Annandale Terrace Teacher Raises Funds for Music Program

First year teacher Matthew Stensrud had a dilemma in his music classes at . There simply were not enough drums and other instruments to go around, which left many children with nothing to do for much of the class. A desire to see every child participate led Stensrud on a journey to raise funds that would make every student’s musical experience, in his words, “more influential and exciting.” A colleague suggested Stensrud try a website called DonorsChoose.org and through this service, Stensrud raised more than $1,200 in just three months to purchase unique, age-appropriate instruments for his students.

DonorsChoose.org matches teachers and their projects with generous donors and then fulfills the projects’ needs. In the fall of 2010, Stensrud submitted two requests for funding. The first was for three African-inspired drums, the djembe, djun djun and doumbek, which are best, suited for older students and the second for 10 glockenspiels, xylophone-like tuned instruments, which are especially appropriate for preschool to first graders due to their smaller size. By the beginning of January 2011, both projects were fully funded and the instruments were on their way to Annandale Terrace. “I was shocked at how fast we raised the money,” said Stensrud.

Stensrud chose the African-inspired drums based on music he had that specifically called for those three instruments. “These are beautiful, well-made instruments that bring music from other cultures to our students,” said Stensrud. The glockenspiels were chosen to benefit the younger students since they are designed for their smaller hands. He also chose the instruments for economic reasons. “They were economically priced which allowed me to engage the maximum number of students at once,” Stensrud said.

According to Stensrud, the 860 students at Annandale Terrace are diverse in their heritage and many are economically disadvantaged. “Music enhances students and broadens their experience. It also enriches the English language for kids, which helps children of all abilities learn better,” said Katie Barbour, assistant principal for Annandale Terrace of the value of these instruments. “When Stensrud got these donations, he inspired both the students and the other teachers as well.”

After taking a mere 30 minutes to chose his instruments from the DonorsChoose.org catalog and fill out each donation request, Stensrud spent some time spreading the word to friends and others via Facebook and Twitter. He also shared the project with students, though no formal requests were sent to parents. “I didn’t know half of the people who donated and no one donated to both projects as far as I know,” said Stensrud. After seeing the success first-hand, Barbour plans to make sure parents are alerted through newsletters and other communications to any future projects.

The 23 donors who supported the two projects were as diverse as the students they helped. Some were parents of students at the school and others identified themselves as teachers at nearby schools. Others were simply supportive of musical education and were touched by Stensrud’s pitch. While most were local, others came from as far as Iowa and New York to support the projects.

Stensrud’s project may be one of the first at Annandale Terrace, but there are two others in Annandale that currently need funding. A teacher of 6th grade ESL students at is hoping donors will give $444 to purchase a set of encyclopedias for her classroom library, while a first grade teacher at is raising $333 for hands-on math supplies.

“Music is fully integrated into our curriculum and culture here,” said Barbour. “All our specialist teachers work closely with the grade level teams to complement the academic lesson plans.” Stensrud recently made music CDs for use in the cafeteria during lunch hours to take advantage of the school’s new sound systems and has shown off the new drums at a recent special event.

 “These are some of the greatest students I’ve come across,” Stensrud said in his project description on DonorsChoose.org. “Doing and performing music will allow them the greatest ability to grow in what they know.”