This project will equip & empower 2000 students with parents serving in the Navy & Marine Corps to cope creatively through music with anxiety, loneliness & worry that makes it hard to connect with others & concentrate in school. Fearing for & missing a parent is a burden, especially for kids who've moved bases a lot. Dad or Mom may return with injuries, TBI and PTSD, adding to troubles at home. In some GITC schools, 50% are military kids. Please give them hope & musical skills for a lifetime.
San Diego is the US's largest home for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many have young families. In schools near the bases, about 50% of the students have military parents and have moved around a lot. Some have trouble making friends. Many struggle with anxiety, depression, isolation and fear for a deployed or commissioned parent. Home life can be very tough as the parent at home is stressed and the one who returns from duty may have tough new needs & challenges. Kids need support.
This project will train counselors & teachers who serve the children every day to play, sing, teach and lead songs for friendship, safety, social and emotional development. The music leaders will incorporate songwriting in their students' creative writing lessons and counseling sessions, encouraging students to tell their own stories and speak their hearts and minds about life. Students will learn to play guitars, ukuleles, sing and make their own music videos together.
This work instills well-being & a life-long love of music. It imparts social change as teachers become music leaders for years at school, reaching thousands of students including those in Title 1 & underperforming schools. The children learn to feel, make and share music, to express their feelings while building skills & confidence to last their lifetimes. Ultimately, the safety, bonding and confidence they discover through making music helps them rise to meet life's challenges with an open <3.
This project has provided additional documentation in a XLSX file (projdoc.xlsx).
