students already have to share instruments daily. Instruments are not made to be used several times a day and our instruments are breaking quickly! Muncie Music Center is going to repair our students instruments so that they work again!” On January 3rd, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation took the opportunity to make a contribution to Mr. Bieda and his classrooms. The money donated will help pay for dozens of music instruments to be repaired by Muncie Music Center in Muncie, Indiana. To donate to the next school, please visit our donation page to sow a seed in a child’s music education today!

January 8, 2013

Elementary School Students Benefit from KTBA Foundation

Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation used a portion of its donations to save an elementary music program. The foundation is always looking for ways in which we can directly improve the quality of instruction in music classrooms. When we were tipped off about a poverty-stricken Tulsa, Oklahoma elementary school in need of music software for their computer lab, we knew this was an opportunity to step in. To contribute to the foundation, click here! Again, this school’s situation is an example of ill-placed resources in an unprecedented digital age where antiquated applications of music technology should not be overlooked. We know this sounds dismal, but think about it – come, walk and talk with us for a moment. What use does a computer lab have, without software for word processing, web access, or intuitive interfaces for the creation of new ideas or products? What good is a cell phone with out a data/SIM card? For what use is a car worth without tires, a working engine, or the appropriate fluids? The answer is – nothing; Nothing indicative of its potential, at least. That is why we chose to seize the opportunity to help Monroe Demonstration School (Tulsa, OK) re-purpose its computer labs by participating in a fundraiser to buy the appropriate software for these youngsters to create their own music and share each other’s musical ideas. Additionally, students can utilize interactive programs to learn blues scales, music theory, and aural exercises. Mr. Garrett, the school’s music teacher, took the initiative to submit a request via DonorsChoose.org – a reputable online charity dedicated to bridging the gap between classrooms and donations – to fundraise the monies needed to purchase software for his students. “Many of our students are surrounded by music at church, but resources for studying music at school are limited. Our students demonstrate a strong interest in music through consistent practice in the music classroom. Our elementary school has a good computer lab. Our students need music software to help reinforce fundamental music skills… Current and future students will use the music software for many years,” Mr. Garrett assures. Once funds were released, DonorsChoose.org staff were able to facilitate and verify the purchase of the materials, and Mr. Garrett’s 200 students got straight to work! “Thank you for your generosity in funding our elementary music project. It is inspiring to receive so much assistance from others who support music education in public schools. Our students are excited about using the music software programs Groovy Shapes, Groovy City, and Making Music. The music software will be used for many years by a great number of elementary students. The computer music activities will reinforce fundamental concepts that students are learning in music class. You have assisted our students in reaching their full potential this school year. With gratitude, Mr. G. Keeping The Blues Alive requires a LOT of hard work and sacrifice! If you are as passionate about preserving and rejuvenating music programs in schools, please support us by donating! We guarantee that individual students will benefit from your patronage! SH

December 6, 2012

Teaching Scales to Students

Teaching Scales to Students: When You Should Start In the beginning stages of a student’s exploration of an instrument, teachers are often faced with the question of when to start teaching scales. Natalie Wickham, the driving force behind the popular music education blog “Music Matters” sought to invoke some answers from other esteemed colleagues in the field of music education. One parallel that should be drawn between facilitating knowledge of scales and their application in music (remember that one must apply these skills in an actual performance setting) is the time spent in the student’s exploration in the relationship of the notes, tonally. In other words, facilitating the learning of scales by requiring them to sit down and rehearse scalar patterns to a metronome is only half of the equation. The other half is the student’s knowledge and recognition of the differences between major and minor keys. If the student can first recognize the tonality of the melody, then they should be able to use their knowledge of the scales to complete the musical idea or harmonization. The three components must all work together. Remember, that scalar exercises are supposed to facilitate movement on the instrument especially in a variety of different combinations. If the student is unable to recognize the tonality between the notes, they will have a difficult time being able to recite passages by rote. In this case, the student would become dependent on sheet music, and I think we can all agree that producing well-rounded students is the goal of any professional music educator, and we would not rely on any ONE aspect of a child’s skill set to propel them into stardom. Other people have chimed in on this discussion, and you can read them all by visiting Music Matters Blog! SH

November 27, 2012

Thank You For Keeping The Blues Alive!

We want to sincerely say thank you for the donations that you have given the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation! As a result of your donations and the help of our sponsors – Guitar Center, Ernie Ball, and of course, Joe Bonamassa – we have funded the first Joe Bonamassa Blues Guitar Scholarship at Musicians Institute, AND are just a few weeks away from unveiling our FIRST ever Riffnotes “History of the Blues” program! Although music advocacy in schools, and fueling the next generation of music listeners and musicians is a HUGE priority, we are also equally interested in thanking our fellow supporters. We will be sending you special gifts as they become available, as a token of our appreciation. Joe and Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation would like to thank the following people: P. Sexton V. Hamilton D. Oullette N. Stream J. Gaylor D. Oschman M. Gray B. Diller D. Danekas A. Christofides V. Korensky V. Blackwell J. Byrd R. Weisman K. Horowitz To stay in touch with us, please take a moment to “Like” our page on Facebook, or you can “Follow” us on Twitter! As we keep music education our first priority, we look forward to the continued growth and success of this foundation. Sincerely, Shawn Hagood Non-profit Manager

November 16, 2012

Blues News

Let Them Read Music!

Take a Stand

Vegas Gets Some Love, Too

KTBA is Kickin’ It Rhythm Style in Miami, FL

Mending Muncie, Indiana: Dozens of Instruments Repaired by KTBA Funding

Elementary School Students Benefit from KTBA Foundation

Teaching Scales to Students

Thank You For Keeping The Blues Alive!

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