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Kuna, Caldwell School District receive grant for music programs

Posted at 6:22 PM, Dec 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-03 20:22:04-05

KUNA — Kuna is receiving $122,892.08 from the TLC Foundation, and Caldwell is getting $114,300.70 for an Arts and Music grant.

Music teachers in Kuna say their kids have to meet national, state, and district standards in music.

“I have the greatest job in the world, I get to make music with kids all day long, I get to make good people through music," said elementary school music teacher Jennifer Sanders.

Music classrooms in Kuna and Caldwell will be getting things like instruments and resources with the grant money.

“I'm at Ross and Indian Creek, and I'd say at both schools, I have enough instrument for half the kids to play, so a lot of times they’re rotating, taking turns," said Sanders.

Indian Creek Elementary will get drums and teacher resources with the grant funding, but that money towards all music classrooms in the district. The middle schools have different needs, like curriculum.

"A lot of our music that we currently have at Kuna school district is 15, 20, 30 years old or more and I don’t have enough, I don’t have enough parts pieces," said band and choir director for Kuna Middle School April Peterson.

"I had instruments that I literally had duct-taped together, hoping that they’d make it through, and I’d ask for money, and they’d give me a little, but they gave me what they could," said Peterson.

Nation-wide, music programs have been scaled back, often being affected by education budget cuts, but teachers here say music is important for a child’s overall education.

“Music is one of those things every kid can do, it is available every kid, it can teach you beat and rhythm and all that stuff, but it is secondary sometimes to the working together, being a part of a group, the sense of accomplishment when you get something right," said Peterson.

Kuna teachers say with the funding, they’re able to change the face of music education in Kuna.

“It’s almost an emotional thing because I want so much for these kids, and I couldn’t give it to them, and now I can," said Peterson.