Carroll Education Foundation's Grant Recipients and Sponsors 2008

Middle School Band is one of the most unique classrooms in all of public education. There are no less than 60 members in each band period, over 15 different instruments and yet, to become an elite band, each band member must work to match pitch, rhythm, dynamics and musical expression, all at the same time! As band directors, we constantly strive to reach this high level of excellence, and yet to do so we must respond to an incredibly diverse range of abilities and instruments to accommodate each and every student. Our solution to this dilemma: a Wind Controller. A Wind Controller can be defined as an electronic wind instrument and is usually connected to some sort of sound generating device such as a MIDI synthesizer or sound module which is then connected to an amplifier. For this reason, a Wind Controller generally can sound like ANYTHING depending on the capabilities of the connected sound module. In summary, the acquisition of a Wind Controller for the band department at Carroll Middle School would allow for new levels of musical comprehension and instruction, never before realized. While there is never a teaching shortcut or miracle instructional strategy, a Wind Controller would allow the band directors to more effectively and more efficiently demonstrate the highest levels of musical standards that our entire community could be proud of and enjoy.