Join Terry Carter to Play It Forward!
Your Holiday Uke Purchase Earns a Uke for Students in Need
Dear Friend,
Welcome to Terry Carter's brand new holiday matching uke-raiser for Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom (GITC)! This month, when you purchase any ukulele from the Terry Carter Music store, Terry will contribute a brand new student ukulele to an early childhood or primary grade classroom participating in our free teacher training programs. He will keep matching ukes until $1000 of ukuleles have been donated.
All over California, and in 39 other states, teachers of young children are learning to teach through hands-on music and the power of song. Each participating educators is in need of a starter set of indestructible Waterman ukuleles for their students to play. Keep reading to learn the details.
Terry's Match
When you buy a uke, any uke, Terry will donate a Kala Waterman to GITC until his matching funds are spent. These indestructible little music puppies keep on sounding good, even when small hands accidentally drop them. They do not break. We can clean them with a Clorox wipe so they don't spread germs when shared. We love how they hold up year after year. You can order a uke from The Terry Carter Music Store HERE and he'll match your purchase.
What If I Want to Do More?
You may also wish to "Play it forward" even more by donating an additional ukulele, above and beyond your singular purchase. Terry is ready to help. In past years, wonderful donors like Donna Williams have chosen to help in this way, and it has made a huge difference for the children in benefitting GITC classrooms. These include Head Start and YMCA programs, child development and daycare centers, early learning schools, and public preschools, transitional kindergartens, and K-2 classrooms!
If you would also like to make a tax-deductible direct donation to Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom, it's possible in this very fundraiser. You can choose any amount you wish to donate, or write in something different, and your gift will go right to the programs. No red tape. Cash helps us buy more instruments, but it also helps us ship the sets to schools outside the immediate area, and it can provide more training for the teachers. Everything helps. We are a tiny team with low overhead. Getting music to more teachers and kids is why we are here. It's a mission to which we are whole-heartedly committed.
What Brings Terry Back to GITC Every December?
We are grateful that once again, Terry is choosing to benefit our 501(c)3 this year. Terry believes in the power of music to change lives, and with GITC, he knows his donation is starting kids off in life with the gift of music. He especially loves our work because GITC creates musical access for children from many walks of life. Our approach empowers any teacher who cares to make music a relevant, inspiring, and restorative part of learning every day.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
Your holiday purchase will result in a donated uke for every uke you buy. These donated ukes will help dedicated educators teach the children in their classrooms to sing, play, and make up their own songs for developing listening and language skills, beginning math, and important social skills. Young children need to learn to be a part of something beautiful and so much bigger than any one person. Learning the universal language of music and blending their voices in song can instill in children a deep sense of peace, joy, and belonging. What the world needs now is love, and this work delivers it every single day.
How does GITC work?
When a GITC-trained teacher joins our classes online or in person, they become a music maker and music leader. No prior musical experience in needed. Ukuleles and simple songs are the way they learn. We also teach them to successfully impart music with their students. In each class they begin to develop music leadership skills.
1. When a teacher simply strums a ukulele in class, he or she announces the coming of a new activity. The students listen right away, and prepare to receive instructions for a change.
2. Singing a song to guide each transition or task, with clear, positive lyrics tells students where to go, how to get there, and what to do. This guides the whole class in the right direction.
3. As students learn to sing the songs themselves, they instantly remember how to complete tasks and routines with ease. This supports a harmonious classroom.
4. Introducing and teaching lessons with songs makes any learning engaging for young students. Teachers learn to choose or compose effective subject-related songs in our classes.
5. Teachers learn to help their students add lyrics that make lesson-learning personal. This develops in children creativity, self-expression, and a sense of ownership and pride!
How Many Ukes Make a Set?
Providing each participating classroom teacher and early childhood educator with a set of student ukuleles will give their young students first experiences of learning to play a stringed instrument! GITC teachers learn how to make this opportunity a success. Every GITC classroom needs one ukulele to share between every three students. A group of 15 children needs 5 ukuleles. A group of 24 need 8 ukuleles. When teachers deploy GITC implementation techniques, young students become experts at sharing, taking turns as singers, percussion players, and ukulele strummers, and no one has to wait very long for their turn to play a uke.
Shine a Light!
If you'd like to make us aware of a specific teacher or school you are hoping GITC can help, you can tell us about them here in the giving campaign. You will be asked for this information after you've entered YOUR DETAILS in the payment process, then hit CONTINUE. It's the second step.
Thank you very much for giving to Terry's special holiday uke-raiser. Together we are all helping put music in the hearts and instruments in the hands of tomorrow's teens, and the future adults. If you think about how having music in your life has mattered, you can get a glimpse of the good you are setting in motion with every single gift.
With heartfelt thanks for supporting this humble mission, and joining Terry in his generous effort. May you be richly blessed in all ways in the year ahead!
