Mara McBane

19 February 2024

Dear Mr. Battersby,

I am writing to you today with a proposal of a new course for this school that will

completely change how students view music and music class. I am proposing the implementation

of Modern Band through the nonprofit organization, Music Will (formerly known as Little Kids

Rock). Modern Band is a kind of music class, like marching band, jazz band, or choir. Unlike

most music classes, however, modern band uses popular music as the central canon—including

rock, pop, reggae, hip-hop, rhythm & blues, electronic dance music, and other contemporary

styles that K–12 students prefer. Just like choir, band, and orchestra have a typical set of

instruments that are a part of the ensemble, modern band has a typical set of instruments: drum

set, bass guitar, electric/acoustic guitar, vocals, and computer music software. However, other

instruments can be included in modern band ensembles (Music Will, 2024). Through Modern

Band 85% of teachers note that students participating in music classes are more engaged and

nearly 82% of teachers have seen improvement in student attendance. Many teachers have said

their students have grown in confidence while others have seen an improvement in student

behavior (Music Will, 2024).

In order to receive the correct training for Modern Band I will need to attend two of their

workshops, as well as their Modern Band Summit, which is held in Fort Collins, Denver every

summer. Attending these programs will allow me to engage with experts and connect with peers

who share my passion for using music to make a difference in children’s lives. I will leave with

valuable hands-on experience, new tools, and innovative techniques to elevate my classroom and
positively impact the lives of my students. make me an effective and qualified Modern Band

instructor. I am asking for financial support to attend these programs, around $850 for the trip, as

attending the Summit will provide our school with discounted instruments to support the growth

of a Modern Band program here at Fernwood Avenue Middle School. I am also asking for

around $2,000 towards the discounted instruments for the program. The instruments I will be

purchasing are acoustic guitars, bass guitars, and a drum set. Once we have a program started

with the instruments purchased, I will start fundraising in the community to purchase more

instruments as our program grows and flourishes.

In order to implement this program in our school I will start by introducing it in the

general music curriculum. I will start by doing a full unit of Modern Band in my classroom to

grow interest in the students and show them what it is all about. Students will be introduced to

the instruments and begin playing on day one. In the sixth grade we would start with guitars,

teaching students how to properly hold them and strum them. Then I would teach them 1-2 basic

chords and have them play along to a song of their choosing that uses those 1-2 chords in the

notation. The older the students are, the more chords they would learn and the more challenging

the music they could play. Music Will actually provides teachers with the curriculum, with

hundreds of lesson plans and resources like song charts for free on their website. Students will

learn to play music that they enjoy and listen to, causing them to be more interested and to

involve students who are not interested in traditional bands. This program is an outreach to

children who are looking for a more culturally relevant space to create music, allowing every

student to feel seen and be creative. Since participation in modern band does not require that

students already know how to read music staff notation or understand rhythmic notation, students

without prior experience in school music ensembles can immediately participate in a meaningful
way. Modern band is for students whose interests lie beyond the Western European art music

canon. It is for those students who “mess around” making beats on their computer, or who have

been riffing on their guitar at home all these years. It is also for those students who never had the

confidence to continue with music because they simply felt that they were not musical (College

Music Symposium).

Once I have seen the interest in the students I will begin offering it as a stand alone

course as I would orchestra, marching band, or choir. This program is not an ‘or’, it is an ‘and’!

As a stand alone course, students would learn to play every instrument and choose which they

enjoy the most. Whether that be guitar, bass, drums, piano, or singing, they would get to choose.

Students would learn how to compose their own music that their classmates could then play.

They would also learn to use music technologies creating beats and tracks online that can be used

while playing their instruments. This class would be the perfect creative outlet for any student

and teach them that everyone can be musical, not just those in traditional band and choir settings.

Thank you so much for your support for music at this school and thank you for your

consideration on this new adventure.

Sincerely,

Mara McBane

Music Educator, Fernwood Avenue Middle School

 References

Music Will. (2024). musicwill.org/.

Vasil, Martina. (2019). “The Modern Band Movement: Accessible, Relevant, and

Student-Centered Education - College Music Symposium.”.

symposium.music.org/index.php/60-1/item/11473-the-modern-band-movement-acc

essible-relevant-and-student-centered-education.