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Goal

The goal of this grant is to provide necessary equipment to improve the musical performance of students and the band regardless of the student’s financial condition. Improvement will begin in summer 2017 and will be ongoing for years to come. Equipment the students purchase for middle school learning and performance is most often not the quality needed for performance at the upper level of high school. Annual cost for participating in band is almost $1000 per student. Most students do not have the financial means to invest additional money in improving their equipment as well. Purchasing higher quality mouthpieces with ligatures for the clarinets (and other instruments in the future) will improve musical performance over all for these students and the full band as they compete regionally and support community events through music. By increasing the sound and reducing the number of clarinets on the field the goal is to be at a minimum a top 10 competitor at state competition, as well as being rated Superior at district and state level Music Performance Assessments.  

What will be done with my students

The Fernandina Beach High School band is among other things a competition band. The class (1A – 4A) for performance is mostly determined based on the number of woodwinds (clarinets and saxophones) in the band. In order to keep the FBHS band competing with bands of similar size and subsequently similar budgets it is important to maintain a relatively low number of woodwind instruments in the band. Students are cross-trained to play a variety of other instruments to balance out the sound and the bands make up. Limiting the number of woodwinds means the clarinet players must be able to produce a strong high quality sound. The clarinet students will be loaned this vital equipment, the mouthpiece and the ligature, needed to deliver a stronger, clearer and higher quality tone on the field in marching competitions and in the auditoriums for community performances, and Music Performance Assessments.  

Benefits to my students

FBHS band students are as dedicated and work as hard as any of the larger bands in the state and region. Feedback from recent competitions supports the need for stronger sound to compete with larger bands in their division. The 45 piece pirate band competes with bands with as many as 97 musicians. Having the right equipment, specifically the mouthpieces needed to produce more sound and a higher quality sound, will make the band more competitive in the region. In addition it will help each student build greater musical skill and the confidence that comes from excelling in their area of expertise. Having mouthpieces to loan to the students will afford those who may not have the financial means to purchase better equipment for themselves the opportunity to achieve superior performance. This investment will help the students, the band and the school for many years to come. 

Budget Narrative

Budget request is for $899.90 for five Vandoren clarinet mouthpieces and five ligatures. Ligatures with caps are part of the mouthpiece but are purchased separately. To be purchased from Woodwind Brasswind, wwbw.com. 

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