TCK
Well-known member
The High School most my students go to when they finally make it out of my classes has a service project as one of the requirements of graduation, and I tend to mentor some of these for the kids that remember their old Jr. High science teacher. Most of them are science related, but I got one I had to jump on.
I asked one of my old favorites if she was willing to take the garden program over that oen of the seniors started this year and she said "Nope- I want to bring music back to some of the local schools".
My heart lept...oh, we can so do this! We can create a music program for the kids in an area that is not as economically well-off as the rest of the area, and we can do it with UKULELE!
I showed her some videos of class stuff that have been posted here and she got just as jazzed on doing it...so away we go.
She comes from a family that has played together forever, and has a great music background, and her folks are totally involved (I just got to play dad's white label Kamaka! Awesome!)...but, and here is the rub, we do not have a lot of money.
We would like to focus on a song or short performance over the first ten weeks of school with a class of kids, and produce a video of their accomplishments at the end. We can provide all the video equipment and editing (actually I have secured a professional film and sound crew for this- I have two besties that work in film), and I can provide 13 Ukuleles (yeah, I have no problem letting a kid play my Martin...maybe they will love it like I do) but we are still coming up short. I have a lot of percussion too, but has anyone done this and gotten a response from the Ukulele companies? I would love to see 25 Dolphins all going for it in the hands of ten year olds, but even with the wealth that teaching has brought me, that does not seem really realistic.
Any tips in getting items donated or at cost would be greatly appreciated, as we are tight here. The kids in question our lower income and largely migrant, and their schools have gotten cut over and over again, and their parents cannot foot the bill for programs the way some of the other schools can.
The way I see it, we can make a program that is lasting and pertinent...and important, for lots of kids with very little, but we need that very little to cost very little.
Like I said- any ideas appreciated. I know the fine folks at UU will be helpful here.
Cheers
Dave
I asked one of my old favorites if she was willing to take the garden program over that oen of the seniors started this year and she said "Nope- I want to bring music back to some of the local schools".
My heart lept...oh, we can so do this! We can create a music program for the kids in an area that is not as economically well-off as the rest of the area, and we can do it with UKULELE!
I showed her some videos of class stuff that have been posted here and she got just as jazzed on doing it...so away we go.
She comes from a family that has played together forever, and has a great music background, and her folks are totally involved (I just got to play dad's white label Kamaka! Awesome!)...but, and here is the rub, we do not have a lot of money.
We would like to focus on a song or short performance over the first ten weeks of school with a class of kids, and produce a video of their accomplishments at the end. We can provide all the video equipment and editing (actually I have secured a professional film and sound crew for this- I have two besties that work in film), and I can provide 13 Ukuleles (yeah, I have no problem letting a kid play my Martin...maybe they will love it like I do) but we are still coming up short. I have a lot of percussion too, but has anyone done this and gotten a response from the Ukulele companies? I would love to see 25 Dolphins all going for it in the hands of ten year olds, but even with the wealth that teaching has brought me, that does not seem really realistic.
Any tips in getting items donated or at cost would be greatly appreciated, as we are tight here. The kids in question our lower income and largely migrant, and their schools have gotten cut over and over again, and their parents cannot foot the bill for programs the way some of the other schools can.
The way I see it, we can make a program that is lasting and pertinent...and important, for lots of kids with very little, but we need that very little to cost very little.
Like I said- any ideas appreciated. I know the fine folks at UU will be helpful here.
Cheers
Dave
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