FOR ANGELINA MAY ONLY

Running Head: Public School Music Program 1

Grant Proposal to New Horizon Foundation

Public School Music Program Designed for the

Inner City Communities of Dallas, TX

Student Name

North Lake Community College

August 6, 2018

Public School Music Program 2

Proposal directed to the New Horizon Foundation from the

Hamilton Organization

Presenting an important philanthropic project with the purpose of advancing the

opportunities of inner-city youths by providing students from low income school districts in

Dallas County with a free musical instrument and lessons. The Hamilton Organization invites the

New Horizon Foundation to join us in our efforts and asks that you kindly donate $100,000 to

our cause. This proposal will prove why The Hamilton organization believes that providing

students from low income school districts with a free musical instrument to be a worthy cause,

and why in the long run this program will improve the quality of life of the students involved.

The proposal will also discuss the allocation of funds and the sustainability of the program. The

Hamilton Foundation has been actively involved in the Dallas community for five years now,

and has successfully launched other programs aimed at improving the life and offering

opportunities for inner city youths. The Hamilton Organization believes that through a

partnership with New Horizon Foundation we can continue to do great things for the community.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………..…4

Needs Statements ……………………………………………………………………………5-6

Program of Projection Description ………………………………………..………………….7

Budget with Narrative Explanation …………………………………………………...……8-9

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………..……10

References ……………………………………………………………………………...............11

Public School Music Program 4

Executive Summary

The Hamilton Organization has been committed to the advancement of at risk youth for

many years now. We believe that with your help we can do more than we at first thought

possible, reach more youth, and provide better opportunities.

Some low income school districts do have music programs in Dallas County, however

many students and their families are not able to spare any money on an instrument. This greatly

inhibits the opportunities for many students. Education is the great equalizer; and it has been

proven that low income neighborhoods, with low income school districts produce students who

are less likely to graduate, and more likely to be in the welfare system, or worse prison.

Our request of a donation of $100,000 will be used to provide students age 6 to 10, or 1st

grade through 4th grade students, who are interesting in joining the music program with a free

musical instrument. Arts in the school are important and often neglected when it comes to the

well-rounded education of a child. It has been proven that music programs can help students with

other areas of study particularly math and reading. These are subjects that students often struggle

in, and we know to be necessary for success.

The Hamilton Organization believes that we can right this oversight and provide long

term change and benefits to our students. In our proposal we hope to further discuss the benefits

of this program.

Sincerely,

Student Name

Organizer, Hamilton Organization

CEO, New Horizon Foundation

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Needs Statement

Graduation numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate across the country, specifically in

low income neighborhoods; According to The National Center for Education Statistics, 35% of

students are expected to drop out by grade eight, of that percentage, 21% will at one point spend

time in jail. Engaging children at in early age in music has been proven to provide significant

benefits. The Harmony program in California show that 93% of the students in there program go

on to become college graduates despite a dropout rate of 50%.

Playing a musical instrument helps develop the brain, not only has it been proven that

programs such as the one we are hoping to create aids children in lifelong learning, it increases

their probability of graduating from high school, and going on to graduate from college. When

children are learning to play a musical instrument it helps them interpret sounds they could not at

first differentiate, this process called neurophysiological distinction leads to better academics,

specifically math and reading skills. Two of the most common skills that children from low

income neighborhoods and families deal with, these skills are essential to lifelong success.

A study conducted by Nina Kraus, the director of Northwestern University’s Auditory

Neuroscience Laboratory has proven that playing a musical instrument does in fact make you

smarter. Kraus and her team hooked strategically placed electrode wires on the heads of students

to monitor the brains responses (Locker 2018). Not only does it improve prove a child’s literary

and math skills, it improves their memory skills, coordination, creativity, and the ability to

express themselves. It also introduces children to other cultures an aspect that is very important

to inner city youths, many only being exposed to the neighborhoods they are currently living in.

Studies conducted by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) which

followed children in music programs between the ages of two and nine, show the result of

Public School Music Program 6

playing a musical instrument helps to develop the part of the left side of the brain which has been

shown to process language, process new information, and create new links in the brain

(Echeverria 2014). Knowing this the Hamilton organization is striving to offer this amazing

opportunity to inner city youth. For your benefit we have including a chart of the alarming

percentage of high school graduates from low income families versus those from high income

families.

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Program of Project Description

Through our program we hope to provide musical instruments and lessons to 120

students located at low income schools and from low income families. We hope to begin our

program with a signup sheet, and an essay submitted by students on why they should be allowed

into the program. We expect the demand into the program will be great, and it is our goal to

recruit children who are dedicate, who truly want to learn, and will follow our program

throughout their entire school career.

We will focus our attention on six schools within Dallas County; Bird Elementary, J

Smith Middle School, Hall Elementary, Isaac Cox Middle School, and Colman Elementary.

These five schools house some of the most at risk children based on economics, socio-economic

background, and financial status.

We have dedicated teachers already interested in our program; teachers who themselves

came from low income families and benefited from after school programs that promoted music.

With their dedication, paired with the dedication of the students we hope to recruit, we know that

our program can be a success. Our goal of lifelong learning, increased graduation rates, and

college graduation rates will increase. The goal of our program is to follow our students

throughout their career, through attentiveness and focus we know that we can make a difference.

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Means of Evaluating Project’s Success

Long term the Hamilton Organization hopes to prove our success through increased rates

of graduation among our students, higher GPA’s, and more students who go to college and

graduate compared to the students who were not a part of the program.

Short term we will based this on the performance of our students, not only with their

success at being able to properly play their perspective instrument, but their grades in their

courses. All schools in Dallas County provide parents with a 6 week report card; we will take

note of student’s grades at the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year. Paying

more focus to those courses that require cognitive learning skills; math, reading, and language.

In order to ascertain the student’s ability to play their instruments we will hold 2 concerts

throughout the school year, a winter and a summer concert. In addition each student will

compete to determine what ‘chair’ they will hold in the orchestra; 1st violin, 2nd violin, etc. we

believe this will create healthy completion among the students. Lastly our teacher’s will test our

students biweekly, providing a piece for the student to practice and evaluating how well the

student does based on their current knowledge level.

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Budget with Narrative Explanation

In order to provide instruments for students entering our program, we will begin a cost

allocation of various musical instruments which we are acquiring for a discounted rate, compared

to the number of students we want in the program each year, based on a budget of $42,665

yearly. As you will note below we will be providing instruments to 120 students across Dallas

County. The cost of the instruments will be $26,736.00 a set amount over the 3 year period

which we have locked in with a contract, the remaining $15,930.67 will be used to pay the

teachers who will be giving the lessons.

instrument Number purchased Cost in U.S. Dollars

violin 15 $5500

flute 15 $3500

clarinet 15 $3000

trumpet 15 $2700

oboe 15 $2900

Saxophone 15 $3100

trombone 15 $3051

French horn 15 $2985

Total cost $26,736.00

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As you see we have created a thoroughly thought out budget, our plan allows us to enter

120 students into the program each year. We will employ 3 teachers who will meet with students

at their respective schools 3 times a week for an hour after school has ended. With lessons

provided 3 times a week along with parent involvement, and at home practice we believe that

students will be able to retain the information they are learning and progress quickly.

Year Cost of Instruments Cost of Lessons Total

1 $26,736.00 $15,930.67 $42,665

2 $26,736.00 $15,930.67 $42,665

3 $26,736.00 $15,930.66 $42,665

Total 80,208 $47,792 $128,000

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Conclusion

We at the Hamilton organization believe that our desire to place an instrument in the

hands of at risk youths who cannot afford to purchase an instrument themselves is a worthwhile

endeavor. When we give our students an instrument, we are doing more than just placing a flute,

a clarinet, or a violin into their hands, we are handing them opportunities. The opportunity to

graduate, the opportunity to go to college, the opportunity to see that there is more to the world

than the crime and poverty they encounter on a daily basis. It is a fact that learning to play a

musical instrument has amazing benefits on the brain and exponentially increases a child’s

chances of success.

We implore you at New Horizon Foundation to partner with us and help create a better

life not only for the children who will sign up for our program, but for their children; high school

and college graduates have a 75% chance of producing a college graduate. Help us create a better

economy, help us lower crime, and help us decrease the number of participants on welfare; it all

starts here.

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References

Brown, L. L. (2012, May 25). The Benefits of Music Education. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from

http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education/

Echeverria, H. (207, May 2). Https://www.harmony-project.org/news/. Retrieved August 1, 2018

Locker, M. (2014, December 16). Music Can Alter Your Child's Brain. Retrieved August 1,

2018, from http://time.com/3634995/study-kids-engaged-music-class-for-benefits-

northwestern/