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FOURTH STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 715 FOURTH STREET ATHENS, GA 30601 (706) 369-1893 April 7, 2000 To Whom It May Concern, I am pleased to write this letter in support of Pam Blanchard and the Sunny Side Up Band in their application for a grant to support music Instruction In the Clarke County School District. On Friday afternoon, March 24, 2000, Pam Blanchard performed at our school's fine arts festival. When initially contacted about performing for our students, she said that her band would need to have $1,400.00 to perform for our students. This sum of money is due to the fact that the members of the band have other jobs and must take off of their Jobs to perform in the schools. I quickly assured her that their were no funds available for this event. However, she agreed to come and perform for our students, solo, at the arts festival. I think this speaks highly to her commitment to kids and music education in the schools. As music teacher at Fourth Street Elementary, I teach all students in each grade music once a week. However, each child needs to have more opportunities to experience music in their environment, One of the reasons our school supports an arts' festival is to allow our children to have the true "concert experience". Affording our students opportunities such as Pam Blanchard and the Sunny Side Up Band would do just that because it is s o important to teach children to become good consumers of music and active participants in the music making process. When Ms. Blanchard came to our school, she quickly engaged all students in an audience containing pr-k through fifth grade in the music making process. The students enjoyed her approach and came away from the concert truly remembering the song, "Music Makes Me Happy". Recently, there has been much research dedicated to brain based learning. This research has pointed to the importance of music in the brain development of young children. This research continues to show how children who have exposure to music and the various arts' programs continue to excel in the learning process. If Ms. Blanchard receives the financial support for this grant, she will be able to offer live performance opportunities for students as well as teacher workshops, which will focus on incorporating music into the daily learning activities of the child. A grant to support music education in the schools would greatly benefit our schools, teachers, and students. Ms. Blanchard's commitment to music education as crucial to the learning process and her nurturing nature would help her and her band give the students of Clarke County invaluable experiences in the area of music. Please carefully consider this grant proposal and its potential impact on the students of the Clarke County School District. Sincerely, Teresa Granger Music Teacher Fourth Street Elementary School
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