KTBA Weekly Donation Archives - Page 14 of 17

KTBA Weekly Donation

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

Donation of the Week

KTBA Donates Fresh Books! st louis, mo – What a fantastic week for Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation! With everyone purchasing Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea cabins and purchasing tickets for the big show at Red Rocks, we have been quite busy! Click here to purchase tickets for KTBA Presents Joe Bonamassa Live! at Red Rocks Ampitheatre: a Tribute to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf! Along the way, we were able to make a really great donation to the Shaw Visual & Performing Arts School (SVPAS) in St. Louis! According to Mrs. Kramkowski, SVPAS is the only elementary school in their school district to offer band AND string orchestra. Their students do receive school instruments to use, however, they are in desperate need of supplement materials and new books. The books they use currently are raggedy, hand-me-down books that relay outdated information. After a little research, Mrs. Kramkowski decided to put together an offer for the Sound Innovations program from Alfred. The Sound Innovations program is an innovative program that not only helps students grasp music concepts through extensive visual methods, but also contains tools for parents to be able to assist them with their homework as well. No more excuses for parents to say “I never studied this, so I have no idea how to help them.” As the teachers prepare for summer, you – the donors – and Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation have given a new lease on music education for a proud music program of 75 students in Missouri. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, I was soo excited to get the news today that the project was complete funded. It made my rough day so much better. I am so glad we will be able to start the school year out with a new book and new curriculum. The students will be so excited! Now I have something to do over summer break (as if I didn’t already have enought). Plan with our new books for the 2014-2015 school year! It will be so nice have fresh books that don’t need to be erased over the summer and taped. Thank you again! With gratitude, Mrs. Kramkowski Even as teachers prepare for summer break and fall lesson plans, we are constantly finding ways to promote music education in school curricula. Thank you for your help in keeping music education in schools! We would not be able to do this without you!

May 8, 2014

Donation of the Week

Giving The Gift of Music neptune, nj – Thanks to your donations this week, 125 elementary school music students will be able to play a full concert of music using new instruments purchased by previous campaigns. The sheet music the students will receive from this week’s campaign will stretch their musical abilities, and challenge them to keep practicing! Mr. Palmer, the school’s band director, expressed that his 3rd through 5th grade students live in a high poverty area of New Jersey. Over the past few years, he has been steadily acquiring new instruments for these students through Donors Choose.org. Another advantage to this new music is the fact that it will last for future graduating classes as well. Not only will this year’s students benefit from the lessons and techniques learned through the music and instruction but they will pass it on to the next year’s students and so on. The majority of the music is a Grade 1 or 1.5 level of skill. There are six (6) levels which vary by the publisher. There are a handful of music publishers that own a majority of band music, so although there will be slight discrepancies amongst grade levels, it is hardly enough to worry about. Grade one is considered the Beginner level which is primarily reserved for first and second year players. This level is ideal for Mr. Palmer’s students and we felt that his attainable goals for the students will serve them all amicably. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for your donation to my school band program. What would the band do with out music. I guess we would just keep time. The music the we will receive thanks to you will be put into our music library. The students will get a chance to learn how to play these songs. These songs will be used for years to come. This gift will benefit countless students over the years.The band and school community is very excited that you have helped us get new music. Thank you so much!!!! With gratitude, Mr. Palmer We funded this project because we understand how important it is for these students to have the materials they need to succeed in the music classroom. With budget cuts being such a dismal reality for many schools from year to year, we wanted to provide the best learning opportunity for the students at Midtown Community Elementary School. Thank you to everyone who participated! If you would like to help us fund next week’s project, click here to make a donation!

May 1, 2014

Mics and Lights

albuquerque, nm – Here it is, folks! What a great week we had at the KTBA office! Do you remember your first play? For us, we have memories of seeing Annie, The King and I, Rent, Avenue Q… our memories fade away after that! However, in the final week of intense rehearsals, the drama students at South Valley Academy in Albuquerque received some AWESOME equipment for their play. New microphones and lighting equipment should arrive early April, and we couldn’t be more excited for them. This is all because of the donations we received this past week, and to those donors we say THANK YOU! As we all know too well, arts and music programs are constantly on the chopping block when it comes to extracurricular activities. The problem with that fact, is that music and arts are not “extra-curricular.” They should be a part of the core curriculum so that students learn how to express their ideas and communicate them in a collaborative and expressive environment! The end result is a student who not only has the ability to execute their ideas, but can think critically and creatively about ways to do it – how to innovate new products or strategies and think outside the box! The majority of the students at South Valley Academy are from immigrant families who are beginning to learn English and have never been exposed to so much art and music! This drama class allows these students to be able to grow as individuals as well as a group setting, while performing and doing something they are passionate about. It’s just a straight up socio-educational hat-trick! Now that the chorus will have lapel mics, they can move freely on stage, which dramatically increases the quality of the performance as a whole. (We’ve all been to concerts and you can’t even hear the lead singer. The singer is so tired of NOT hearing themselves they figure ‘Why even try?’) This is also where the lighting comes into play. These kids will be so proud and excited for their show, it will boost their confidence, and continue to bring in new kids who may want to be a part of their program next year. Folks, this is another one of the small ways that we have used our resources, together, to put smiles on kids’ faces; to encourage music and arts teachers to keep working for the best interest of our children; to encourage students to participate in constructive activities besides running the streets, carrying on with peers who don’t share their ambition – hanging around with “nothing to do,” getting “creative” with controlled substances with nothing but a foolish idea and a couple kids to encourage them. We’ve got more and more unique projects to fund this year, so please make a donation and help us keep it going! We have a benefit concert planned for August 31 (uh oh!), a new website under construction (gotta step it up), new scholarships in the works, and a TON more projects to fund! Be a part of this legacy! Let’s make it happen – No donation is too small! Click here to donate! Thank you for your continued support!

March 28, 2014

Forward March! KTBA Puts Pep-in-their-Step

eastpointe, mi – Thanks to your donations this week, Keeping The Blues Alive, together with AT&T Aspire, donated new drum heads to the drumline at East Detroit High School! The school’s band director, Mr. Chouinard explains: “My school contains a lot of students that are a part of low income families and or are considered at risk due to their emotional or physical well-being. Most of the students I teach are genuinely nice kids that are driven to be successful, but have had their fair share of neglect. Most of the equipment in our school is falling apart or is damaged beyond repair, but our funding is too small to keep up with the need. My students know that we don’t have a lot of financial support, so they are used to treating what we have with respect to prevent further damage. My students hope to see the program return to its former glory days of being a nationally recognized program, but find it hard to be motivated at times when having to use damaged equipment.” Mr. Chouinard really wants to expand the drumline, as last season they only had five students involved. Thomas Bertrand knows this all too well. He managed Educators and knows just how important music is. Speaking, Thomas said, “We know how beneficial marching band programs can be! They teach students about hard work, persistence, discipline, and regiment. In addition, playing music is fun in general! If you aren’t having fun, then what’s the point?” “With more snares available, we will be able to provide an opportunity for more students to learn how to play snare drum in the marching band setting, with a strong focus on rudimentary studies, while growing our numbers for future years. We only had two students using snares last year in part due to not having enough functioning equipment to go around.” Looking at the bottom line, we had to do it, folks. Doesn’t it sound like they could use a hand? Do they need a $500,000 budget to save their program? No. They need drum heads. So we made it happen – TOGETHER! “Thank you for your support and contribution to this project. Thanks to your donation, you have allowed our program to reach more students through music and provide more opportunity for our students to play. It feels good to know that others share in our vision to bring music education to as many students as possible. We now are another step closer to our goal of providing a quality education for our students in order to help create a brighter future for new generations of students. We look forward to having a a wonderful marching band season this fall of which you have helped make possible.” With gratitude, Mr. Chouinard This is just one example of how your small donations make a big difference in the lives of many kids out there looking to music for guidance. Your small donations go far, and we make sure of it. If you would like to help us fund next week’s project, click here! We promise it’ll be a good one 😉 Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that seeks to offset the loss of music education programs due to budget cuts for arts and music. We fund school programs and individual scholarships. We are working on a pretty super awesome form for you to be able to send us your projects, too! Stay tuned. Grateful for your support, SH Click Here to Donate 🙂

March 21, 2014

KTBA in the Sunshine State!

pembroke pines, fl – With spring right around the corner, one school in sunny South Florida will be excited to start on their new music project, thanks to the donations given this past week! Mrs. O’Sullivan, a fifth grade teacher at Pines Lakes Elementary School, had devised a music project concept that would incorporate arts, music, AND literature in order to give her students a well-rounded education. We were so impressed by the integration of the core subjects, we knew this would be the perfect opportunity to help her out. As advocates of S.T.E.M. to S.T.E.A.M. initiatives, this project really jumped out to us. “We will be exposed to some fresh new reading books and supplies that will be fun to use while learning some important things about our American History, which includes some neat art and music. I love it when my students are excited about learning and having fun showing what they know.” These were the five (5) components of the project: Listening to music while viewing folktale art Understanding “quilt art” and music Designing their own “canjos” – banjos made from a recycled food cans Reading literature Utilizing new classroom arts supplies to personalize their instruments Mrs. O’Sullivan explains, “We are in a low socio-economical school where students need stories, music, and movement to inspire them to be creative. I know that when my students receive a shipment of supplies to our classroom they are going to jump for joy and be motivated to do the best they can. The reading books, notebooks, and markers are a good way to get my students excited about our project. We will be exposed to some fresh new reading books and supplies that will be fun to use while learning some important things about our American History, which includes some neat art and music. I love it when my students are excited about learning and having fun showing what they know.” After successfully funding the project, Mrs. O’Sullivan had a few more words to share :)dd – The reading books, notebooks, and markers are a good way to get my students excited about our project. We will be exposed to some fresh new reading books and supplies that will be fun to use while learning some important things about our American History, which includes some neat art and music. I love it when my students are excited about learning and having fun showing what they know.” To help us fund more projects like these, please make a small donation today! Just click here 🙂

March 14, 2014

Research Students Receive Headphones

college park, ga – Thanks to your donations this past week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation made a donation to Benjamin E Banneker High School in the form of headphones! Mr. Joe Buffington, ran a tight ship when it came to his standards-based classroom. From the time the students stepped into the learning environment, they were totally engaged in his regiment. After completing a daily assignment, students were directed into both individual and group workstations. All they needed was a classroom set of headphones so they could concentrate on their tasks without bothering their peers. As a Title I school, resources for Banneker High School were limited for these teachers to acquire the supplies needed to execute efficient lesson plans. The teacher explained, “The acquisition of a class set of individualized headphones for each student who has access to a lab computer [would] allow for the maximization of the learning potential without distractions, not only for my lessons but for other activities, like preparations for the SAT… Being able to squelch noise and focus listening is only one attribute of this project. These head phones [would] also be used in the music production room and video production areas of the lab. Hopefully, we will see an increase in test scores with more focused listening, accompanied with more learning, which will eventually make a more productive citizen.” Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation and AT&T Aspire, pitched in to help Mr. Buffington’s class. Their project aligned with our mission to offset the costs of restoring and rejuvenating music education programs across the country. Now, these students will be able to learn their material in a proper learning environment, free of extraneous distractions! Thanks again to those who donated to our fund, and also those who share our success stories online! It really helps us grow when you promote what we do for music programs.

March 6, 2014

Middle School in New Haven Receives Music Ace Software

new haven, ct – Thanks to your donations this week, Keeping The Blues Alive was able to donate brand new music software to Hill Central [Middle] School! Ms. Chiarelli, the school’s music teacher, explained that her students live in an impoverished, often times violent urban section of the city. Most of them do not have access to technology at home and having access to it at school is extremely beneficial to their learning. Hill Central is also a Title I school and rarely if ever receive funding for supplemental materials in arts and music classes. Ms. Chiarelli’s project is rooted in music technology. By providing her students with music software to use during their class period, they can focus on keyboard techniques at their respective workstations. They will also be able to work at their own pace. Instead of waiting for their peers to catch up to the learning material (or vice versa) each student will be able to digest the information and advance when they’re ready, or spend more time on the material. The teacher can walk around the various workstations and assist students that need individual attention while allowing students who are comfortable on their own, to continue through the curriculum. This method allows for a higher probability that every student will know and understand the material. As these youngsters grow up in the age of iPads and iEverything – swiping and zooming and instagramming all day – we need to continue encouraging teachers to find unique ways of integrating timeless pedagogy and technique to this tech-savvy generation! This morning, we received this lovely note from Ms. Chiarelli. You should all be very happy! I greatly appreciate you funding my entire project! These materials will benefit my students in more ways than you can imagine! They will now be focused and concentrated on the curriculum while learning about music and how to play the piano in a fun and exciting way! I am very excited to receive these new materials and cannot wait to see the reactions from my students when they begin to work with this program. Your generosity is to be commended and is more than appreciated! With gratitude, Ms. Chiarelli Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation is a FL-registered nonprofit organization. Our mission is to offset the loss of music education programs by funding music projects and scholarships in schools all over the country. Thank you in advance for your contribution. We know these kids and teachers are SUPER excited, and we LOVE being a part of their musical journey.

February 28, 2014

KTBA Donates New Guitars

los angeles, ca – “The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself” – Ludwig van Beethoven. This was the idea behind Ms. Roth’s music project at Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles, CA. Thanks to your donations this week, this middle school classroom will receive new guitars to facilitate their music studies! Marina Del Rey is another Title I public school and most of the students qualify for free lunch through government assistance. However, these optimistic and hard working young arts students love music and look forward to learning more every day. “With guitars in hand, our students will be able to learn new chords, songs, and perform for our community. Every child at our school will have the opportunity to learn this friendly instrument, and we need to add to our current paltry collection of old guitars.” “Dear Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation… no one had nibbled at our project – not a peep, not a penny. Then, who but Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation fully funded us! What sweethearts and fellow music lovers. I promise you we will learn some blues songs (as you know – the blues are the basis of rock and roll and so much more!) along with rock, pop and folk. We will be learning tons of songs for a school-wide sing-along in May. I am now singin’ da blues, but with a happy heart. You honor the great Pete Seeger along with deserving public middle school kids. Thank you so much!”After reviewing the project, we knew this had our name on it. Apparently, Ms. Roth did too! These teachers and students are the reason why we commit to these projects every week! If we invest in our children, and provide the tools for teachers to succeed, we will add so many more beautiful, sharing, and selfless people into our society. But we must start while they’re young! Pass the torch by encouraging children (not just your own) to work hard, and follow their passions! To make a donation to next week’s project, click here!

February 21, 2014