From the Teacher

When my Wednesday morning third grade class opened the box containing the drum sticks that you funded, the music room (the whole lower level of our school, actually) was filled with the elated cheers of ecstatic children. These same students were used to drumming with their hands, chop sticks, or the old rhythm sticks we had been using. They understood the importance of using proper drum sticks and I had already told them about the "Christmas present" we had received from generous donors like you. The drum sticks finally arrived and students were so excited to receive them. I left them in the box so students could unwrap them. While unwrapping them, students were saying things like, "wow!," "These are NICE!," and "I can't wait to use them!"

Shortly after, we did begin using them. Each week, the students learn one or two new "Bucket Beat" rhythm patterns and play along to a backing track. The students made lots of comments about how the drum sticks made them feel more like professional musicians. Not only did the sticks make them feel like better musicians, but playing with quality materials helped their drumming to sound better. Also, the weight of the new sticks helped them to focus more on using correct sticking techniques. I was able to teach them to hold the drum sticks and play with them correctly. 

Thanks to your kindness, my students are now able to play drum patterns the way they were intended to be played- with real drum sticks. I can never say thank you enough!

With gratitude,
Mrs. Reams

From the Students