Music for Bethune Middle School

Do you have a drum, a maraca, a clarinet, a violin, any kind of musical instrument laying around your house?

Then I want it!

I love playing music and being a part of a band, my desire to share that love with other students is the focus of my bar mitzvah project.  

Over the next few months, I will be collecting as many instruments and dollars as I can, to donate to Bethune Middle School in South Central.  

The basic idea: many  of us have abandoned musical instruments in our homes. I want those instruments. Let me take them off your hands!  

I know that like many of the children in Santa Monica, many children in South Central Los Angeles also want to learn to play a musical instrument, but because of the poverty rate, the schools do not have the funds to provide each willing child with an instrument or consistent instruction.  

98% of Bethune's middle school students receive free lunch, which is a lot. The poverty is so widespread. Many parents work two or three minimum wage jobs, with little time to help their children in school. Both my brother and I were upset by the huge difference in schools and opportunities just a few miles from my home. 

I have been working with the principal of Bethune who is very happy to create a partnership with me. She told me that extracurricular activities are very important for her students, especially music, because playing music creates a feeling of community and accomplishment for all ages. Also, music brings a sense of fulfillment once you’ve mastered a piece, it brings calm to your mind as you listen to your friends play a soft melody.  

For the next two months, I will be collecting as many musical instruments as I can. If it still plays, and you want to donate it, I'll happily take it.

My mom, Mieke, will be the one responsible for collecting, withdrawing the money and distributing it to Bethune Middle School.