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KTBA Sends Supplies to Buffalo, NY Music Program

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation has supplied students at P.S. 207 Lafayette International High School with two new Casio keyboards, an acoustic guitar, and a classroom set of headphones for private practice! The impact of the keyboards is felt by hundreds of students who come into class searching for outlets for self-expression, esteem, and accomplishment. They felt so motivated to make changes in the music classroom that they teamed up to be advocates for their own cause and benefit. By taking matters in to their own hands, they showed determination and assertiveness. Mr. Silvis’ sheds some light on their commitment.  “Students in my advisory class interviewed teachers, researched items, made budgets, and wrote proposals to complete this application as a service project for other teachers around my school,” says Mr. Jason Silvis. These are their words: Dear Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, Our school represents diversity. We are refugees and immigrants from all over the world. We are all bilingual and there are over 19 languages spoken at our school. We are all English learners and receive free lunches. What makes [us] special is that although we come from tough backgrounds, we work extremely hard to overcome the challenges to be successful in this country. Our students really need instruments because there are a lot of students, and we don’t have enough instruments for everyone. Music class is so big and our teacher wants everyone to participate. There are about 200 students who will benefit from these materials.  We would like to get headphones to listen to music.  Also, we would like to get Casio keyboards for students so we can play together and we would also like a guitar because many students want to learn how to play guitar. Finally, we need pencils for students that don’t have pencils. Our students really like music class. Please help us get those materials so we can learn more about music and about expressing ourselves. -Students of P.S. 207 Thanks to the generosity of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, we were able to successfully fund Mr. Silvis and his students’ project.  Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for funding our project. This will allow our music teacher to engage more students and teach guitar! Her students will be so excited, and my students who wrote the proposal will be so excited as well. Thank you for taking your time and your donations to help us! With gratitude, Mr. Silvis 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!  

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February 14, 2020

KTBA Donates Two (2) Pianos to High School Music Program

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated two (2) brand new Yamaha P-45LXB Digital Pianos to the music program at Milwaukee School of the Arts! “My students focus on piano practice for 1 hour every day in our keyboard classroom preparing for performances and juries,” says Mr. Heinzel. “They are very dedicated to improving their skill set at the piano and inspire each other through their creativity and hard work. Some of them are very good at reading while others excel at [improvisation] and composing.” Thanks to advances in technology over the last decade, more schools are beginning to find better and safer ways to allow collaboration amongst these young, hard-working performers. “One student wrote a composition that we shared with a piano student in Taiwan. The piano student in Taiwan plans to learn the piece and submit a recording of it back to us.” According to Mr. Heinzel’s data, nearly all of the students come from low-income households. By equipping the classroom with more pianos, the students will have additional practice time for collaborations as well as their own juries and competitions. “Students will have the opportunity to prepare for recitals, juries and other performances by practicing piano 1 hour every day. Upcoming Events include a “paint and play” recital in November, a formal recital at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in May, and WSMA in March,” Mr. Heinzel adds. “Piano students also prepare jury accomplishments at the end of each term when the piano students accompany orchestra students on their solos. This gives piano students the opportunity to work individually, together with other musicians and receive coaching from professional musicians. Keyboards are a preferred medium for practicing instead of acoustic pianos since the keyboards don’t need to be tuned. Also students wear headphones while practicing thereby not disturbing other students who are practicing.” The Yamaha P-45LXB is a great classroom piano because it is full sized, weighted, and has the appropriate headphone jacks for private practice.  Thanks to Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to fund the two keyboards for Mr. Heinzel’s classroom.  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! Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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February 4, 2020

KTBA is Drumming Up Success in Texas

SAN JUAN, TEXAS – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated new practice pads and plenty of drumsticks for the young students interested in learning percussion methods at John Doedyns Elementary School!  JDES is located just above the Mexican border, west of Brownsville, TX.  “Every child deserves the opportunity to be given the materials to be successful regardless of how much their parents make or in what area they are growing up in,” says Ms. Arevalo. Ms. Arevalo teaches music at the elementary school.  “Our county is one of the poorest counties in Texas and most of our students live in a low economic household. Despite all of these challenges, our students come in ready to learn and with a positive attitude. They love to be creative and show off their talents. They just need the right materials to make sure they are as successful as they can be.” Ms. Arevalo’s students were very much looking forward to having a musical instrument – a skill set and the relevant materials to call their own.  These students have a wonderful and insatiable desire to learn, grow, and experience music in all forms.  “A well-rounded student needs many opportunities to explore and cultivate a love for the arts,” says Ms. Arevalo. “Students will learn to play a minimum of 5-7 songs and be able to play along with accompaniment. Giving students an opportunity like this should not be hampered by social or economic hardships. It is my hope that this may plant a seed that will continue to grow throughout their lives. Students would perform on the buckets for the younger classes to showcase their skills and encourage the younger students. My students will gain a sense of accomplishment and pride by performing to the best of their abilities!” Thanks to the donations from Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated all the percussion pads and sticks necessary to take their class to the next level.  Ms. Arevalo expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., I’m grateful for your donation that will allow my students to continue playing and learning. I greatly appreciate this donation. Having these items in my classroom will provide a great learning experience and I can not wait to see my students thriving in something they love, now that resources are available. With gratitude, Ms. Arevalo 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! Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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January 31, 2020

KTBA Donates Classroom Set of Guitars in Youngstown, OH

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated ten (10) brand new starter guitars to the music students at Stambaugh Charter Academy! “I am excited to be starting a strings program at my school,” Ms. Haldi explains. “Most of my students have not had the opportunity to play an instrument nor can their families afford one for home. They are hard-working and eager to be able to play instruments. The school provided some of the guitars for the students, but it is not enough for everyone that would like to sign up or have already signed up to fit class size.” Every donation counts – both financially and in-kind – in making students successful and being able to have the opportunity to play an instrument for the first time. One of the most direct ways to pay it forward is to make a donation to the General Fund and watch it work! “I am very excited and grateful to have the privilege of working with these young and bright individuals every day. [However], I have a lot of students who are eager to play instruments. The school has helped out a lot, but the budget simply is not big enough to cover the cost of enough instruments for all the students who would like to participate in music class,” Haldi says. “Most of my students have never had the opportunity to play a musical instrument before. This would be an amazing investment in my classroom for this year and many years in the future for the strings program at my school. I cannot wait to see how much progress and love for music that they would have if given to opportunity to play these instruments.” Thanks to Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive was able to send Stambaugh Charter ten (10) brand new guitars that they can rotate for the rest of the school year. Ms. Haldi expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for supporting my classroom! My students are going to be super excited that they will no longer have to wait to play or share instruments. I will now have enough guitars for every student in my class to participate! I cannot wait to share this amazing new with them. I am very grateful for everyone who donated that made this possible for my classroom. This is their first year having the oppurtunity to learn and play instruments. With gratitude, Ms. Haldi 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! Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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January 24, 2020

KTBA Gets Lively with New Music Library in Austin, TX!

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated exciting new literature for the band program at Lively Middle School in Austin, TX! “The band program at my school has a diverse group of students, from within the downtown Austin area, as well as surrounding suburbs,” says Mr. Ryan Thomas, Band Director at Lively Middle School.   “Our magnet program attracts students from all over the district and from different family and cultural backgrounds. I enjoy seeing people from diverse backgrounds work together towards a common goal of creating a great performance or improving on an instrument.” It is this passion and dedication that resonates with the KTBA mission for our grant recipients.  “I love seeing our students’ outlook on their future change in a positive direction because of music. We are a Title 1 school, so many of our students need assistance with instruments, uniforms, and even essentials like backpacks or a good breakfast in the morning. However, once they get an instrument in their hands, they are all on equal footing. Our students start on an instrument for the first time in 6th grade, and we continue to push their development through 7th and 8th grade. Studying music has a huge impact on my students and their whole family,” Mr. Thomas explains. “Music provides a lot more to young learners than entertainment. It teaches discipline, self confidence, problem solving, collaboration, and gives them an emotional outlet stronger than any words. Students at the middle school need all of the above in vast quantity. Teaching music to young band musicians is rewarding because it can fill in whatever is missing from each student’s life, whether they knew they needed it or not.” Selecting music for a group of young musicians is an exercise in differentiation-each piece has to fit the strengths of that year’s group, but also provide an achievable challenge.  “Having a strong music library gives us the options to tailor each year’s curriculum to that group of students and they’re needs. Not just for the year, but within a six weeks. Imagine if you had text books that could change through the year to fit the students. That’s what a band director does by selecting music for their group. The bigger the options in your library, the better experience for everyone. We were looking for funds to help expand our music library and add to it. Individual scores and sheet music are not expensive, but having enough to outfit multiple level groups adds up quickly.” With music budgets being cut around the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the expense of expanding repertoire for the band program.  Even if teachers could afford a classroom copy of the music, many cannot afford the paper to re-print the music for an entire band program.  As a result of the lack of variety, students become bored with the drills and proficiency lessons. In their defense, the goal of proficiency is to execute it in literature – literature that is expensive and hard to come by, especially for Title I schools with little or no music budget. Thanks to the generosity of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like yourselves, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to procure the music needed for Mr. Thomas’s band program. Now, he can focus on delegating parts and even using them as audition material for future band students. 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! Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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January 15, 2020

KTBA Donates Mini-Keyboards to Eager Elementary Students

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive donated ten (10) brand new Casio SA-77 mini keyboards to the elementary music students at Rolling Hills Elementary School! “We believe that all students, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status, deserve equitable access to the highest quality arts education taught by best-in-field certified arts teachers.” –Orange County Public Schools Visual & Performing Arts Educators  As a Title I school, most of the students enrolled at Rolling Hills Elementary come from low income households. While they await the unveiling of their new school building for the 2020-2021 school year, administration has made their temporary location into an inviting place of learning for the children. This does, however, come with its setbacks. “As a music teacher, I work with all students, kindergarten through fifth grade,which is great being that I get the chance to teach every class at our school,” says Mr. Crescenzi.  “Some of our students do not have the best home lives or the same luxuries that so many others do have,” he explains. “Our students show so much potential each day and are every bit deserving of these same opportunities that so many other young students have.” Though many Rolling Hills Elementary students are not in the financial position to be able to pay for  music lessons, they show great interest in learning to read music and play instruments. “Our students are very artistic, bright, and talented, and would thrive with more equipment and resources at hand,” Crescenzi says. “My students have a great interest in learning the piano. Each and every class, students ask me if they can play on the classroom piano. I have to say no, because we simply cannot all share one instrument. Our supply of musical instruments is rather small. In order to meet the needs of my students, I need[ed] to provide them with appropriate equipment.” As Mr. Crescenzi’s project and mission aligned with our own, we decided that this project would be a great symbol of the impact our donations can have on the under-priveleged students in Orlando.  Thanks to the generosity of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive was able to fund these ten (10) keyboards for Mr. Crescenzi’s classroom and inspire them to explore keyboard techniques and music theory! “With this supply of keyboards, our class can begin learning piano technique and have a concrete visual to help understand music theory. As many of our students are not in the financial situation to afford private lessons, this may be the only opportunity they have to learn music.” Mr. Crescenzi expresses his gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Thank you so much for your donation. Our students will be incredibly grateful. I cannot wait to share the news with them. They will be thrilled. My students ask me every day to play the piano and I have to tell them that we do not have enough for the class. Finally, I can say yes! Thank you again. With gratitude, Mr. Crescenzi It is the year 2020 and Keeping the Blues Alive is steadily making progress towards our goal of changing the music education landscape and reaching 100,000 students. With this project we have reached 68% of that goal! We are 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. Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation! Cheers to 2020 and beyond!

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January 8, 2020

KTBA Donates Saxophone to Elementary Music Program

RISING SUN, IN – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated a brand new Student Model Prelude by Conn-Slemer Alto Saxophone to the music program at Switzerland County Elementary School! “Our school is the larger of the two elementary schools in our district with an average of about 485-500 students,” Ms. Gasser says. Ms. Rachael Gasser teaches music at SCES.   “Our 5th and 6th-grade bands have more than doubled the past three years with up to 63 members strong. We are a struggling and low socioeconomic status school and community with 59% of our students eligible for free or reduced lunch,” she says.  “A majority of our students and families are not able to rent a band instrument from a music store and therefore rely on playing school-owned instruments.” Due to the increasing student numbers, the instrument inventory at Switzerland County Elementary is in desperate need of more instruments of higher quality and durability. “Our band students perform twice a year for our community as well as on a monthly basis for our school in our Character Counts parades. My students are still excited about band and need more instruments and supplies.” Ms. Gasser tells us more about their needs. “This saxophone will be used by a variety of students in financial need for many years at our school. With such an increase in student numbers, we need your help to increase our school instruments. With 59% of our school on free and reduced lunch, our average family can not afford to rent or buy a band instrument from a music store. Therefore, we provide school-owned instruments for those students. Every saxophone in our entire district has been played by various students in financial need for the past three years and we need more. I will never turn away a student from band because they can not afford to rent or buy an instrument. It is my educational responsibility to offer and provide quality band instruction to all students no matter their financial situation. Please help us increase our instrument inventory with quality instruments for our beginning band students.” Thanks to the generosity of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive purchased this saxophone for Ms. Gasser’s classroom. Ms. Gasser expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., Your generosity is astounding and I am so excited to share this amazing news and new instrument with my students! Our band program will benefit so much for years and years to come from this quality saxophone. Thank you for helping keep music education alive and well in our school and community. With gratitude, Ms. Gasser Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation is a 501c3 organization based in Deerfield Beach, FL. We fund music educational projects and scholarships in schools all across the country.  To date, we have supplied over 450 schools with new music instruments, supplies, sheet music and more! If you wish to be a part of the next project, please consider making a donation by clicking here!  As always, thank you for your support of music education and preserving blues music as a true American artform!

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January 7, 2020

KTBA Donates Yamaha Guitars to Elementary School

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive has successfully donated ten, half-size, Yamaha Classical Guitars to the music students at McCollum Elementary School! “When I started playing my guitar in the school hallway before the first bell, several students started gathering around me with a clear interest in music,” Mr. Duran explains. Mr. Duran manages a Guitar Club at McCollum Elementary. “My school is a wonderful school in a small community and the district hub for intensive special programs but it currently lacks opportunities for students to deepen their interest in learning to read music or to play an instrument,” he says. “Some of my students have autism, complex family situations, low economical backgrounds, and one of them is a cancer survivor. They are all full of creativity and an eagerness to learn. I am willing to dedicate my time to teach them by creating a Guitar Club at my school but because of their various needs not all of them can afford to bring their own instrument. Some of my students have older guitars with missing strings.  These guitars will be available during Guitar Club and during my preparation times for students to practice their lessons during the week. Music helps with brain processing, problem solving, communication, mathematical and logical concepts and public speaking. Learning music is fun and is a hobby to keep my at-risk students engaged. It can even become a career for them. Also, it will help my autistic and ADHD students increase attention as has been proven by multiple studies. In the case of my cancer survivor student, it has been shown that when used in conjunction with conventional treatments, music therapy has been found to help reduce pain and discomfort; improve mood and diminish stress; increase quality of life; and allow patients to better communicate their fears, sadness or other feelings.” Thanks to the support of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like YOU, we were able to fund Mr. Duran’s project.  Mr. Duran expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., We appreciate the generous donation and will be using these instruments for years to come. Your donation will help encourage these young and eager minds to succeed and to grow. The Guitar club is always growing and now that we have good instruments our success is almost guaranteed! We thank you. With gratitude, Mr. Duran 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 donations help us 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! As a result, KTBA has reached over 68,000 students across America by sponsoring over 450 various music projects ranging from purchasing new instruments, field trips, guest clinicians, purchasing supplies, and updating music libraries! 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. Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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December 12, 2019

KTBA Donates Eight New Guitars to Sebastopol Center

SEBASTOPOL, MS – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated a set of eight (8) brand new Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars to the students at Sebastopol Attendance Center in Sebastopol, Mississippi! Ms. Girling, band director at Sebstopol Attendance Center says that her project, specifically benefits students in her General Music classes. “In this class, they learn about music history, how to think critically about music, and even how to create music themselves,” Ms. Girling describes.  “This course is known for playing guitars the last several years. Unfortunately, we no longer have enough guitars for our class size, so several students get half as much instruction because they share [instruments]. Surprisingly, these kids have not chosen to make music as part of their extra-curriculars, but they find themselves really enjoying the experience once they are immersed in it! It’s amazing to see students from all different activities, friends groups, ages, and levels of confidence learn a new skill together. We learn how to play guitars as a class so the students know what it’s like to really make music.” Ms. Girling runs her class like a music appreciation course. “As a music educator, I think the best way to appreciate music/musicians is to put yourself in their shoes,” she adds. “ These students spend the first part of the year learning how to read rhythms and notes on a staff, which also improves math and reading skills. We then spend time doing bucket drumming (our maintenance staff saves buckets from waxing the floors) so they can learn how to play together as an ensemble. Once we get to guitars, they are so excited!” However, the classroom is short of enough guitars to allow the students some individual learning time. The largest class holds 21 students. “These students get half as much practice and classroom instruction because they must share with another student,” she explains. “These guitars would give everyone a chance to learn equally, and improve classroom management for me.” Thanks to Joe Bonamassa fans and music-lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation was able to cover the cost of the new guitars for their classroom and will be delivered by next week! Ms. Girling expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., I am so elated to know that people share an interest in the importance of music education for everyone. This was the best Christmas gift my program could have received. Thank you so much for your generosity. I am overwhelmed, and my students will be beyond ecstatic. This donation will continue to help students at this school for years to come. Thank you for keeping the music alive! With gratitude, Ms. Girling 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 donations help us 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! As a result, KTBA has reached over 68,000 students across America by sponsoring over 450 various music projects ranging from purchasing new instruments, field trips, guest clinicians, purchasing supplies, and updating music libraries! 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. Thank you for supporting music education for the next generation!

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December 4, 2019

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Our mission is to conserve the art of music in schools by funding projects, scholarships, and grants that preserve music education for the next generation. Every week, we donate to a school in need of instruments, sheet music, supplies and more in the effort to uphold the rich culture and history of the Blues as a true American art form.

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