My students are great! They always come to my class excited to learn no matter what is going on elsewhere. This class makes it possible for the students to disappear into another world for 50 minutes. There are no worries if they are going to eat that night or how they are getting some place. Right now, I am having to turn students away from this opportunity because of the condition of some of the instruments. My students are literally playing on instruments that are 20 years old so it is quite common for me to hear that a piece fell off somewhere. Some students are having to play on instruments that are broken because I don't have the funds to replace all of them. Regardless, my students come to class and make the most of it. I enjoy the smiles on their faces when they finally master a section of the music that they had been struggling on.Read more »

We need more baritones. I have a good low brass section but not enough instruments. Low brass instruments are among the most expensive if you want a good sound. Please help my little niños of south Phoenix play brass!!Read more »

The instrumental music students at Lake Havasu High School would greatly appreciate help with beefing up our instrument inventory. Lake Havasu City is located about 3 hours west of Phoenix and about 2 ½ hours south of Las Vegas so we do not have any music stores nearby. Most of the students at our school participate in the free or reduced lunch program.
First of all, our band room is not designed, acoustically or dimensionally, to be a band room. Several years ago, for unknown reasons to me, the former, beautiful, tiered, large band room was paved over to make a storage room for community as well as high school theater sets. This should demonstrate the school district’s past discouragement for the music program.
Secondly, most of the instruments that my students are using are from a few decades ago and many of the cases are coming apart. When cases deteriorate, obviously, the instruments dry-up and require extensive repair and eventually are in bad shape overall. We currently need two piccolos (we have one, but it doesn't work because it is warped and curved!), two 4-valve euphoniums, two sousaphone cases, three trumpets. We also need 3 full-sized cellos, and two full-sized violas. Our euphoniums are from the 1970s before our current school district existed (instruments are labeled Mohave county school district.) Our sousaphone cases are literally held together by bungee cords, and the chip board has been broken through to reveal the insulation in the cases.
Last week a custodian informed me that there were several string instruments stored in a small room located above the auditorium where the air filters and air conditioning unit is located. I went up there with him to find a plethora of ¾ sized violas and ¾ sized cellos of which we had zero previously. The string instruments we do have were made in 1960, and they actually sound great! The problem is that they are mostly ¾ size which is difficult for most high school students to play.
The bass drum carriers for our marching band are in such terrible shape that they actually cause bruises and physical injuries to the students. We ordered 4 new ones this year, but those new ones do not fit anyone with a large body frame. Two of our larger drummers needed to once again use the old style of carrier which was painful for them to use.
Sadly, I have had to turn away some students from our orchestra program because I did not have a school instrument for them to play, and their families were not able to afford the rent from the distributor we use. Fortunately, we do have some support with community members, clubs, and businesses to help us, but the cost of new instruments are so high that the money we do get is used quickly. The former band director used money to travel and compete with the students, but he did not invest any money towards instruments, instrument repair, nor music stands (which are also falling apart.) Using the money we (students, families, and I) have raised on purchasing more instruments that are gently used rather than a smaller number of instruments that are new would be a wise investment for us because we need so many. The students have been eager and determined to help with fundraising to improve our program even though some will be graduating soon. They are excited about leaving a positive legacy behind and supporting the program that helped them so much.
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My students are from lower income families such as refugees that aren't able to afford even $20 a month for an instrument let alone an $8 book. Please help with anything you can. These students really deserve a chance to play an instrument. Wouldn't you want a chance to play. I have students that really want to learn and we don't have the instruments. Please, please, please we need cymbals very desperately. We have no crash cymbals or stands and the hi hats are so flimsy and bent it is ridiculous not to mention the hi hat stand itself must be from the 50's. It's rally bad. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.Read more »

Scottsdale Country Day School provides a broad and balanced curriculum in small class sizes. SCDS provides a friendly and caring school environment in which pupils thrive and are valued for their individual contribution to the school community. Students are given every assistance and encouragement to reach their potential, discover talents through participation and contribution, and take responsibility for their progress. Read more »

We are a Title 1 school in a very poor area. Every day I see students coming to class with worn out clothes and holes in their sneakers. I tried to do an activity with my classes about "All I Want for Christmas", and was brought to tears when several students came to me at the end of the day, and said that their parents had told them that they could not afford presents this Christmas. Many of my students come from foster homes, and many more come from home situations that are very diffucult. I get lots of hugs every day, and I have a feeling that part of the reason is the lack of hugs and encouragement they receive at home. By the time these students reach middle school age, many of them have lost much of their hope. I have so many students whose behavior is less than acceptable, and I know that much of that comes from the hardships they go through at home. However, you should see their face light up when we get to play percussion. I only have a few tattered hand drums, some tamborines and some rhythm sticks, but they love it. I showed all of my classes a video of STOMP, and even their classroom teachers said it was all they could talk about for days. We have done the body percussion thing, and are currently learning a piece I wrote myself using cardboard boxes and Home Depot buckets, but I yearn to give them so much more. So many of them have so much potential!

A part of their hopelessness comes from the almost certain fact that they will not go to college. Even the students who excell academically would have a very hard time affording tuition at a community college or the transportation to get there. Music is an amazing avenue for these students. With the right skills they could easily earn music scholarships, and a passage to an education they would otherwise miss out on. I would love to help prepare them to make it into the high school drumline, but right now I don't even have a pair of actual drumsticks, and zero budget for any instruments. I have purchased sticks in the past out of my own pocket, and was happy to do so, but I am unable to afford such things now, and it breaks my heart that one of the only things that brings a smile to these kid's faces is so limited due to our lack of materials. Drumpads on stands and sticks would be such a huge step in a great direction. I can't wait to see how far my kids will go! Please help them get there! Donate TODAY :)Read more »

The Kofa High School band program has given students the opportunity to excel in an supportive and safe environment. Because of this, more students want to join the program and be a part! We, however, do not have the instruments to support these students and do not have the money to purchase the instruments. Each one of the above instruments will be played and cared for by multiple students here at Kofa High School, and will help change their lives.

Our motto is: "Create the Tradition...Strive for Excellence". With your donation, you can help Create the Tradition so that our students can continue to Strive for Excellence.Read more »

We are a husband and wife teaching team at a Title I middle school of about 930 students. Title I means that a significant percentage of our students qualify for the Free and Reduced breakfast and lunch program. What that means for our music department is that many of our families can't afford nutritious meals for their children, let alone to rent or purchase instruments. In spite of this we have a large, thriving music department with over 320 students participating in our band, orchestra, choir and guitar programs. The VAST majority of our instrumentalists rely on school-owned instruments for participation. These are great numbers, but we want more! Just this year we had to turn away interested students because we didn't have instruments for them and they couldn't afford to rent from an outside source. Sinagua Middle School has an amazing music facility with a full auditorium and several large rehearsal rooms. Check out our photo and HELP US FILL OUR AUDITORIUM WITH MUSICIANS!!!Read more »

Although over 70 percent of our student body receives free and reduced price lunch, our band students are extremely dedicated. Our students enjoy making music and aspire to grow as musicians. They view band as a haven from their lives.

Over the past number of years, our high school program has received consistently high ratings at festivals and competitions. Unfortunately, our district has been unable to assist with the purchase of instruments for over twelve years now and many of our instruments are being used well beyond their expected lifetime.

We are committed to letting all interested students participate in band which often means we need to provide instruments to our students when families cannot afford to purchase or rent an instrument. While we remain committed to this mission, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage without support.

Our first priority is a bassoon. Our high school has never owned a bassoon. We actually borrow our bassoon from another local high school. We would like a bassoon to call our own so that we may return the loaned bassoon.Read more »

Arizona Conservatory for Arts & Academics in Phoenix is a brand NEW elementary school that combines rigorous academics with daily opportunities for students to participate in the performing and fine arts.

Students interested in MUSIC may take voice or instrument lessons at no additional fee. Lessons are embedded into the students' academic week and on Fridays when there are not academic classes, but rather lessons, rehearsals and intervention.

The creative outlet enhances the students' learning while the classroom lessons keep them highly engaged and prepared for success as they enter our middle/high school which has been around for 10 years and conveniently located across the street. Read more »

The Arizona Conservatory of Arts and Academics was established in 2003 and has been growing from day 1! We offer students 7 arts programs along with their daily academic regiment. Students currently have an option of taking: Visual Art, Theater, Dance, Voice, Guitar, Piano, and Percussion. We are highly active in our community, performing off school grounds often with our percussion, voice, and dance departments, and having many students involved with other musical and artistic groups around phoenix. We have made it to our tenth year using what little we could acquire and have improved our programs each year. But as the school grows and changes, we are finding that we need more options for classes!

As things change, we hope to be adding both a band and orchestra program at the middle and high school level, thus adding even more need for instruments. This year we added our elementary school and already offer those students a chance to learn any of the beginning band or orchestra instruments. As those students progress from one school to another, we will need to have a larger and more diverse set of instruments for those students to learn.

The band program is in its development stage, and one of the catalysts of survival is having instruments for the students who may not be able to afford it. There is already a need among some of the students, and help from you may be able to allow a student to learn an instrument! Read more »