Keys to Success: Building Musical Opportunities for Every Student

The purpose of this project is to purchase three additional xylophones for the music classroom at Tommie Barfield Elementary School. While our school recently received grant funding to replace several aging instruments, the current inventory of xylophones is still insufficient to provide a balanced and complete instrumental experience for students. Many of our existing instruments have deteriorated due to age and exposure to Florida's climate, creating a need for additional high-quality wooden bar instruments. Adding three xylophones will ensure that more students have consistent, equitable access to instruments during class activities and performances. This project directly supports music learning goals across all grade levels. Students are expected to perform on instruments independently and in ensembles, developing skills in rhythm, pitch, technique, listening, and musical collaboration. With additional xylophones available, students will have more opportunities for hands-on learning, active participation, and meaningful ensemble experiences that strengthen both musical understanding and performance skills. The project also aligns with Tommie Barfield Elementary School's commitment as a Lighthouse School, where student leadership is a key priority. In the music classroom, students build leadership skills by taking responsibility for their individual musical parts, collaborating with peers, encouraging one another, and working together toward a common performance goal. Increasing access to quality instruments allows more students to actively participate in these leadership opportunities, fostering confidence, teamwork, communication, and mutual support. By expanding our xylophone inventory, this project will enhance music instruction while supporting the school's mission of developing capable, collaborative student leaders.

Students in all grade levels at Tommie Barfield Elementary School will use the xylophones as part of their regular music instruction throughout the school year, with students in grades 2 through 4 using them most frequently. The additional instruments will allow more students to actively participate in music-making experiences at the same time, ensuring that every child has opportunities for hands-on learning rather than waiting for a turn. Students will perform rhythmic patterns, melodic accompaniments, ostinatos, and ensemble pieces while learning to listen, cooperate, and contribute to a group performance. This project meets the needs of our students by providing greater access to quality instruments and creating a more balanced Orff ensemble experience. Learning through active music-making helps students develop musical skills, confidence, creativity, and teamwork. By increasing the number of xylophones available, students will have more opportunities to engage directly in lessons and experience success as performers. Instruction will be based on both the Kodaly and Orff approaches to music education. Through the Kodaly method, students develop musical understanding through singing, listening, and vocal exploration before transferring those concepts to instruments. Through the Orff approach, students learn through speech, movement, singing, percussion, and instrumental performance. These strategies provide multiple ways for students to engage with music concepts and allow all learners to participate meaningfully. Student participation is closely connected to classroom instruction and state music standards. As students learn concepts such as steady beat, rhythm, melody, form, and ensemble performance, they apply those skills directly by playing instruments independently and in groups. Every student is encouraged to participate, and students rotate among instrument types and musical parts so they can experience different roles within the ensemble. This approach promotes musical growth while fostering collaboration, responsibility, and leadership skills as students work together to create a successful musical performance.

The addition of three xylophones will provide significant benefits for students by increasing opportunities for active participation, skill development, and performance. As students gain more access to high-quality instruments, they will become more confident and proficient performers. They will develop stronger skills in rhythm, melody, technique, and ensemble playing while becoming comfortable performing a variety of musical parts and roles within an Orff ensemble. Increased practice opportunities will allow students to deepen their understanding of musical concepts and apply them more successfully during classroom performances and assessments. I expect students to demonstrate improvement in both their individual performance skills and their ability to work collaboratively as members of an ensemble. Because more instruments will be available, students will spend less time waiting for turns and more time actively engaged in music-making. This increased hands-on practice will support higher levels of achievement and musical growth for all learners. The success of this project will be measured through classroom assessments, teacher observations, and performance opportunities. Students will be assessed on their ability to accurately perform rhythmic and melodic patterns, maintain a steady beat, demonstrate proper playing technique, and successfully perform their assigned parts within an ensemble. I anticipate that increased access to instruments will lead to stronger assessment results and greater student confidence when performing. Evidence of the project's impact will include student performance assessments, classroom observations, video recordings of student performances, and opportunities for informal "mini performances" that showcase student learning. These recordings will be included in my professional portfolio and shared with our district Fine Arts Director as documentation of student growth and achievement. In addition, school administrators regularly observe music instruction and student performances, providing further evidence of student engagement and progress. Ultimately, this project will be considered successful when all students can confidently perform the musical parts they are taught on a variety of bar instruments, demonstrating both musical proficiency and the collaborative skills that are essential to ensemble performance.

Funding from Champions for Learning will be used to purchase three high-quality Orff bar instruments: a Sonor Global Beat Bass Xylophone ($995), a Sonor Global Beat Alto Xylophone ($520), and a Sonor Global Beat Soprano Xylophone ($400). These instruments will expand and strengthen our current classroom instrument inventory, creating a more balanced ensemble for music instruction and performance. The addition of these three wooden bar instruments will provide students with increased opportunities to actively participate in hands-on music-making experiences. A balanced set of bass, alto, and soprano instruments is essential for teaching students how the different musical parts work together to create a complete ensemble sound. Students will use these instruments to develop skills in rhythm, melody, listening, cooperation, and performance while learning to play both individually and as part of a group. All students at Tommie Barfield Elementary School participate in lessons involving Orff bar instruments, with the instruments being used most frequently by students in grades 2 through 4. The additional xylophones will allow more students to play simultaneously, increasing engagement, practice time, and access to quality instruments. Approximately 455 students in Collier County Public Schools will directly benefit from this project each year. Through the generosity of this funding opportunity, students will have access to durable, high-quality instruments that support meaningful musical experiences, strengthen ensemble performance skills, and promote the confidence, collaboration, and leadership skills that are central to the mission of Tommie Barfield Elementary School.

1915

Sonor Global Beat Bass Xylophone

995

Sonor Global Beat Alto Xylophone

520

Sonor Global Beat Soprano Xylophone

400

Champions For Learning - LJ MacCarthy