KTBA Weekly Donation Archives - Page 13 of 17

KTBA Weekly Donation

Donation of the Week

Feel The Beat! alexandria, va – Thanks to your donations this week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation was able to donate a new set of hand drums to Samuel W Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria, VA! Samuel W Tucker Elementary boasts an incredibly diverse student body, with the majority of them being of african american or hispanic race. The school, having just opened in September of 2000, has many advantages to running a music program including high attendance rates, high graduation rates, and the camaraderie associated with supporting local community events. Mr. Todd Patrick, the newly hired vocal music director at Tucker Elementary was very eager to take on the challenge. Primarily a 3rd grade teacher, he posted some of his projects via DonorsChoose.org to help round out the instrumentation of his ensembles. One of them, required a set of hand drums for the students. Other outside projects allowed him to acquire Orff Instruments for his class, totaling almost $2,000! Mr. Patrick explains, “These hand drums will complete our classroom set of hand drums. I will have 26 hand drums, so that every student can have one when we’re keeping the steady beat and playing rhythms. Hand drums are an integral part of the K-2 curriculum, and they’re a lot of fun in instrument ensembles for 3-5. These hand drums will be used on a daily basis for decades!” Hand drums are very integral in music instruction because since pitch recognition is not necessary, students build a solid and rhythmic foundation for their music education at a young age. With a classroom set of drums, each student is able to participate without needing to share a drum, therefore providing more hands-on time with the lesson. Over the years, music classes have proven to be an intellectual and social advantage to students’ learning abilities. By understanding rhythmic patterns, students are able to spark a learning curve for music concepts as well as the ability to apply these lessons to other core subjects. Thanks to the funding we received last week, Keeping The Blues Alive was able to fund Mr. Patrick’s hand drums! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for your donation!! This project will complete my classroom set of drums…which are vital for K-2 students to learn to keep a steady beat and to play simple ostinati (repeated patterns). My students will love playing these once the new school year gets underway in August.I really can’t thank you enough for this generous donation. I started this past year with 2 hand drums. Now, thanks to donors like you, I will begin the new year with a classroom set of 25! Enough for every class, K-5 to play! I thank you and my current and future students thank you…we will get years of use out of these drums! With gratitude – Mr. Patrick! To date, we have funded over 14,500 students with music instruments, supplies and instruction. We have funded projects in 49/50 states and sponsored scholarships for college students. If you are a music advocate and wish to help us fund more projects like this, make a donation by clicking here! As always, our mission is to offset the loss of music education programs by funding music projects and scholarships every week. To read more of our success stories, visit keepingthebluesalive.org/donation-stories! Rock on. Like us on Facebook!

June 26, 2014

Feel The Beat! Donation of the Week

June 26, 2014

Donation of the Week

Barlett, IL – Thanks to your donations this week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation made a great donation to an elementary classroom. “Only the best is good enough for a child.” – Zoltan Kodaly. This quote is appropriately displayed in Mrs. Kutschke’s classroom, because in her class, the students come first. As a general music and chorus teacher, Mrs. Kutschke has her hands full. “One of my schools has a very large ESL population and half of the students receive free or reduced price breakfast and lunch. Because of the expanding Dual Language program, music class is now held in the teachers’ lounge. Even in the smaller space, the students are very eager to learn, sing, read and write music, do folk dancing, practice drumming, and play Orff instruments,” she explains. Keeping the students actively engaged is a task, but with her new IPEVO whiteboard system, she will be able to improve her lesson quality and engage with students on a more intimate level. “Having used an interactive whiteboard in a previous school, I have seen how these boards can engage students, making the learning more exciting and effective. Given that many of my students are still learning English, this visual tool will help them immensely. The iPevo Interactive Whiteboard system is portable, so my students at both schools can benefit from it.” Using the whiteboard, students will be able to see larger visual aids for composing music and partake in interactive classroom games and activities. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, I cannot thank you enough for your generous donation. I am grateful, joyful, and eager to begin planning for instruction with the iPevo system. With your donation, my classroom can become even more student-centered. My students will be very excited to use this gift every week in Music class.With the iPevo system, my students in both schools will be able to have more engaging lessons. ELL students will have the visuals they need, and all students will benefit from the interactivity we will have in our music literacy and exploration activities.I can’t wait to share the iPevo system with my students in the fall. I know that they will be eager to join me in thanking you, and to share with you pictures of us using our new tool in the classroom!With gratitude, Mrs. Kutschke To fund next week’s music project click here!

June 20, 2014

Donation of the Week

omaha, ne – This week, we celebrate another accomplishment for the nonprofit by informing our readers about another double donation to a pair of young music programs! The first school, located in Omaha, Nebraska was in desperate need for a new guitar and classroom accessories. According to Mrs. Lawrence, Bryan Elementary School is embracing music in the curriculum; Students enjoy sixty (60) minutes of music instruction each week. However, she is unable to afford music instruments with her current budget. This classroom guitar project will allow Mrs. Lawrence the opportunity to teach a history of the guitar, and teach them chords to accompany their peers in signing exercises. The accompanying book of Children’s Folk Songs will be a great addition to her curriculum. Pulling from the donations brought in this week, KTBA and its donors made her wish come true. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, I would like to take a moment and thank you for funding my project. My students are going to be so very excited about the new guitar! We are going to have a wonderful time learning by singing with and playing our new instrument.There are so many incredible benefits of learning music at a young age. I believe it is vital for every child to have a solid music education during their elementary school years. Your donation helps make this possible for my students. Thanks again! With gratitude, Mrs. Lawrence minneapolis, mn – This cymbals project, submitted by Ms. Winslow at Adelante College Preparatory in Minneapolis, was a plea for crash cymbals for their new in-school band. Recently hired to create and oversee the school’s new band program, her mission was to ensure a high quality music education curriculum for her students. Now in 6th grade, they are ready for more challenging material and especially music with varied instrumentation. This will help prepare them for auditions at the high school level – but it starts with having the instruments to practice on in the first place! Minnesota, unfortunately is known for having one of the worst achievement gaps in the country. Approximately 95% of academy students qualify for free or reduced lunch – of which, 99% of students are African American or Hispanic. Despite these numbers, Adelante boasts a 100% success rate as their public charter students are on paths to college, and KTBA wanted to be a part of their equation. Although a small request, percussion instruments were scarce at Adelante, even after a few successful instrument drives for the band program. Without percussion instruments, students missed out on specific repertoire that would enhance the overall band experience. Cymbals have a very unique timbre when incorporated with the ensemble sound of a symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, or even a rock band. It is often used at impact points, accented passages and even swells to add ambience to the overall soundscape. Having performed in many different kinds of collegiate and professional ensembles, we understand how expensive percussion equipment can be and we wanted to make sure this wasn’t the only reason stopping Ms. Winslow from preparing her students for new repertoire in the upcoming season. Thanks to your donations, we could afford the equipment for her to bring new instruments to her music classroom and fueling the students’ passion for live performance. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for generously funding this project! It was such a welcome surprise, as we wrap up this school year and prepare for next year’s band program.We’re aiming to provide a robust, high-quality band program for our students, by providing all instruments and equipment. Having quality instruments in our percussion section will allow our students to feel valued, have pride in the equipment they use, and have an authentic band experience.Thank you so much for your contribution to our endeavors!With gratitude, Ms. Winslow This weekly donation process is our consistent way of giving to music education programs across America! If you would like to donate to the next project, click here!

June 13, 2014

Donation of the Week

KTBA Goes 2-0 in Donations This Week atlanta, ga – Thanks to your donations this week, two schools were able to receive supplies and music for their music programs! Mrs. Brooks, the music teacher at Charles R Drew Charter School in Atlanta, GA, sought to expose her students to the art of jazz. Following jazz month would be tough however, without the appropriate charts to read! Alfred Publishing, one of the country’s most trusted and leading music publishers, offers a variety of learning tools and supplements for music programs! A family owned and operated publisher, Alfred has been producing charts since the 1920’s when songwriting and publishing was booming throughout New York City. The students of Charles Drew are extremely excited and eager to approach the genre with dedication and determination. Brooks explains her intentions of the program: Next year, I am looking forward to expanding our band program to include a jazz ensemble, increasing the need for jazz repertoire. Jazz band members have been selected, performances have been scheduled but, unfortunately, our current music library does not contain any music for our newly formed ensemble to perform. Students will be able to use the jazz band music both at home and in rehearsal. In addition to preparing the music for performances, students will be expected to complete jazz theory assignments at home so that rehearsals can focus on the application of their theory knowledge in an ensemble. This project will allow me to expose my students to a new culture of music that is rich in history. Jazz encompasses everything from late 19th century ragtime to modern fusion, giving my students the opportunity to learn, practice and study a variety of styles. Thanks to the support of our donors, Mrs. Brooks will receive the sheet music she needs to start a jazz ensemble! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, WOW!!! My kids and I are astounded by the overwhelming amount of support we have received for this project. It is a wonderful feeling to know that there are so many people who are willing to advocate for young musicians.As a music educator, of course I am a huge advocate for music in our schools as well. Now, thanks to your generous support, this project will allow me to continue to instill knowledge and an appreciation, not only for music, but for history and culture. Your gratitude is greatly appreciated and will always be remembered. With gratitude, Mrs. Brooks new york city, ny – With the leftover donations, we contributed to another fundraiser, but this time, we took to a studio school in New York City that was once displaced by Hurricane Sandy! Mr. Heimbauer explains: “My students live in a high poverty section of Rockaway, NY that was completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Our school was flooded and we were displaced for a month. The community is still getting back on its feet after losing dozens of homes and businesses to fire, and countless others to flood damage. Students also lost the boardwalk and beachside parks that they once would play at.” “My diverse group of kids have jumped at the opportunity to express themselves through music! We have since written original songs about what happened and songwriting has become a focus in my program as a result. We have performed these songs at re-opening ceremonies and concerts hosted by other schools! The young children in my program are creative, talented, they have learned to work well with others, and they are eager to learn new things. They truly look forward to coming into my classroom to explore musical possibilities, and you can see their enthusiasm in our performance videos at youtube.com/user/watersidestudiomusic.” With the remaining donation money, Mr. Heimbauer received two (2) combo amps a guitar strap and new strings! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, We did it! Your generous spirits are directly responsible for bringing our music program to the NEXT LEVEL!Our kids will now be able to rock out like professionals, having two amplifiers that can bring the volume to a real performance, and the locking strap will make sure no accidents happen with our cherished instruments! They are going to be so excited and I cannot wait to begin putting together our thank you package! Your kindness is inspiring to myself and the children of my school community. You are setting such a great example for fostering the quality of generosity and compassion, in the hearts of my students. With gratitude, Mr. Heimbauer To make a donation to our next music project click here! Thank you for your support of music education!

June 6, 2014

KTBA Goes 2-0 Donation of the Week

KTBA Goes 2-0 in Donations This Week atlanta, ga – Thanks to your donations this week, two schools were able to receive supplies and music for their music programs! Mrs. Brooks, the music teacher at Charles R Drew Charter School in Atlanta, GA, sought to expose her students to the art of jazz. Following jazz month would be tough however, without the appropriate charts to read! Alfred Publishing, one of the country’s most trusted and leading music publishers, offers a variety of learning tools and supplements for music programs! A family owned and operated publisher, Alfred has been producing charts since the 1920’s when songwriting and publishing was booming throughout New York City. The students of Charles Drew are extremely excited and eager to approach the genre with dedication and determination. Brooks explains her intentions of the program: Next year, I am looking forward to expanding our band program to include a jazz ensemble, increasing the need for jazz repertoire. Jazz band members have been selected, performances have been scheduled but, unfortunately, our current music library does not contain any music for our newly formed ensemble to perform. Students will be able to use the jazz band music both at home and in rehearsal. In addition to preparing the music for performances, students will be expected to complete jazz theory assignments at home so that rehearsals can focus on the application of their theory knowledge in an ensemble. This project will allow me to expose my students to a new culture of music that is rich in history. Jazz encompasses everything from late 19th century ragtime to modern fusion, giving my students the opportunity to learn, practice and study a variety of styles. Thanks to the support of our donors, Mrs. Brooks will receive the sheet music she needs to start a jazz ensemble! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, WOW!!! My kids and I are astounded by the overwhelming amount of support we have received for this project. It is a wonderful feeling to know that there are so many people who are willing to advocate for young musicians.As a music educator, of course I am a huge advocate for music in our schools as well. Now, thanks to your generous support, this project will allow me to continue to instill knowledge and an appreciation, not only for music, but for history and culture. Your gratitude is greatly appreciated and will always be remembered.With gratitude, Mrs. Brooks new york city, ny – With the leftover donations, we contributed to another fundraiser, but this time, we took to a studio school in New York City that was once displaced by Hurricane Sandy! Mr. Heimbauer explains: “My students live in a high poverty section of Rockaway, NY that was completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Our school was flooded and we were displaced for a month. The community is still getting back on its feet after losing dozens of homes and businesses to fire, and countless others to flood damage. Students also lost the boardwalk and beachside parks that they once would play at.” “My diverse group of kids have jumped at the opportunity to express themselves through music! We have since written original songs about what happened and songwriting has become a focus in my program as a result. We have performed these songs at re-opening ceremonies and concerts hosted by other schools! The young children in my program are creative, talented, they have learned to work well with others, and they are eager to learn new things. They truly look forward to coming into my classroom to explore musical possibilities, and you can see their enthusiasm in our performance videos at youtube.com/user/watersidestudiomusic.” With the remaining donation money, Mr. Heimbauer received two (2) combo amps a guitar strap and new strings! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, We did it! Your generous spirits are directly responsible for bringing our music program to the NEXT LEVEL!Our kids will now be able to rock out like professionals, having two amplifiers that can bring the volume to a real performance, and the locking strap will make sure no accidents happen with our cherished instruments!They are going to be so excited and I cannot wait to begin putting together our thank you package!Your kindness is inspiring to myself and the children of my school community. You are setting such a great example for fostering the quality of generosity and compassion, in the hearts of my students. With gratitude, Mr. Heimbauer To make a donation to our next music project click here! Thank you for your support of music education!

June 6, 2014

Donation of the Week

Elementary School Receives Percussion Instruments bismarck, nd – Thank to your donations this week, elementary students at Jeannette Myhre in Bismarck, North Dakota will be enjoying new percussive instruments! According Mrs. W, the school music teacher, all students in her K-5 music classes will have the opportunity to benefit from the music lessons associated with the rhythm sticks. These lessons not only reinforce music theory and rhythm, but they also build teamwork amongst peers. Students can be individually responsible for rhythm patterns or they can be a part of the color group that coordinates with a different pattern. A majority of the students come from poverty-stricken areas of North Dakota – they are sometimes untrusting of others and we know that music and the activities associated with this project will allow the students to not only grow as young musicians, but will also build social skills which will help them in life as they grow older. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for fully funding “Click Clack Rhythmz.” It was a wonderful surprise to find out today! I am very excited to add these instruments to our music room next year. I know all of my students will love using the rhythm sticks and the glockenspiel. We will use them not only during class, but also for [assembly] programs.Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support music in our schools all across the country!With gratitude, Mrs. W. Every week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation funds a music project somewhere within the U.S. To date, we have impacted over 12,000 students and 49 out of 50 states! To help us fund next week’s music project in support of music education, click here to make a small donation!

May 30, 2014

Elementary School Receives Percussion Instruments

Elementary School Receives Percussion Instruments bismarck, nd – Thank to your donations this week, elementary students at Jeannette Myhre in Bismarck, North Dakota will be enjoying new percussive instruments! According Mrs. W, the school music teacher, all students in her K-5 music classes will have the opportunity to benefit from the music lessons associated with the rhythm sticks. These lessons not only reinforce music theory and rhythm, but they also build teamwork amongst peers. Students can be individually responsible for rhythm patterns or they can be a part of the color group that coordinates with a different pattern. A majority of the students come from poverty-stricken areas of North Dakota – they are sometimes untrusting of others and we know that music and the activities associated with this project will allow the students to not only grow as young musicians, but will also build social skills which will help them in life as they grow older. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for fully funding “Click Clack Rhythmz.” It was a wonderful surprise to find out today! I am very excited to add these instruments to our music room next year. I know all of my students will love using the rhythm sticks and the glockenspiel. We will use them not only during class, but also for [assembly] programs.Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support music in our schools all across the country! With gratitude, Mrs. W. Every week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation funds a music project somewhere within the U.S. To date, we have impacted over 12,000 students and 49 out of 50 states!

May 30, 2014

Donation of the Week

KTBA Donates Reeds to High School Woodwinds thomson, ga – Just two hours east of Atlanta, GA in McDuffie County is Thomson High School – over 1,200 students making up the largest and only high school in the McDuffie County School District. Despite the school’s innate mission which is “to learn, to teach and to serve”, budget cuts have rendered the music program helpless as they prepare for spring concerts, summer band camps and most importantly, the next semester of classes. As a result of the high demand for Ms. Hill’s music courses at Thomson High School, the band program makes up more than one quarter of the student population. Much like drum heads or drum sticks, and other materials that are only good for a number of consecutive uses, reeds can prove to be a costly expense when you’re running a band program this big. Most public schools are not permitted to charge students for “excess” materials however, reeds and sticks etc are not “excess” materials. You cannot play the instrument at all! As funding got tight for Ms. Hill, she reached out to get some help so that her students can continue practicing their instruments not just at school during class hours, but also before and after school, at home, and especially at special events. Thanks to your donations, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation was able to purchase reeds, cleaning swabs, and ligatures for the band program, which was thrilling for Ms. Hill and her students! Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Our band program is the largest student organization in the school system. In our program we have many different types of ensembles; one of our most popular ensembles is the jazz band. Our jazz band performs all over the community and at the other schools in the county for various events. These events range from Relay for Life, school pep rallies, and major community events and luncheons. The students in jazz band love performing and playing their instruments. They are among the best and brightest in our school and as their teachers we could not be more proud of their success.Because of the additional practicing and performing and the demographics of our school the students and their families struggle to provide all of the materials necessary to succeed in their classes. As a Title I school we are not given federal funding for fine arts.With your donation we will be able to give these materials to our jazz band and regular band students to use in class and for performances. We are truly grateful and blessed to have this donation for our students. Thank you so much for this donation and for helping our students. Your contribution will help them in so many ways and we can’t express our gratitude for your generosity. With gratitude, Ms. Hill We appreciate everyone who made a donation and hope that others decide to chip in for next week’s project! They are coming in more and more frequently, and we hope to be able to help them all in some way! Thank you for your continued support of our mission to keep music education in schools! We couldn’t do this without you! To make a donation to the next project, click here! To purchase tickets for our benefit concert at Red Rocks Ampitheatre on August 31, 2014, click here! $5 from each ticket is donated to Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation! To learn about Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea (Miami | Key West | Bahamas) click here!

May 23, 2014