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Project Goal

Schmidt Elementary is a Title 1 school within the Hillsborough County Public Schools system. We service 85% of disadvantaged students and offer extracurricular music activities before and after school. These opportunities enhance school morale, attendance, and provide creative outlets for our young musicians.

Our Music Department is thriving while overcoming many challenges facing our 600+ Title 1 students. The Schmidt Music Department is hoping to help more students fulfill their dreams and potential by providing equipment for them to use that is outside the District budget and students cannot afford otherwise. This grant focuses on MU.K.C.1.1 - Respond to music from various sound sources to show awareness of steady beat.

Each year, the students in our music program provide two large-scale concerts and perform in various outreach shows to engage with our community members, providing visibility and awareness to the talents of our students. We are seeking funds to support our growing program, which will now now include instrumental ensembles utilized before and after school.

 

 

How Project Benefits Students

Orff instruments have long been considered fundamental – and often essential – tools for teaching students’ basic musical concepts, such as rhythm and notation. This makes xylophones, glockenspiels, metallophones and timpani drums ideal additions to any classroom or music therapy setting. However, they can be tricky without the proper equipment. The Schmidt Music Department currently has 21 students in Club Orff for the xylophone lovers, not to mention that every one of the 600+ students have music incorporated into their educational plan. We have 2 music productions a year for the Schmidt Elementary Community, with students participating in the Countywide Fine Arts Festival held at the Straz Center in 2019 (pre-Covid). We are proud of our program growth. This year we are recruiting students for chimers and handbell programs as well. The level of talent is enormous at Schmidt within music education pushing all students to succeed with K-5 instruction. This department provides a forum for underserved students to feel proud and confident. Students get to participate in multiple solo and ensemble opportunities as Schmidt hosts 2 concerts a year for parents and the community. As Schmidt develops a tradition of excellence one problem continues to plague our programming. There are no orff tables, so xylophones are played in front of the stage sitting on the floor. This is extremely uncomfortable for the students. Post concerts, several parents have needed to form human chains to prevent the audience from stepping on the instruments. With the success of the program more students wish to join in, but we have reached budgetary limits and are concerned for our instruments. We are requesting Orff tables to cure this problem. 

 

Expected Outcome(s)

Students’ interest in music will increase and learning, memory and focus will be enhanced as discussed once we can offer the correct environment and not require them to sit crossed legged on the floor to play their instrument. While the equipment will benefit all students within our program, the addition of this specific equipment will allow us to offer Club Orff of the same quality of our other music groups. Thus, affording those students with more modern tastes in music to embrace the same benefits of learning.

With this added equipment, we expect our music program to grow; adding more students with diversified musical tastes. We hope to provide an outlet and resource to both disadvantaged and advantaged students alike as we strive to incorporate music into every child’s learning assisting them in decreasing anxiety, increasing focus and improving memory.
 

 

Detailed Cost Summary

This grant is requesting 16 Basic Beat BBV567 Rolling Orff Stand $127.99 each from an approved Hillsborough School District vendor. 

 

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