From Will Boartfield
MMS Band Director
The Millbrook Middle School Band program is thrilled to announce that we have once again been chosen to receive grant funding through the Alabama Arts Education Initiative (AAEI) grant. The AAEI grant is overseen by the Alabama State Department of Education under the direction of State Superintendent Eric Mackey and Arts Specialist Andy Meadows.
The AAEI grant is funded through a line item for Arts Education in the Education Trust Fund budget, voted on and passed by our local state Rep. Will Dismukes and State Senator Clyde Chambliss.
This is the 3rd year we have been fortunate to be awarded the grant and it has been a blessing to help us purchase instruments that were beyond our budget. We have utilized these grants to replace older instruments and purchase instruments to increase our inventory and create new opportunities for our MMS band students. The new brass instruments purchased with the first grant cycle were key to helping the band make all Superior ratings at Music Performance Assessment by the Alabama Bandmasters Association. The percussion instruments purchased with the second grant cycle have allowed the middle school to send much better prepared percussion students to the SEHS band program.
We have also been fortunate to have instruments donated to the band program from members of the community this year. The donated instruments include a Baritone, Cornet, Clarinets, and a Keyboard. We would like to extend our thanks to the family of Ralph Faulk for their kind donation.
On behalf of the students, I want to thank everyone involved in making this grant become a reality for Arts students all over the state.
This year we purchased 2 new baritones, 2 new Double French Horns, a new Tenor Saxophone, and a new Bass Clarinet (not pictured).
