Abraham Lincoln Elementary School

Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, located in Palm Desert, has a student body which is 92% socioeconomically disadvantaged, with 50% of students identifying as English Learners. To make science and math more comprehensible to the student population, this project will implement music instruction for students in grades 1, 4, and 5. First graders will learn movement and counting, fourth graders will learn to play the recorder, and fifth graders will learn to play an instrument of their choice. At least one day a week, after-school music instruction will also become available to about 70 students. As students grow in confidence and ability, they will take math and science tests to evaluate their progress and perform for their peers and parents at least twice during the year.

Our students will have the opportunity to learn how to create, compose and perform, some of their own musical compositions. Music is incorporated to support the academic goals of the school. The instrumentation, resources, curriculum, and technology will be used for many years into the future. These resources are of vital importance in helping us achieve and maintain our school wide goals. We are adding higher level thinking opportunities to the music program this year. Our students will have the opportunity to learn the art of musical arrangement and composition, in order to challenge higher thinking skills and creative abilities.

Funding from the Anderson Children’s Foundation will support our students in science, math, history, and language arts through music. The resources in this grant are vital in helping us to achieve and maintain our school wide goals for technology, and the teacher resources, purchased by the Anderson’s Children’s Foundation, will provide our students with online access to an enriched music curriculum, that includes academic and technology supports for all our students. The online technology continued in the grant is in keeping with, NGSS, Common Core technology standards, as well as National and State Standards for music. Everything purchased by the Foundation is going directly to student use and engagement. Our continued and future goals are to instill a lifelong love of learning in our students through the joy of music, and to provide opportunities for them to reach out to our local community and share the joy of learning.