Last November, I had the privilege of attending Josh Groban's concert here in Dallas. I was greatly moved by not only his amazing talent and heart warming music but by his dedication to the furthering of music and art programs in public schools. He has created an organization called "
Find Your Light" where he raises funds for public school music and art programs. He has given instruments, music, etc. to public schools all over the nation through this foundation. In each community that he visits he shares his experiences with students in public schools. Then, he invites those students to join him (front and center) at his concerts to inspire them to continue in their love for music/art programs in their future. He has also mentored young artists, as they begin their own journey into the world of music performance.
As a Kindergarten teacher and flute player, I have two great loves in life—music and children—so this moment really resonated with me and gave me an idea for a service project for my Kindergarten class. Besides the many academic goals that we have for our students, my personal goal as a Kindergarten teacher is to inspire young children to care about others and to focus on what they can do to help our community and our world. Our service projects allow us to put this goal into action through real world experiences and opportunities to give back. I believe that we can change the world for the better one child at a time by helping them to develop a love and concern for others.
In honor of Public School Music Appreciation month, we decided to combine two of our favorite things…cookies and music. We announced our service project on our
live video announcements here at school on February 27, 2014 and invited our school family to join us on this mission. Then, during the month of March we sold “Cookies for Quarters” in order to raise money for “Find Your Light” at all of our music events here at Watson. We were so excited when we counted our quarters at the end of this campaign. We had made $1,000! Our class motto throughout this project was “Little people can do Big things…Dream Big Dreams!” I was so proud of my kids because they had done just that.
Our next challenge was to find a way to get our checks to Josh Groban and his Find Your Light Foundation. My class created a book which documented our service project and included hand made thank you notes for Josh for inspiring such a memorable service project. My family and I had planned a family vacation to Boston, Massachusetts for Labor Day weekend. While we were there, we attended Josh’s concert with the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. During his concert, Josh said hi to his parents, who we were lucky to be sitting a few rows behind. When the concert was over, I had the chance to speak to his mom and give her our book. She was so very kind and took our book back-stage for Josh to enjoy. I was so thankful and found great joy in a mission accomplished. I had no idea what would happen a few weeks later.
While, at work one afternoon, I was called to the office for a very sweet surprise. Josh’s mom, Mrs. Groban, was on the phone. She had taken time out of her very busy day to call and thank us for our book and for the service project that we had done for Josh’s foundation. She said that she and Josh were touched by our project and wanted to do something for my class in return for their hard work. Needless to say, I was shocked.
Josh and his family did not have to do this but out of the kindness of their hearts wanted to. Josh provided my kids with a pizza party and a
thank you video where he showed us how our contribution was used to help other children through an organization in Los Angeles called Harmony Project. The fact that he and his family would take the time to do this for us is a testament to their genuine character. They are using their public platform to do such positive things to make our world a better place to be, and that is a trait to be acknowledge and admired. In order to show our appreciation for his kindness, we sent him a
thank you video from our party.
We also had the opportunity to exchange videos with the students from Harmony Project. We sent them a
message showing what music means to us and asked them a few questions about Harmony Project. Then, they returned the favor with their own
video message. It was so moving to get to actually see the students that we were able to help through our service project.
Josh Groban may be famous for his big voice, but I believe that it is his big heart that is even more endearing. The kindness that he and his family have shown me and my kids is incredible. They have provided my kids with a memory they will never forget, and I can never thank them enough for that.
The Groban family is one of a kind, and our world needs more people like them in it! Keep shining Josh Groban! We wish you and your family many blessings in the future!
As for my very special students, I hope that this experience will inspire them for the rest of their lives. I think that if you teach people when they are young that they can make a difference, they are going to go forth in the future and change our world. And that is what we hope to do, to change the world for the better. I feel like we hopefully are on our way to doing just that.
Our service project was featured on the G.I.S.D. website in an
article by our talented staff writer, Caren Rodriguez. Here are some of the pictures that she took for us on the day of our party. We hope you enjoy them! Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
Our Find Your Light service project for this year begins next Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at our Second Graders, "Hats off to America" musical at the Curtis Culwell Center where we will be selling "Cookies for Quarters". Get your quarters ready and help this year's Kindergarteners change the world!
