KTBA Success Story: Instrumental Method Books Donated to Junior High School Ms. McAlester Thoreau Demonstration Academy Shawn Hagood for Keeping the Blues Alive   TULSA, OK – Thanks to your donations, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation donated a classroom set of instrumental method books to the music program at Thoreau Demonstration Academy! Due to its varied economic status, more than half of the students at the school come from low-income households. After the previous band director left the school, Ms. McAlester took over a program full of students who were ornery, disappointed, and afraid of what the future held for the music program. “Once they realized that I wanted the best for them and that I truly cared about them, they saw that they had the ability to improve their skills,” Ms. McAlester explains. However, Thoreau was seriously underfunded in regards to a music budget. “I have instruments that are so old they cannot be repaired. I have had to borrow instruments from other schools in my district because I’ve grown the program so much in two years that I did not have enough physical instruments for all of my students. I wanted to get my 8th grade group a class set of method books. We have NOTHING like that here and by 8th grade, they are advanced players and should be able to play at a much more competitive level.” Thanks to the generosity of Joe Bonamassa fans and music lovers like you, Keeping the Blues Alive was able to afford an entire set of music instrument method books that they will be able to distribute amongst the entire ensemble. This includes brass, woodwinds, and scores!     Ms. McAlester expresses her gratitude: Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Inc., I have been in tears for 30 minutes because I just can’t even begin to thank you enough. These books are a game changer. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are giving these students a key to unlock their potential. You are giving me the tools I need to make these students succeed and for that I am forever indebted to your kindness. With gratitude, Ms. McAlester   Every week, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation makes a donation to a school in need of music instruments, supplies, sheet music, and more! Your donation helps us to keep music in schools, while preserving blues heritage. If you would like to help us fund next week’s project, click here to make a donation! All donations are tax-deductible! Thank you for keeping music education in schools! P.S. Stay on the look-out for upcoming pledge opportunities for Giving Tuesday (Nov. 27th), the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Giving Tuesday is the BIGGEST nonprofit fundraiser of the year and we would love to have your pledge! For more info, follow us on Facebook! Thank you in advance for your participation!

KTBA Donates to Mariachi Program oklahoma city, ok – Thanks to your generosity, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation donated to Fillmore Elementary School this week.  Instead of the usual guitar donation however, we needed to keep this one special; The school requested a vihuela for their mariachi music program! That’s right – in Oklahoma City, there is a booming hispanic population!  U.S. Census Bureau data stated that between the year 2000 and 2010, the hispanic community grew by 95% this is due to low unemployment rates and its central location. This is one of the reasons why, back in 2006, a mariachi program was initiated at Fillmore Elementary – to meet the students in a cultural comfort zone where they would not only have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of music instruction, but also become ambassadors and proud members of their uniquely diverse society.  By aligning the curriculum at school with a similar cultural stimuli that exists in the home, students are constantly exposed to the material, hence allowing them to learn quicker and with better understanding of the material.  In some cases, the parents and other family members can even elaborate on the music of their heritage, and the students will take more pride in their work. Mr. Osborn elaborates, “We started with 12 students eight years ago – now we are pushing 140 students!  It is a struggle to meet the increasing demand. My students are mostly Hispanic and attend a high-poverty inner-city school.  Since most of my students rely on the school to provide instruments, it is up to me to be their advocate.” With the constant changes in legislature and tax reform for non-profits and public education systems, music and arts programs are usually on the chopping block when it comes to releasing “dead-weight” expenses. However, we know that Mr. Osborn doesn’t have to face these challenges alone – KTBA could be a big help for him, his school and its student body. “Our budget-strapped district doesn’t have the resources to provide each willing child with an instrument,” Mr. Osborn adds.  “Learning music is a great way for my students to express themselves creatively. It also offers an avenue for scholarships and grants towards the cost of college. And, finally, this program has become a point of pride within the school and the surrounding community. Each year we get more and more opportunities to share our talents with the surrounding community.” After some research of the area and the anonymous contributor via DonorsChoose.org, KTBA donated to Mr. Osborn’s cause – outfitting his class with the vihuela kit to round out the inventory for the upcoming semester. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you so much for supporting my Mariachi program. When the district started this program 9 years ago, they purchased 24 instruments, and I had 20 students participate. The program has spread to 3 schools and I currently have 145 students participating. Out of those students, only around 30 are able to provide their own instruments. This vihuella will help insure that my program can continue to grow regardless of my students ability to purchase their own instruments. Thanks again for your help!With gratitude, Mr. Osborn Together, we were able to assist Mr. Osborn’s classroom, but he isn’t the only one!  If you would like to be a part of next week’s success story, make a donation by clicking here!