Summit Elementary students received a shipment of new musical instruments for their classroom thanks to their teacher’s request filled through Donor’s Choose.
“We added two xylophones, three glockenspiels, mallets and a bass xylophone stand to our Summit music room,” said music teacher Emily Thoman. Her appeal for musical instruments netted $937 to underwrite the cost of the items requested.
In the description of her Donors Choose project, Ms. Thoman said more instruments would enable more students to participate by lessening the ratio of instruments to students from 1:4 to 1:2. Because each class comes to music for one 45 minute session per week, this means more students have an hands-on opportunity to participate.
“Being able to work with a partner will provide the student with peer feedback as well as allow all students to play instruments together. This will also save us precious time in music class. Currently, we have to do most activities three or four times to allow all students the opportunity to play,” says Thoman. With additional instruments, she can accomplish more in the limited music time each week.
“We were so excited to receive these new supplies at the start of the Spring semester, ” says Ms. Thoman, “The five new barred instruments- xylophones and glockenspiels- that we received were used the very first music day after they arrived. When my fourth graders unpacked them, they couldn’t stop exclaiming about the beauty of the redwood on the xylophones and could not wait to play them. Later that day, the second grade class was able to play a piece with three separate instrument parts and all students were able to play an instrument simultaneously! Because we have increased the number of instruments, our music time is better used and were are able to complete more activities in our weekly lesson. Although it may not seem like much, being able to have our existing bass xylophone on a cart will make set up for an Orff activity quicker and safer for the students and the instrument.”
“We are so grateful for the incredible generosity in supporting music education at Summit School. We hope people will consider helping other students in need,” said Ms. Thoman.