Friday, November 4, 2016

Spotlight on "Recorders without Borders" - Inspiring Kids around the World

I almost cried visiting a booth at a music convention today. You know the drill at these vendor events: walk on the opposite side of the walkway, and don't make eye contact unless you want to be sucked in. Having been a vendor many times, I understand the desperation to sell a product after hours of monotony, so imagine my surprise when I was pulled into this booth and was almost crying a couple sentences into her spiel.

The lovely lady I met represents "Recorders without Borders," a non-profit, Texas-based organization. The organization collects recorders* from American students and sends them to kids in developing countries. They sponsor U.S. music teachers to travel to a partner school (they have 6 partner schools in Kenya and have visited schools in Central America, as well). These sponsored teachers deliver the recorders to the village and then teach the students and local teachers how to play. When the teachers come back to the U.S., they bring testimonies of how the trip went. These testimonies and pictures are distributed through email to the students who donated recorders in an annual report.

Here is their website: http://recorderswithoutborders.org/

Go check it out. It really is beautiful what they are doing. They not only give the gift of music in a new way to kids around the world, but they also give our students here a purpose beyond themselves, a chance to be unselfish. They accept donations of money and recorders.**


Watch this video of "Amazing Grace," performed by one of their students in Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsXMG4guOGo   
Isn't "Amazing Grace" on recorder so pure and inspiring?



I'll leave you with this verse I love, especially as a music teacher:

Psalm 150 1-6
Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 
praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 
praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.


*If you don't know what a recorder is, it's the predecessor to the flute. It sounds similar to the flute but is easier to play (see the picture on the top left). The recorders I use are almost indestructible, so it's the perfect instrument for this cause. Click below for the link to my favorite recorders.



**Of course, I suggest you do your own research before donating to an organization. I am only speaking of what I believe to be true.

Here's the link to my TpT store: Meg's Music Room Store
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Here are some of my best-selling items on TpT:
Beethoven Trivia Game - POWERPOINT VERSION!!!
Beethoven Trivia Game - SMART NOTEBOOK VERSION
Composer Trivia Bundle - Beethoven Mozart Williams Jeopardy Games
Faeries and Giants Movement Activity for Music Class - PowerPoint Version
Faeries and Giants Movement Activity for Music Class - Smart Notebook Version
Found Sound Scavenger Hunt Outdoor Activity for Music Class
ALL-YEAR Lesson Plan Template Bundle - Arkansas Elementary Music
Music Detective Case 1: Case of the Missing Manuscript - POWERPOINT VERSION
Music Detective Case 1: Case of the Missing Manuscript - Smart Notebook Version

Recorder image © Graphics Factory.com