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The check to fund the program will be presented on Oct. 23 at Park Avenue School. More than 30 students from Park Avenue, Morris Street and South Street schools will perform with their instruments that day.
VH1 Save the Music has partnered with SpreadMusicNow – a nonprofit organization headquartered in Redding – to fund the programs at the three schools, which serve kindergartners through fifth-graders.
“The Danbury Board of Education is exceptionally fortunate to be able to partner with VH1 Save the Music,” said Deputy Superintendent Bill Glass. “The 2017-18 school year will see many of our students having a unique opportunity to have access to musical instruments that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
"The majority of our students come from families that live below the federal poverty level and so our partnership with VH1 is truly a blessing for so many underprivileged children. Without this partnership the idea of playing a musical instrument would be an unattainable dream but now it is a reality. Words do not suffice to express how grateful we are to VH1 Save the Music. Your efforts are truly enriching the lives of a great many students by providing them with the lifelong gift of music.”
SpreadMusicNow funds music instruction provided through school systems and has already provided 35 instruments from trombones to flutes to students at each of these schools.
“Danbury Public Schools is excited to partner with VH1 Save the Music beginning in the 2017-18 School Year,” said Superintendent Sal Pascarella. “Together, we will work to ensure that all students K-8 have an equitable and accessible a quality musical experience. Thank you for this opportunity for our students so we can continue to fully support music education in our schools.”
There are 115 students who will directly benefit from the program, said Jill Russell-Benner, Danbury Public Schools' K-5 music program facilitator, grant writer and implementation coordinator. The program will have a positive impact on the entire district, she said.
“Through this partnership, we can continue to empower our students through music education by placing an importance on the arts in our schools,” said Russell-Benner.
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