Schools

Glen Ellyn Schools' Music Programs Will Get a Boost From DuPage Foundation

JCS Fund support music, cultural, health, educational, artistic and other charitable organizations in DuPage County

Source: DuPage Community Foundation

Glen Ellyn schools were big beneficiaries of DuPage Community Foundation grants last month, with more than $100,000 going to four local programs. Additional money will go to Glenside Middle School in Glendale Heights and Wheaton's Play for All initiative. The grants are part of the JCS Fund's Young People's Music Initiative. 

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Community Consolidated Elementary District 89 in Glen Ellyn received $24,895 for ukulele instruction in fifth and sixth grade at four schools. Students will get an introduction to harmony and rhythm while expanding on earlier instruction in music theory.  Students create their own songs and work together to create a unified sound.  District 89 also plans to integrate iPads into the program, allowing teachers to include composition, rhythm, music theory, instrument development and keyboard in their instruction, and help students learn basic technology.

Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn received $23,430 for private music lessons.  This program will benefit about 350 music students in grades nine through 12, helping struggling students improve their skills and advanced students achieve higher performance levels.

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Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn received $25,000 to work with Queen Bee School District 16 in Glendale Heights and Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn. The younger students visit Glenbard West and practice with the high schoolers, who help instruct them. The grant also will support West's ensemble/expertise residence program. Eighteen groups or individuals with expertise in band, choir and orchestra will perform high-quality music in a chamber or solo setting.  Glenbard West Music Boosters matched $4,000 to replace worn out instruments.

Hadley Junior High School Instrumental Music Department has experienced increased enrollment in recent years, and the school plans to provide proper instrument storage with the help of the JCS Fund's grant of $25,000. Hadley also will be invited to the Mentor Interaction Program of Glenbard West.

Queen Bee School District 16's Glenside Middle School (Glendale Heights), also invited to West's Mentor Interaction Program, will use its $29,757 grant to purchase 32 iPads, giving students musical instruction and experience with technology overall.  Glenside also will add 32 Ukuleles, a new tuba, electronic keyboard and bass clarinet, and replace older instruments.

In addition, Wheaton's Play For All initiative will receive $25,140 to replace older instruments and add new instruments to its strategically designed play area for sensory integration.  The grant is specifically for a sound garden, but an additional commitment of $82,950 supports an adventure-scape area at Danada South Park. The playground will be an equestrian-themed recreation and community space that will include interactive art sculptures, a garden with fruits and herbs, walkways, a wheelchair-friendly tree house and a water area, among other features. The Sensory Garden is designed for the approximately 2,000 DuPage County families who have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder under age 14. The facility is free to the public and to children of all ages and abilities. 


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