FRIENDS OF MUSIC DONATE UKULELES TO N. JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Friends of Music donated 15 ukuleles to North Jefferson Elementary School in Kearneysville on January 13.

The donation was part of an ongoing effort by the Friends to support music education in area schools.

Music teacher Katie Madrid had requested the instruments, which will help her students learn to read music and to apply rhythmic and pitch reading skills.

“I am so excited to get these instruments for my class,” said Ms. Madrid. “The cost of them is way beyond my budget.”

The accompanying photo shows Ms. Madrid’s Fifth Grade students with the instruments; Ms. Madrid is in the background.

The ukuleles are Diamond Head DU-105 Rainbow Soprano models. Together, they are valued at $450.

Each year, the Friends of Music provide an opportunity for Berkeley and Jefferson county music teachers to apply for grants to support their student programs. The organization typically awards grants for such items as musical instruments, sheet music, music software, books and supplies. The Friends also provide scholarships to talented students who are pursuing degrees in music.

The Friends of Music organization is a Shepherdstown-based, non-profit that was founded in 1999 to support and promote musical excellence. It supports the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, the only professional classical music orchestra in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one of only three such orchestras in the state.

Full information about the Friends is available at www.friendswv.org.