Mitchell, SD –  Well, it’s back-to-school season again!  For all of those parents, teachers, and students out there doing all their school shopping and curriculum planning, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation would like to wish you all a prosperous, adventurous, and productive academic year! So much is happening in our world theses days, but we know that by perseverance, hard work, and diligence, we can overcome any obstacles in our way. In fact, by using the donations accumulated over the past week, we were able to kick start our semester donations to underfunded music programs by starting out in Mitchell, South Dakota at L B Williams Elementary School!  We donated new percussion instruments that otherwise would not have been possible given the limited funding available for the next school year. At their young age, music classes are not entirely for music theory purposes.  It’s about exposing students to new stimuli, encouraging group play, and maybe they will pick up a new skill in the process!  Students also learn about recognizing patterns, and hand-eye coordination. “Music should be a fun outlet for kids and allow them to be creative. In my classroom students are encouraged to be silly, to try new things, and to think outside the box. They always meet that expectation and help me come up with new and fun ways to teach music. “ According to Mrs. B, an important part of music education is using instruments to learn about rhythm, beat, form, dynamics and more. Yes, we can sing, but for some students singing can be intimidating to do alone. Yet, with an instrument, a student can echo a rhythm or show an example and feel confident.  These instruments will help hundreds of children to grow a love of music. Basic classroom rhythm instruments are a staple of elementary music programs.” We heard her plea, and made sure that a classroom set of instruments made their way to South Dakota. Dear Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Thank you! Thank you so much for supporting our music class and donating to our program! I am so excited to be able to tell our students the news! These classroom instruments are such a basic necessity for our classroom to be able to do amazing things! They will help us to build a foundation of beat, rhythm, tempo and tone colors. With your generous donation you have helped give our students the building blocks they need to become great musicians! I am overjoyed and again thank you from the bottom of my heart!With gratitude, Mrs. B. As we prepare for back to school projects and the new website (coming soon), help us out by making a small donation! Donate Here!