For the fourth year running, Bonham Middle School band directors Hector Izaguirre, Alex Pettigrew and Brian Barrientes have been awarded an Education Foundation grant that will benefit their students.
This one is called Stand and Deliver because it is for music stands and is for $2,000.
“We just needed a whole new flock of stands,” Izaguirre, the head band director, said.
Currently, there are about 300 students in band, but it fluctuates. They have reached 350 in the past.
“We’ve had several (stands) come in the last couple of years. They’re just getting old and we do host UIL contests on some years and we just need equipment to host that and for our kids to get a good stand,” Izaguirre said.
Pettigrew said a lot of the stands were old enough to start leaning.
“… If you put a binder on them, they would slowly sink all the way down to the floor. This really helped us be able to teach all the proper techniques,” Pettigrew, the associate band director, said.
Barrientes, also an associate band director, said some of the stands were starting to rust and the paint was chipping.
“It didn’t really look that good,” Barrientes said. He added that it makes a big impact to have fresh, new stands.
Izaguirre said if you go to N Tune, a stand costs about $50. The directors got about 40 of them.
“Most of our class sizes for the 300 kids are typically 40 to 50 kids. For the most part, every kid has a new stand,” Pettigrew said.
Barrientes said for his beginning students, each student who is learning an instrument gets a mirror.
“That stand is super critical because it holds that mirror in place and allows the kid to see what they’re doing and what they’re not doing and how to correct themselves,” Barrientes said.
He added that some of the hinges had given out which could cause the stand to flip over, or when the student puts their music on it, it can’t support the weight and all the music falls to the floor.
Pettigrew said it’s not the easiest sell because everyone wants to get a shiny new piece of technology.
“We were just really thankful that we were able to get stands because that’s what we needed the most,” he added.
Izaguirre said every time they get a grant, they celebrate and post it on their social media.
“People ask us, well how’d you do that. Well, we just applied,” Izaguirre said.
Pettigrew said this will be their fourth grant in four years.
“It’s just completely changed the band hall. All the black chairs in here, that was the (Education Foundation). They’ve bought instruments. We are a Title 1 school and that need, because of COVID, has just been increasing, unfortunately. … The school district, of course, has jumped in but they’ve (the Education Foundation) also jumped in and really helped us … Every single kid who wants to be in band has the ability to have an instrument and they’ve helped a lot,” Pettigrew said.
Izaguirre said he thought applying for a grant would be more difficult than it was, but the process is well laid out.
“We were able to get all the signatures we (needed) … It’s not terrible at all. I would really encourage other directors … or anyone in ECISD to do that because once you get started it’s not difficult at all,” Izaguirre said.
He added that they talk out their grant ideas and they even have a few now.
“We think about it all year and put ideas down. And for example this year I started thinking about stands and I thought of the title. I thought that was kind of clever. … I talked to the guys about it and then we … generate ideas like here are my thoughts and then we all put our thoughts out on paper,” Izaguirre said.
Barrientes said they communicate each other’s urgent needs and they decide which one is most urgent.
“I think the number one thing is just getting it done,” Pettigrew said. “No matter whether you think it’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever written as a request because our first year that we did it, I think we were very surprised and happy to have won. And so I think the number one thing is not letting perfection get in the way of just getting something done.”
Barrientes said when a student walks in and sees that there are nice things, it encourages them to stick around and take it more seriously.
