Many of you may know that March is Reading Month, but did you know that it is also Music in Our Schools month? To celebrate, we are highlighting the many ways that we support BPS music programs! The BEF is proud to support the annual fourth grade field trip to experience a live performance of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, at Orchestra Hall in Detroit with a grant of $3,318. The fall program exposed students to a variety of music, from classical to contemporary, as well as introducing students to the instruments that make up the orchestra. The students were able to listen to a performance of Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter, and shout along to the DSO’s masterful performance of Mambo, from West Side Story. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, as you can see below: Berkshire Middle School has a new choir teacher this year, and Ms. Priebe is doing a terrific job! This November, she was awarded a $1,200 grant to purchase world drumming equipment for her sixth grade general music classes. In her grant request, Ms. Priebe said that it was her goal to use the equipment in conjunction with her background in music therapy to engage all of her students, especially the different learners in her class who often struggle to participate in daily classroom activities. On March 2, Ms. Priebe was able to put the drums to use in her Berkshire Middle School Spring Concert! Students in the Groves Band and Seaholm Orchestra received support to bring musicians from the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings in to their classrooms, thanks to a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the BEF. Students had the opportunity to work in small groups, called sectionals, with professionals and to learn from their experiences. The Groves Orchestra also had the opportunity to work with professional musicians this year. A $3,000 grant from the BEF supported bringing five string players from the DSO in to the school, including assistant concert master Hai Xin Wu. Orchestra director, Paul Shawver said, “Not every student has the opportunity to have world class musicians come right in to their classroom, and we are so thankful to the BEF for this grant and for supporting bringing DSO musicians in to work with our students here at Groves High School.” If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to take part in one of these sections with a top musician, take a look at the video below, featuring Hai Xin Wu working with the first violins. The BEF is proud to support BPS music programs, and all of the more than 8,000 students attending Birmingham Public Schools! Thank you for helping to make these opportunities possible for our students.
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In September the BCS third and fourth grade teams of Butzin/Frishman and Parkin/Wallington were awarded a grant of $627.50 to fund the construction of a "Farm on Wheels" for their classroom. The Farm is a hydroponic garden system that was initially meant to be wall mounted, but comes with the option to put it on a cart so that it can be moved from room to room as necessary. Yesterday, with the help of parent volunteers, the students built their Farm!! Mint plants growing in the zip towers. Photo courtesy of Kennedy Schindler The students have decided to sell the herbs grown in their garden. They will use 50% of profits to buy the supplies necessary to maintain the garden over the long term, and the other 50% will be donated to charity! One of the parent volunteers, Jason Morgan, is the Executive Director of the Welcome Inn Day Center in Royal Oak. The center serves as a safe place for the homeless in our community to gather. The students have decided to thank Mr. Morgan by donating 50% of their sales to his organization. Finally, to document the progress of the farm, students are taking pictures and interviewing one another about the project. Here are a few of their videos and pictures. Mr. Jeff Morgan talking about the project Video courtesy of Kennedy Schindler Video courtesy of Alexandria Schaufler The completed farm! Photo courtesy of Hailey Lossia Thank you to all of the teachers who let us stop in today and visit the farm! We can't wait to see the progress.
In November, the BEF Board of Trustees approved two grants to BPS teachers!
Ms. Priebe at Berkshire MS was awarded $1,200 for "World Drumming for Success", which will allow her to purchase drums from around the world for her music classes. Ms. Priebe also has a background in music therapy, and she is hoping to use the drums to reach some students who struggle in other environments. Interested in seeing the drums in action? Come to the Berkshire Spring Concert on March 2 to see the drums in action. $1,366 was awarded to Mr. Anspach Berkshire for the purchase of materials for his electrical engineering unit. Students will be learning the theory of electrical engineering, and then have the chance to put that theory in to practice by wiring wall units, built by Mr. Anspach. The unit will be starting soon, so keep an eye on this blog for updates from his class! In September, the BEF Board of Trustees voted to give the health teachers at both schools a grant for $2,000, allowing them to bring a speaker from MINDS (Mental Illness Needs Discussion) in to speak with students. The speaker uses as mix of testimonial and interactive discussion to educate students, and as the quote from first trimester (below) show, the results are powerful.
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August 2020
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