ProMark Drumsticks has donated over 6,900 pairs of drumsticks and stick bags to 43 music education programs in need across the United States and Canada.
The programs that will be receiving these stick donations are all previous recipients of grants awarded by the D’Addario Foundation. Each program offers free or low-cost, high-quality, robust music instruction to children, who, if not for the program, would have little to no access to music education.
While these community music programs were adversely impacted by school closures and social distancing measures brought about by the pandemic, they quickly and effectively transitioned to online learning to serve their students. Programs went above and beyond developing innovative ways to meet the new needs of their community, many even delivering the necessary instruments, technology, and resources directly to students’ homes so that they may participate in virtual music-making.
“We are running virtual classes and our drumline lives on,” says Daniela Grigioni, Executive Director of After-School All-Stars in Washington D.C. “The problem is that students need sticks to use at home to really keep them engaged. So, this is great!”