Room 41 is tucked in the southern corner of the Palisades Elementary campus, but a resounding drum beat could be heard throughout on Thursday morning. Fourth grade music students were the first to try out a classroom set of tubano drums that the school received from a Strike Up the Band grant from the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
Strike Up The Band is a grant program by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County that aims to foster the appreciation of music within our community’s youth and create a meaningful impact on school music programs through the granting of musical instruments and teaching materials. The purpose of the grant is to enhance and grow existing music programs, support the creation of new music programs, or aid in the transition to online learning.
In May of 2024, CUSD elementary block music teacher Sharon Evans was notified that her grant proposal for $8,300 was approved. She intended to purchase nine sets of three sizes of Remo tunable tubano drums to teach students African drumming and provide a therapeutic outlet. The drums were delivered on Thursday, and Katherine Yang and Jennifer Niedringhaus from the Philharmonics education and community engagement department were able to help the students try them out for the first time.
“We at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County are honored to play a part of your musical journey,” Niedringhaus said. “We had 70 applicants this past season and Palisades Elementary was one of 11 schools to receive this grant. We cannot wait to see where the program will go this year and for years to come.”
