Infuse U.S. Classrooms with Music for Learning!

Shifting A Child’s Life Trajectory with Music

Dear Friends,

Every student in a GITC program has the opportunity to experience a shift their life trajectory by opening up to the power of music and the process of musical learning. 

Because of you, we are continuing to infuse learning with music in pre K - 8 classes as students and teachers return to online classrooms in the New Year. Your donations are helping us grow our capacity to serve more students in need and train teachers from all around the U.S. online. Since March 2020, with your support we have been able to provide 51 online GITC professional development courses, reaching over 390 educators and their students in response to their desire to learn to play simple guitar and ukulele, sing, and lead students in song, inspiring everyone. Your support is allowing us to continue the positive impact we are making for teachers and students. Thank you for helping to make this possible!  

With your help GITC is continuing to provide crucial support for teachers to overcome the many hurdles of distance learning through music. Teachers tell us music is the only thing that brings their kids into the virtual classroom with a smile. First grade teacher Ms. Duncan shared how she always starts the day with music in her classroom. “If they miss it, they’re disappointed! As a result, I have excellent attendance,” she laughs. “Both attendance and participation are higher because the music helps keep kids engaged. We pick our ukes up throughout our lessons each day to practice grammar, syntax, basic structure and punctuation. It translates so well into language arts and brings new vocabulary into their world through song. I never feel like I’m wasting my time as a teacher when I add music to my lessons.” All this is possible thanks to you.

Teacher trainings and classroom teaching artist residencies are already beginning for 2021. We have lost key grant support for this part of our services as a result of the pandemic, so every donation we receive helps to restore this aspect of GITC to Title I schools. When you donate, together, we can provide this opportunity for hundreds of deserving students to experience music, healing, connection, accelerated learning and unstoppable creativity. With your help we will continue to pour energy, inspiration, instruction and instruments into the lives of students, giving them a chance to change their life trajectory. 

We deeply appreciate your generosity and care for children. With your ongoing participation, we will continue to make a huge impact in 2021, together. We look forward to creating more opportunities for you to be able to improve children's ability to learn enthusiastically and to make music at school. We thank you for your blessings and gifts to do this work. 

We encourage you to visit our website at www.guitarsintheclassroom.org and click on the blog page to read more about Ms. Duncan and other dedicated classroom teachers who are making a difference with music in their online classes. 

With heartfelt appreciation,

Gail Wingfield

Programs Manager

Links:

• Our Website

Dear Friends,

Every child in a GITC program whose life opens up to music gets a key to creating their own happiness, even and especially in times of great uncertainty and stress. As teachers, students and families struggle to cope with the technological aspects of virtual learning, music has a way of making that effort more worthwhile. 

Thanks to you, we are continuing to infuse learning with music in preK - 8 classes as they resume this fall.  Your donations are helping us grow our capacity to serve more students in need and train teachers from all around the U.S. online as the pandemic continues. Because of your support we have launched new GITC professional development classes online in an effort to meet the growing demand from teachers who want to learn to play simple guitar and ukulele, sing, and lead students in song, inspiring everyone. In fact, enrollment in our courses has doubled since school closures were mandated last March! Your support is allowing us to continue the positive impact we are making for teachers and students.Thank you for helping to make this possible!  

The impact on teachers from the work you are supporting cannot be overstated. We are immensely grateful to you! T-K/kindergarten teacher, Patti Steele said, “Online learning is so hard at this age, but music is a way to reach them all and level the playing field. Some of the parents didn’t speak English, some had to go to work, but this was some common ground. I think the ukulele is what saved me, and the kids, too. It was a common denominator and it was the highlight of my Zoom classes.”  

Your support of our work has empowered teachers to build more creative online learning environments and classroom communities filled with authenticity, trust, care and interdependence. These important qualities are helping teachers carry their students through COVID-19. We encourage you to visit our website at www.guitarsintheclassroom.org and click on the blog page to read more about Patti Steele and other dedicated classroom teachers who are making a difference with music in their online classes. We thank you for your blessings and gifts to do this work. 

We deeply appreciate your generosity and care for children. With your ongoing participation, we will continue to make a huge impact this school year, together. We look forward to creating more opportunities for you to be able to improve children's ability to learn enthusiastically and to make music at school.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Gail

Links:

• Visit the GITC website and enjoy our blog page!