ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL RECEIVES $8,400 GRANT FROM THE MOCKINGBIRD FOUNDATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
For Immediate Release
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL RECEIVES $8,400 GRANT FROM THE MOCKINGBIRD FOUNDATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
PITTSBURGH (Sept. 5, 2024) — Environmental Charter School (ECS) Primary students are raising the bar in music education through the receipt of an $8,400 grant from The Mockingbird Foundation.
Through the support of the grant, students in grades K–2 started the school year with new xylophones, sparking an appreciation and curiosity about music at a younger age. The district applied for the grant in October 2023 with the intention of expanding music education into its lower grades. The all-volunteer Mockingbird Foundation received 1,220 inquiries for funding in 2024, of which, ECS was one of 19 finalists selected for grant funding.
“ECS’s pedagogy focuses on play-based learning in our Primary School,” Dr. Amanda Cribbs, Superintendent said. “Expanding the music and arts program for our littlest learners is critical to cultivating their social and emotional well-being and mindfulness, especially in a post-pandemic world.”
In alignment with ECS’s environmental mission, the music program takes on a holistic and global-citizen approach by providing students with the opportunities to collaborate, build relationships, work toward a common goal and develop connections to beauty through musical experiences, while also showing the cultural impact, resource use (or adaptation) and societal reflection of music.
“I have incorporated the use of xylophones and other barred instruments into my instruction,” Emily Fields, ECS Primary Music Teacher said. “I am eager to share the joy of playing these high-quality instruments with the youngest learners at ECS Primary.
ECS believes that making music is an extension of its students and an important norm for the school's definition of a thriving environment. It is grateful for the Mockingbird Foundation’s generous support in this endeavor and looks forward to filling its halls with the sound of music for years to come.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Deana Callipare, director of communications
(412) 247-7970 x9200
About ECS:
The Environmental Charter School is a tuition-free, K–12, public charter school in Pittsburgh, Pa. ECS combines the academic rigor of the best public schools with a multi-disciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach rooted in real world problems that build active, engaged and empathetic citizens. ECS Grows Citizens.
About The Mockingbird Foundation:
The Mockingbird Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band Phish, with no office, salaries, or paid staff, since its inception in 1996. Mockingbird is now a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through phish.net since 1994. Also a leading grantmaker in music education for children, the Foundation has now made 693 grants, in all 50 states, totaling $2,537,120.39. Proceeds are generated by celebrating the music of Phish through books, recordings, art, donations, and special events.
Photo Caption:
Second graders at the Environmental Charter School (ECS) participate in their first music class of the 24–25 school year and learn how to use new xylophones thanks to a grant from the Mockingbird Foundation. Students participate in music class as a part of a 4-day specials rotation.
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