Educators in the Ceres Unified School District are firm believers that music is beneficial to students and are continuing with the tradition of making instruments available at no cost.
“Learning to read music is like learning a different language, and it really helps with academics and concentration and the connection to the school community is not a small part of it,” said Erin Balaam, a program administrator in Ceres Unified School District’s Educational Services. “It’s really important to give kids something to connect to that makes them want to be at school.”
Unlike years past when families were on the hook financially to buy or rent instruments, CUSD has an extensive supply of hundreds of musical instruments which are loaned to students and their families at the outset of the school year.
“We provide absolutely everything kids need – instruments, valve oil, reeds, whatever it may be. Finances shouldn’t ever prevent a child from joining band.”
The equipment has been funded through CUSD’s LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) funding.
CUSD recently held its Music Expo – traditionally held on the second day of the school year – to invite students to try different instruments with their families. Balaam said the expo is a “really good way to let the families have some say in what their child is going to be playing at home.”
No student is ever turned away but at times a student may get their second choice fulfilled. If a particular school site does not have what instrument they want, if it’s at another elementary site, it will be transferred over.
Some of the instruments are old and need to be retired, but CUSD does a “refresh every year to make sure that we have quality working instrument,” noted Balaam.
Instruments are checked out through the school libraries and at the end of the year, they check them back in. Students must sign an agreement with parental approval that they’re checking out an instrument and they’ll take care of it and return it.
Like Chromebooks issued to students, if an instrument is lost, parents will be billed for its cost. But the district has been known to write off the expense if a family cannot afford the bill.
The window for signing up for instruments is drawing to a close with the month of August ending.
A couple of years ago, CUSD began a unique program for fifth-graders by rotating them through a few weeks of instrumental music.
“Fifth grade used to be optional sign up for band in August, just like sixth grade, but we wanted to make sure that every kid really tried an instrument.”
For several weeks students will try out instruments in the classroom as they decide what they like and what they don’t like. In December they sign up for band for the remainder of the year.
“We’ve captured quite a few kids who said they would not have signed up for band if they hadn’t been forced into trying it,” said Balaam.
