GRANT REPORT - MAMMOTH UNIFIED MUSIC PROGRAM
The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music at Mammoth Unified School District
New Instrument Drive? We are on it!
MMCF is supporting the sound of music for the thriving music programs at Mammoth Unified School District!
Mike Hammers, Director of Music, shares how the grant from MMCF has had an impact on Mammoth Music.
The instrumental music programs are composed of students from Mammoth Elementary School (60 students), Mammoth Middle School (50 students) and Mammoth High School (45 students). With shared instruments throughout all three schools, Mammoth Music needed all the instruments they could get their hands on to support all of the programs. The cost of new instruments ranges between $500 – $5,000. Because of Mammoth’s rural location, there are no nearby music shops or rental options so MUSD supplies 98% of the instruments used in their program, free of cost to students! And thanks to the generosity of MMCF, new instruments were purchased.
Mammoth Music Programs are an essential part of our schools, and local community. We provide a music education and exposure to the arts to students of all ages, from all backgrounds. Through general music classes, bands, choirs, jazz groups, and more, our programs share all the great things that listening to, learning about, and playing music with others can offer.
Music classes meet daily throughout the school day, as well as before and after school. Mammoth Music puts on a number of free community concerts in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. They travel and compete at festivals. They play in town parades and at local venues, including MMCF’s largest annual fundraiser, The Mammoth Invitational.
The level of involvement continues to grow and the ensembles progress and improve each year. This year there were more students involved than ever before and Mammoth Music took home a 1st and 2nd place finish at the Fullerton Jazz Festival! This accomplishment for Mammoth’s small schools is epic.
The Mammoth Music Programs have a profound impact on its students, schools, and community. Not only is music fun to play, bringing joy to students during the school day, it can also help with so many areas of life. It exercises the brain in many ways all at the same time, it helps with language development, improves memory, boosts confidence, teaches discipline, and offers a creative expression and outlet for our students.
The grant MMCF provided helped in the success of our programs by putting a handful of instruments into kids hands who would otherwise not have had that opportunity. With the growth of our programs over the last 8-years, we have had to buy and replace instruments to keep up with demand. MUSD has an aging inventory, and our students deserve quality instruments that will work well and last for years to come.
On behalf of our Mammoth Music Programs and Mammoth Unified School District, I can't thank MMCF enough for their support. Our programs are on the rise, and your partnership and contributions are a huge part of our success. Running a music program of this size, in a small rural community, comes with many expenses. Instruments are expensive. An example: we are looking to buy a new bari sax, price tag nearly $7,500. Additionally, each year we will need to replace our aging inventory. I hope to continue to partner with you all to maintain and enhance these programs. It is my goal to provide more music, to more students, in more places. MUSD is hiring a 2nd full time teacher (wooo!), and together, we plan on offering even more next year, and into the future.
