Hi my name is Joe Jewett and I’m asking you to help me financially to get this effort going to provide violin class at the Lodge Grass School on the Crow/Absaalooka Reservation. I have been working as a teacher of string instruments with social justice as the corollary mission for almost 20 years. Initially that was in underserved classrooms in Holyoke, Greenfield, Turners Falls and Springfield MA but now I am feeling called to bring music and violin (possibly later cello and viola) to Native American reservations. I feel like these communities have been shut out of offerings such as instrumental music for too long. I have applied for an Artists in Schools and Communities Experience grant from The Montana Arts Council and have received a $2500 grant from the Classics for Kids Foundation. These grants will pay for 10-12 of the 16 violins that we need to begin teaching. I am willing to pay for some of the instruments out of a feeling for the need to make reparations. I needd to raise more funds to pay for instructional time and mileage. For each class I will be making a 3.5 hour drive from Cody WY. I was going to have a co-teacher who is the daughter of the band teacher David Graber. David is a strong supporter but he has recently turned 80 and his health is somewhat imperiled. HIs daughter Cass has unfortunately just lost her job so will most likely have to curtail her commitment to the teaching effort. Therefore I will have to ask for assistance from other teachers in the Montana/Wyoming community. It would be very helpful to this effort if I could at least offer a token payment.