Increasing Access to Music Education for Students in Trenton

Thanks to our donor and community partnerships (mentioned below), we were able to provide music programs to every district school in need in Trenton, NJ.

For over two decades, Trenton Public School District did not have any instrumental music education programs within their public K-8 schools. In 2012, the Trenton Public School District partnered with the Save The Music Foundation to launch a major district-wide instrumental music education rebuild. NOW, all 17 elementary and middle schools have instruments.*

*Rebuild – We provide new instruments, books, and program support for every school without a music program in the district creating full instrumental music programs as part of the regular school day. Learn more about our holistic approach to sustainable music education here.

Ramon is now a straight A student as well as an athlete.

-Nathan Cohen/ Trenton Music Teacher

Nathan Cohen, music teacher at Grace A. Dunn Middle School, wrote a wonderful report highlighting some success stories within his class.

Cohen talking about his student:

“He learned not only how to be part of a team, but his natural leadership skills began to develop. Secondly, his ability to improve his academic standing was very apparent. By the time he reached high school, he was able to sign up for all honors courses.”

Read Nathan Cohen’s full testimonial in Music Education as a Tool for Youth Development: Experiences in the Trenton Public Schools, NJ

Trenton Celebrates

On June 9, 2016, one of Trenton’s middle schools hosted a musical showcase to celebrate that all 17 elementary and middle schools in the Trenton Public School District now have instrumental music education programs.

Check out the video from the celebration. 12 Trenton schools performed in their schools’ orchestra or band. They also got to share their stories on how instrumental music has impacted their life.

We have some of the brightest and most talented musicians here and [these programs] will help perpetuate music education in our city.

– Trenton Mayor, Eric Jackson

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks to leadership supporters including The Singer Family Foundation and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation for helping us restore music programs across the district.

BAI Beverages sponsored a special Encore Grant.

About The Paul & Emily Singer Family Foundation: Founded in 2008, the Foundation is the extension of the wishes of its founders, Paul & Emily Singer to provide support to those causes it deems important in five major categories including: arts & culture, education, environmental conservation, humanitarian issues, and animal concerns. We are governed by a Board of Trustees, all family members, as well as an advisory council of the spouses of the Founder’s children. Our diverse professional backgrounds lend themselves to a strong foundation in business, technology, education and medicine. Our passions are individually and collectively meshed into a focused direction of of assistance to those whose needs are deemed necessary. The Foundation welcomes inquiries and preliminary discussions in the stated interest areas to explore projects that may be appropriate for support. Our Mission is to provide a source of funding over a multi generational time frame for charitable giving to those organizations, causes, or individuals as determined by the Trustees and Advisors of the Foundation.

About The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation: The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is a private foundation based in Morristown, New Jersey. Established in 1974, we support arts, education, environment, informed communities, and poetry to connect communities and influence social change to achieve an equitable New Jersey. For nearly 40 years, the Dodge Foundation has been a steadfast supporter of the arts in New Jersey. Whether through an arts council in our suburban and rural communities, a major performing arts center or theater in our urban centers, we believe in the power of the arts to enrich our lives, connect people, revitalize public spaces, help communities thrive, and inspire learning. We have supported arts organizations across a variety of disciplines, including music, opera, theater, dance and visual arts, many of which placed a priority on arts education programming. The Dodge Foundation is interested in systemic change in education. Our goals, guidelines, and strategies have focused on ensuring that every child in New Jersey receives a sequential and varied arts education, with a priority focus on serving students and teachers in designated historically under-resourced Abbott school districts and where districts are not meeting the state arts education requirements. We believe in the transformative power of arts education to substantially improve children’s lives and academic outcomes, and prepare them for 21st century careers. We invest in Pre-K through 12th grade sequential arts education and arts-integration efforts that ensure children have the opportunity to receive comprehensive arts training and to experience the benefits of a more dynamic, arts-infused curriculum. Implemented with fidelity over time, the arts can improve the culture of a struggling school, ignite principal and teacher creativity, and foster more joyful and learning-friendly classrooms.

Trenton Rebuild

Thanks to our donor and community partnerships (mentioned below), we were able to provide music programs to every district school in need in Trenton, NJ.

Trenton Celebrates

SPECIAL THANKS